Why Is The Death Penalty Ethical Or Unfinished?

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.

Capital punishment is a sentence that is given to someone that has committed a capital crime. This is a subject of great debate; some people agree and some do not. There are times when a crime is so heinous that the majority would seek capital punishment. Susan Gissendaner received this sentence for plotting to kill her husband, although her boyfriend actually killed her husband. Since being in prison, Susan has undergone a conversion and transformation. She is now a model prisoner. Due to Susan’s transformation, they are trying to have her sentence changed. Should Susan’s sentence be commuted to life in prison is the question being asked? This paper will answer the question by providing a moral judgment viewed by two non-consequentialist theories. The strengths and weaknesses of these positions will be assessed. Whether I agree or disagree will be answered and explained.

One example of wrongful execution is the Cameron Todd Willingham case. Willingham was executed in February 2004 by the state of Texas for committing murder to his three daughters by setting his house on fire. Prosecutors believed that the girls were abused and killed by setting the house on fire to attempt to cover up the evidence (1). Willingham had maintained his innocence and spent 10 years appealing for his convection up until his execution in 2004 via lethal injection. However, there were multiple issues surrounding the investigation method, evidence,

Born in Hampton, Virginia, Steve Earle wrote an astounding piece of information that shocked thousands of people. The story, “A Death in Texas,” changed my views of the death penalty, and really put some things in perspective. Starting in 1608, the death penalty became present, and it is a sanctioned practice where a person is put to death by the state as a punishment for a crime. Although people make mistakes, the death penalty should be abolished due to inhumanity, taking away precious lives, and it is an ineffective tool.

The first execution was in 1982 with Charles Brooks, Jr. Death Penalty has become a very important issue in Texas. Many disagree on the harsh punishments others are given, especially those who are executed without any evidence and whom are not guilty. Cameron Todd Willingham was one of the innocent ones. He was wrongfully charged with arson and the murder of his three children.

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.

Willingham was convicted and sentenced to death for the killing of his three children. Todd lived in prison for thirteen years before he was executed. I do not believe that his outcome was fair because there was not enough evidence to convict him, let alone sentence him to death. I would have understood if they would have convicted him and put him in jail for a couple years. But, to execute someone on the amount of evidence they had is wrong. I do not believe that he set the fire and I do not believe he deserved to be executed.

In 1991, Cameron Todd Willingham murdered his three daughters by setting fire to their home in Corsicana, Texas. The damning evidence against Willingham was the arson investigator’s findings—that the fire was intentionally set with the help of a liquid accelerant, a discovery proven by laboratory tests and burn patterns. Willingham claimed he was innocent for years, appealing his conviction until his execution at the Texas State Penitentiary on February 16, 2004. However, Willingham may not have been the murderer. In 2009, the Texas Forensic Science Commission panel reopened the case, determining that the arson investigators had used flawed science when they labeled the fire as arson. And while fire science has improved since the year of the alleged arson, experts have argued that the Corsicana Fire Department was negligent in their findings. The science commission is still investigating the arson ruling, and if the judge clears Willingham, it will be the first time an official has formally declared a wrongful execution in Texas. So did he actually do it? We may never know, for it’s all just speculation now. Does this mistake pale in comparison to all those who have “rightfully” been executed under the death penalty? Depending on your moral code, it might. But rather than narrowing this argument down to one specific instance, let us look at the death penalty on a broader scale, its merits and its flaws, the factors that push someone to standing in fear of the execution

It is argued that most people who support capital punishment are the families of the victims. In their eyes execution is revenge, but how can you trust a system that is not always correct? Would taking a life of another stop criminals and lower the crime rate, or would it bring the victims back to life? In most cases the answer is no. Moreover, it appears that the legal system is not always accurate, and that innocent people have been executed and convicted. Over 142 men and women have been discharged from the death row over the past 40 years. Also in the past four years evidence has come up that some men have been mistakenly executed for crimes they did not commit. (Love, 2013) After learning about these mistakes that the law has made and continues to make, it is petrifying to know that the majority of people are blinded by sorrow and justice, that they exclude the truth and facts from their knowledge. If they were to take into consideration its inaccuracy shown many times over, they would agree on suspending the use of the death penalty as a punishment for

