Death Penalty : An Ethical Dilemma

The death penalty has been a huge part of many political debates for the past few decades. There are two sides, those for and those against its continued use and both have logical arguments. My research question is if it is ethical and or beneficial for the U.S. government to continue using the death penalty? To gain the attention of my audience, I am going to share two stories that my sources have on those with experience in the debate. The Forbes article, “Considering The Death Penalty: Your Tax Dollars At Work,” is an anti-death penalty piece explaining how an innocent man was on death row and his opinion on whether or not it should be used. He said in the piece that living out a life sentence without parole is worse than being executed.

¨The taking of even one life is a momentous event.¨ (Bernardin, The Consistent Ethic of Life). The consistent ethic of life is founded on the belief that all life is sacred and worth protecting, while the reasons for capital punishment may seem similar-- retaliation for a life lost-- the death penalty directly goes against everything the consistent ethic of life teaches. As proven through these presentations, capital punishment cases are often inaccurate and biased, while the act of the Death Penalty has proven to be painful with many examples of botched executions. Not only is killing immoral, but how can we go through with these executions when evidence has shown the death penalty can be inefficient and some

The question of ethical behavior is an age-old conundrum. The prevailing issue with ethics is that it is extremely difficult to measure. A person’s moral fabric is largely based on their particular personality traits, as well as, their psychological state and environmental influences. Many believe that ethics are tied to a person’s conscience, and that good morals are often facilitated by a strong religious background. Furthermore, a person’s moral development can be linked to their economic situation and cultural differences. Interestingly, even while examining the status of one’s moral code is challenging; everyone seems to have their own unique array of ethics.

Ernest Van den Haag strongly contends the need for capital punishment in our society in his article. Van den Haag provides a substantial amount of convincing facts and information to support “The Ultimate Punishment”. Van den Haag discusses such topics as maldistribution, deterrence to society, miscarriages of the penalty, and incidental and political issues (cost, relative suffering, and brutalization). The death penalty is indeed the harshest/ultimate punishment a convicted criminal can receive in our society. I agree with Van den Haag’s article. I am in favor of the death penalty system in the United States. Through capital punishment’s determent process, I feel it is a

The death penalty has been a controversial topic for years, being a maximum punishment, giving to a person committing a horrible crime no choice but death. Though death penalty does have a small impact in the way, people think after committing a crime. It does not make a criminal pay their sentence because they executed them and the victim’s family are abandon

The topic I chose to present on was the ethical arguments surrounding the death penalty. The death penalty as defined by Merriam Webster is "Punishment by death; the act of killing people as punishment for serious crimes". The method for execution is determined by the courts, the people harmed and by the state. Each state has their own laws regarding death penalty and methods of carrying it out, vary. The death penalty is reserved for serious crimes of which include rape, murder, and treason. Capital punishment, in its many forms is not at all unique to the United States, as many other countries carry it out also. There are many ethical concerns surrounding death penalty as well as arguments from both sides to whether or not death penalty

Capital punishment or better known as the death penalty is a punishment of execution, that is administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime. Research proves that the death penalty should be banned from all states. The death penalty kills innocent and mentally ill people. Which makes these type of people victims of the government. Capital punishment does not decrease the crime rate and it costs taxpayers way more money than life without parole. Life without parole is a much more suitable punishment for criminals who committed horrendous crimes and made victims families suffer. The death penalty is the easy way out for many criminals and leaves no room for suffering. Basically making the death penalty a get out of jail free card for criminals.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, there has been a total of 1,434 executions since 1978 (Part I). The death penalty is the penalization of execution, administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime (Part I). According to DPIC, there are 5 ways to do execution. Lethal injection (1977), electric chair (1888), gas chamber (1924), hanging (1890), and the firing squad (2010) all have a history of their own (Part I). These different methods are used to kill the convicted criminal. The death penalty is an ethical practice because public safety matters, it preserves taxpayers money, and it 's fair punishment for the crime that the criminal made.

