Ethical Issues Surrounding The Death Penalty
It is clear in our society that violent crimes, such as murder, should carry some sort of stiffer punishment than that of other, lesser crimes. What is not clear is what that punishment should be. One punishment that is a constant source of debate is the death penalty. The death penalty is a form of punishment, is given to those who commit crimes deemed by society and government as deserving the infliction of death. The death penalty serves as a divider among many political ideologies, religions, and cultures. This essay will talk about the ethical issues associated with the death penalty.
There are different ethical theories that can be looked at capital punishment. First, the utilitarianism theory suggests that an act should be carried …show more content…
Fear of the death penalty will keep potential murderers from committing the crime. Capital punishment is immoral because of the kind of killing it is, rather than because it is a kind of killing in a simpler degree. If capital punishment is used, it must be used every time. It is imperative that the death penalty must be enforced in every case, or not at all. The morality of the death penalty is not the result of executing a prisoner; it is the obligations of the person doing the execution. Morality is defined at “the principles of right or wrong.” Even if the death penalty deterred crime more successfully than life imprisonment, that doesn’t necessarily mean it would be justified. Capital punishment permanently removes the worst criminals from society and should prove much safer for the rest of us than long term or permanent incarceration. It is self evident that dead criminals cannot commit any further crimes, either within prison or after escaping or after being released from …show more content…
The country is divided between people who support capital punishment and people who are against capital punishment. After talking about some pros and cons I think that the death penalty is reasonable and should be legal. Capital punishment is not deterrence to crime. Although it does eliminate the chance of a criminal to commit another crime because the person is dead, it could also end the life of an innocent person. There are many arguments against capital punishment including its unconstitutionality because capital punishment violates the Eighth Amendment. Everything has there pros and cons but in some cases the death penalty should be legal because it can do more good than harm in our
There are different ethical theories that can be looked at capital punishment. First, the utilitarianism theory suggests that an act should be carried …show more content…
Fear of the death penalty will keep potential murderers from committing the crime. Capital punishment is immoral because of the kind of killing it is, rather than because it is a kind of killing in a simpler degree. If capital punishment is used, it must be used every time. It is imperative that the death penalty must be enforced in every case, or not at all. The morality of the death penalty is not the result of executing a prisoner; it is the obligations of the person doing the execution. Morality is defined at “the principles of right or wrong.” Even if the death penalty deterred crime more successfully than life imprisonment, that doesn’t necessarily mean it would be justified. Capital punishment permanently removes the worst criminals from society and should prove much safer for the rest of us than long term or permanent incarceration. It is self evident that dead criminals cannot commit any further crimes, either within prison or after escaping or after being released from …show more content…
The country is divided between people who support capital punishment and people who are against capital punishment. After talking about some pros and cons I think that the death penalty is reasonable and should be legal. Capital punishment is not deterrence to crime. Although it does eliminate the chance of a criminal to commit another crime because the person is dead, it could also end the life of an innocent person. There are many arguments against capital punishment including its unconstitutionality because capital punishment violates the Eighth Amendment. Everything has there pros and cons but in some cases the death penalty should be legal because it can do more good than harm in our