Cameron Todd Willingham was executed in Texas in 2004 for allegedly setting a fire that killed his three young daughters 13 years earlier. He continuously claimed his innocence until his conviction and thereafter execution. Many legal experts questioned the arson investigation before his execution. I believe that it was morally wrong to execute Todd Willingham

Charles Manson has been denied parole once again. The notorious murderer and cult leader has been in jail for 45 years. Although Manson was never actually convicted of murder, there is no doubt that he was the orchestrator of the brutal and bloody murders in Beverly Hills in 1969. Even his name is synonymous with the butchery with which his followers attacked. And yet, Manson is indeed alive and well, with a roof over his head and three meals a day. For many veterans of recent conflict, that is not the case. How justice is administered in this country has been and will continue to be a source of conflict for ethicists. To compound the issue, not every murderer is Charles Manson.

Growing up in the United States has been the biggest blessing because it is recognized as the most fortunate country in the world. The U.S. represents freedom and would do anything to serve justice for those that have been victimized. Even those that have been accused of being guilty for committing horrendous crimes, our country still promises them their constitutional rights. Because of having parents in law enforcement since before I was even born, I learned that such horrible crimes are more common than one would think. It terrifies me to picture my parents working around people that are capable of such actions, but I’m reminded of how secure our justice system is when horrendous cases are brought to the table. Listening to one tragic story after another throughout my parents’ careers, I have wondered for years what truly happens behind the process of trials and sentencing. Capital crimes deserve their punishment and the death penalty is a permanent discipline that has been thoroughly debated amongst every state in America. While our country has faced many terrorist attacks and continues to fight wars with many other countries, I feel as if there are many different opinions towards the death penalty. Is the death penalty ethically wrong? If it is, then where is the justice for victimized human beings nationwide? Does the murder of one, or many, justify the murder of another? This question deserves examination before so

Death Penalty also known as capital punishment is the harshest sentence that a criminal can receive from the court system for carrying out killings therefore one February 17, 2005 at 6 pm Cameron Todd Willingham was executed for the murder of his three children after serving twelve years in prison (Black 's Law Dictionary Free 2nd Ed. and The Law Dictionary, n.d). He was convicted mainly on assumptions made by professional fire scientists claiming he left his three daughters in the house to burn during the 1991 deadly house fire. Many fire chiefs have stated the fire was accidental, and others say it was set on fire but no one really knows what had taken place. The wife and mother of his three daughters left to pay bills and buy Christmas presents. As the fire began, Mr. Willingham was woken up by his screaming daughters. He said the house was filled with smoke, and he ran out the main door the struggling to get back in the burning house. Neighbors noticed that he wasn’t trying with his heart to save his kids, instead he saved his car before his own children. Evidence and the minor burns on his body have been proven he wasn’t giving his life to save his children (Mills & Possley, 2004). Since capital punishment was established it has been modified into different ways of executing. The method of the death penalty was passed down to

Philosophy branch which streamlines, protects and guides the concepts of being correct or incorrect is referred as Ethics. People learn this concept from their parents who got it from their parents and it is a chain. However philosophers claim that it is people’s belief which decide ethics along with human intuition. An individual at singular level conscientiously decides what is right and wrong and define a limit of pushing ethical behaviour and morality in being. Moral acceptability of any action can be judged from the points if action is understood by an individual well, the consequences of that action on public, fair treatment of action with all people respectfully and the way action is being performed, the motivation of people for it.

Capital Punishment was adopted by America when the state of Virginia carried out the colonies’ first execution in 1608 (“History of the Death Penalty”). Since then, usage of the death penalty has been instituted by 36 states, making execution the ultimate form of punishment. Although in theory the death penalty seems like a viable method of punishment, in practice, it has serious flaws that damage the integrity of the state. Capital Punishment has been falsely idolized as a deterrent, applied unfairly for generations, used as a vehicle for revenge, and made people blind to the fact that life in prison without parole is an equally acceptable form of punishment. The death penalty is an