Is Capital Punishment Ever Morally or Ethically Permissible?

The legitimacy of the use of capital punishment has been tarnished by its widespread misuse , which has clouded our judgment regarding the justifiability of the death penalty as a punitive measure. However, the problems with capital punishment, such as the “potential error, irreversibility, arbitrariness and racial skew" , are not a basis for its abolition, as the world of homicide suffer from these problems more acutely. To tackle this question, one must disregard the currently blemished universal status quo and purely assess the advantages and disadvantages of the death penalty as a punitive measure. Through unprejudiced examination of the death penalty and its consequential impacts, it is evident that it is a punishment that effectively serves its retributive, denunciatory, deterrent, and incapacitative goals.

Is killing ever justifiable? Are all lives equal? When exactly is it “okay” to kill someone? Obviously, all these questions have different answers and there’s no correct answer. A person’s beliefs, ethics, and morals vary person to person. I hope all people understand all life is precious and significant, even if the life is a spider. I will be speaking from my morals and what I believe in. My point of view also comes with examples from the book “Of Mice and Men”.

Republicans like Nancy Reagan, who stated that “more people would be alive today if there were a death penalty”, a controversial statement. On the other hand we have democrats like former secretary of state Hillary Clinton oppose abolishing the practice, and only in certain cases, rising question to whether its okay to subject only certain people to the death penalty like vigorous murderers or terrorists. There is a significant difference between whites and blacks in their support for the death penalty. The data showing that 71% of whites support the death penalty, compared with only 44% of blacks. This stark difference may be the result of the ongoing debate about the overrepresentation of blacks on death rows across the country(CITE). Men and women both seem to accept the ideal of the death penalty but women are less likely to support than men, but does gender really matter when we are considering someone’s life? Do we deserve to kill? Since the 20th century, the entire world has gradually turned its back on capital punishment, but it’s not over yet and unfortunately I don’t think it will be for a long time. It’s a touchy subject and there’s so many pro’s and con’s to each side of the decision. I don’t stand against the death penalty because it’s less money, even though it is, or because there are so many flaws in our government, where wrongfully accused people and mentally ill persons are sentenced to death, I stand against it because it’s morally wrong. Outside of the financial costs for the death penalty, which are in fact more costly than life in prison, what does it say about a society, which practices these killings? The only thing we can do to end the death penalty is to educate

Capital punishment, or death penalty, has been here for thousands of years around the world. Capital punishment is when a criminal or offender is convicted of a heinous crime and is then sentenced to death. Ancient Greece was one of the first civilizations to start using capital punishment, followed by the Romans and religions such as Christianity and Judaism. The death penalty was used on anyone who committed crimes such as female adultery, violence against a King, religious deviance, counterfeiting, and murder.

American prisons today are filled to their capacities, yet crime here in America seems to have increased. I am speaking of one of the cruelest forms of crime that must be eradicated, which is murder. It seems as though a life sentence does not impose fear into modern day criminals, seeing that serious crimes are being committed more often. The death penalty is something that is needed here in the United States to help lower these ongoing vicious crime rates. In the essay “The Death Penalty: Is It Ever Justified?” Written by Edward I. Koch, this exact issue is discussed. Koch believes capital punishment in the form of the death penalty may help make these criminals to understand morality, or right from wrong. He states, “Life is indeed precious, and I believe the death penalty helps to affirm that fact” (483). If they were aware of the penalty, criminals may have, “Shown moral awareness before their victims die, and not after” (484). Through persuasive techniques Koch will support his argument in favor of the death penalty.

