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Utilitarianism In Hair Follicle Analysis

669 Words3 Pages

Utilitarianism in Hair Follicle Analysis Four men with the last names Sledge, Odom, Tribble, and Gates were wrongfully convicted of crimes of manslaughter and rape. These individuals and their stories were featured in a video titled, The Fault Lines. The Fault Lines presented the idea that many innocent people are facing prison sentences for crimes they did not commit based on faulty hair follicle analyses. The idea that innocent people are being convicted for crimes they did not commit signifies an ethical dilemma on its own. Though another ethical dilemma is exemplified by other evidence being left out of court, the admission of inaccurate hair follicle analysis data as legitimate evidence in court proceedings is the central dilemma presented. The utilitarianism ethical system can be used to resolve the main dilemma in The Fault Lines. …show more content…

It is a teleological ethical system in that its focuses on consequences of actions (Barry, 1985: 65; p. 35). Utilitarianism is categorized in the forms of act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. Act utilitarianism determines the greatest good by studying the utility of a specific act without paying attention to future actions. Rule utilitarianism determines the greatest good by studying the utility of an action as a rule for behavior (Barry, 1985: 65; p. 36). Utilitarianism is the most appropriate ethical system to use for solving the central dilemma of allowing hair follicle analysis as reliable evidence in court

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