In the history of the United States there has been much controversy on the having juveniles charged with the death penalty for their actions.Recent research into the costs of the death penalty in Florida revealed the state is spending as much as $1 million per inmate just for incarceration and appellate costs.Which in much cases is not at the economic reach of most states.Trial costs would add substantially to the state's total. Florida has over 400 inmates on death row. By taking these inmates through this process it is much less expensive then having to take care of the needs of inmates.By having the death penalty it is much easier for the state to control the inmates based on the level of their crime.

For hundreds of years the death penalty has been used around the world and the United States. The death penalty is reserved for some of the most heinous criminals like serial killers, so not everyone is put on death row. Even though only the most dangerous criminal people are put on death row there are still arguments about death rows existence. Should death row or the death penalty even be allowed? Some people say yes while others say no. People may argue that since the person on death row most likely killed an innocent person, they deserve to be killed for killing the innocent person. The other side of the coin is that it isn’t your decision to determine who lives or dies. Basically, no one should make the decision about who dies. Both opinions on death row and the death penalty are valid, but the question still remains Should the death penalty or death row even exists?

It is surprising to me how many people are actually pro capital punishment. For those who aren 't too sure what capital punishment really is, it is the execution of a criminal who is legally convicted of a capital crime (i.e. murder). Even though the death penalty is the best way to punish criminals of their heinous crimes, I believe it is unethical because it is inhumane and hypocritical, it 's way too costly, also, most criminals put on death row have psychological issues in which they have no control of, and finally people can be falsely accused of crime and be wrongfully sent to their death.

Putting people to death, judged to have committed certain extremely heinous crimes, is a practice that’s been around for along time. In the later half of the twentieth century, it has become a controversial issue. As a supporter of the death penalty, I consider this to be a good thing for my country and its citizens. Capital punishment deters crime. Statistics prove consisted application of the death penalty deter crime. No executed murdered has ever killed again. For many years, Criminologists have thought to believe the death penalty has no affect as deterrence to homicides. From 1972-1976, a suspension was place on capital punishment. The United States had 9,140 murders in 1960 where 56 people were executed. Nine years

The death penalty is a topic that has been controversial in the United States for many decades. In addition, this kind of penalty involves many moral and ethical aspects at the same time, and maybe that is why it is so hard for people to approve it. What I believe is that other states will be interested on abolishing the death penalty as Nebraska did, because it is something that has a significant impact on citizen’s feeling. People do not like the idea of taking somebody’s life; therefore, other states will be interested on it because it will make its citizen’s feel more confident with their judicial system. In my opinion, giving the death penalty will just make it easier to the criminal to get away with what he did. A criminal deserves to

There not many issues in the criminal justice system that have caused more heated discussions and arguments as consistent and strong as that of the argument of capital punishment. Capital punishment (death penalty) is one of the most critical issue that has strong defenders and opponents. This kind of punishment is the most severe form in the U.S. todays and it has different type which lethal injection is the most common (“Ethics and Law”). There have been many religious arguments involved in both sides of the argument, citing both the need for justice and the sanctity of human life. This debate regarding the death penalty has become a complex issue in recent years with concerns as to the equality of the criminal justice system, the position of physicians in assisting in executions, and the likelihood of reform, improvement and rehabilitation amid individuals currently serving on death row. Also, Make a decision on capital punishment is so complex and difficult for the federal government. Each side of defenders and opponents have their own strong reasons. On the one hand, offenders believe fear of death prevent peoples from committing crim. Also, they mentioned on the Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 which stablished constitutional procedure for

The methods used for a prisoner on the different legislations from state to state across the United States, but whether these forms of deaths should be viewed as punishment is the controversial topic that brings up many different points of argumentation such as the first and foremost argument- is the death penalty moral? Many argue that the death penalty is completely immoral on the basis that the state and federal governments do not deserve to kill those whom it has imprisoned. People argue about the factors that determine whether the government will administer a death penalty, such as racial bias and ethnic discrimination. Also, those who oppose the death penalty argue that the criminal justice system often treats the wealthy and guilty better than the poor and innocent. The system in sentencing death is therefore unjust and immoral because it has often shown cases with racial apartheid and in favor of criminals with higher income. This argument does stand strong because the premises all point out to strong conclusion, there actually has been many reports of racial and class bias has taken place.