Over the course of human history the earliest known concept of capital punishment has been around since the 18th Century BCE, where the Code of King Hammurabi of Babylon codified the death penalty for twenty five different crimes (Reggio, 2015). From the 18th Century until now there have been many other societies that have used capital punishment for various crimes, such as the Hittite Code, Draconian Code of Athens, and also Roman law. Those different cultures used different methods for execution and followed different rules for people of different race, religion, creed, social status, etc. As history progressed, capital punishment itself has gone through many changes; the ways of execution have evolved from brutal and torturous methods such as burning at the stake, burying alive, bludgeoning to death, impalement,

The death penalty will always be a topic some people refuse to talk about. When in fact, it is a very serious topic and people should know how and why the death penalty is not justified. I believe the death penalty is not justified in the least bit because there are people sitting up in prison just living life because the state does not want to pay for an execution, or they find it to be morally corrupt. Personally if you committed a crime that resulted in someone dying then you deserves to die as well. The idea of killing another human does not sit well with people and that is mainly the

Since 1976, there have been 1,435 executions in the United States (The Death Penalty Information Center, 2016). According to the Death Penalty Information Center (2016), there were 796 white, 495 black, 120 Hispanics, and 24 other defendants executed. The number of death sentences per year has dropped tremendously since 1999. Smith (2014) states there have been a decline of annual execution from 98 in 1999 to 39 in 2013. Today, there are over 2,000 inmates that are on death row. By state, California has the highest people on death row (743

“Between 1930 and 2010, 5,093 people were executed in the United States. As of 2010, 35 states and the federal government authorize capital punishment” (Source #2). The death penalty has been brought to court many times. Today most states believe that lethal injection is the most humane method of execution, but some states still have the firing squad, hanging, gas chambers, and electrocution. “All jurisdictions provide for execution by lethal injections. 16 jurisdictions provide for alternative methods of execution, contingent upon the choice of the inmate, the date of the execution or sentence, or the possibility of the method being held unconstitutional”(Source

But, as mentioned earlier, in 2012, only 39 inmates were executed. The other 3,000+ stayed on death row. “Death penalty inmates typically spend over a decade awaiting execution” (deathpenaltyinfo.org). Gary Alvord, who was sentenced to death in 1974, spent nearly 40 years on death row, only to die of a brain tumor in May of 2013 (deathpenaltyinfo.org). In a study done by Vera Institute, it shows that “the average per-inmate cost was $31,286, and the forty states surveyed spent $39 billion maintaining prisons in 2010” (vera.org). This is not justice. Inmates are sitting on death row for decades, wasting taxpayers money and time.

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 is one of the most debated topics in the history of the World. It has been implemented and repealed several times by several different countries (DPIC 2014). Capital punishment is the use of the death penalty on someone who has been found guilty of a crime. As of 2013 there are still 58 countries in the international community that still use the death penalty. Of those countries, China had the highest reported number of executions which was in the thousands, the next highest was Iran with 369 reported executions. The United States was among the highest with 39 reported executions. There are currently 3054 inmates on death row in the United States (DPIC 2014).

In the American society many citizens argue daily, is the death penalty justified? The United States is sharply divided, and equally strong among both supporters and protesters of the death penalty. Arguing against capital punishment, many believe "The death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights (White).” Some simply believe it to be premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state in the name of justice (about.com). It violates the right to life. Some would even argue that this violates the Eight Amendment for no cruel or unusual punishment inflected. Many argue that the death penalty diminishes all of us, increases disrespect for human life, and offers the tragic illusion that we can teach that killing is wrong by killing.

Multiple prisoners in the United States still receive death as a punishment for heinous crimes. More than 1,420 inmates have been sentenced to death since 1976 ("Capital Punishment: Should" 1). Because so many lives have been lost, some question weather death is a suitable punishment. In addition, there are a number of states of which have enacted the death penalty. According to the DPIC as of 2015, 31 states have enacted the penalty but several are debating abolishing it. The many issues of the punishment have provoked controversy within states. Lastly, the method of execution for the prisoners is also frequently debated. Although it has been rendered unaccountable, more than 85% of executions since 1976 have been by the method of lethal injection ("Capital Punishment: Should" 1). The inaccuracy of the method raises many suspicions of unreliability and violation of the 8th amendment. Overall, the debate over capital punishment is likely to continue in the near

Every little thing had been managing to build up, and I began to feel as if I couldn't breath. The days just seemed to drag on for no other reason than to cause me pain, and while I would admit I did deserve punishment for the crimes I had committed, I just couldn't help but wonder if maybe I had paid enough already. I had already known nothing but pain my entire life. I had nothing and no one to call my own, and the universe just kept pushing more onto my plate.