12/8/13
1
WRITE THIS ESSAY FOR ME
Tell us about your assignment and we will find the best writer for your paper.
Get Help Now!Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Consider Ethics: Theory, Readings, and Contemporary Issues
Third Edi(on Bruce N. Waller
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter 15
The Death Penalty
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Death Penalty • In effect in the U.S. and remains a fiercely debated topic
• Arguments for: – RetribuIon – Symbolic or expressive funcIon – Deterrent for future crime
• Arguments against: – Sends the wrong message – Cruel, unusual, and dehumanizing – Administered arbitrarily or in a biased manner – Based on a flawed system – leads to execuIon of innocents
12/8/13
2
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Death Penalty Should Be Abolished
• Stephen B. Wright – Criminal law professor and human rights proponent
– President of the Southern Center for Human Rights
– WriQen extensively on why the U.S. should abolish the death penalty
– The Death Penalty Should Be Abolished
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Death Penalty Should be Abolished -‐ Wright
• Abandoning the death penalty in the U.S. is inevitable, as so many other naIons have done so
• Most Americans support the death penalty, but do not understand its realiIes
• Assessing the death penalty should not be based on abstract theories. Instead, we must analyze the states that employ it and assess those results.
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Death Penalty Should be Abolished -‐ Wright
• CriIcisms of the Death Penalty – Human rights violaIon
• Undermines the United States standing in the global community as a moral authority
– Arbitrary and unfair inflicIon • Race • Class • Poverty
– Innocent people are executed wrongly • DNA tesIng • The number of people exonerated in recent years
12/8/13
3
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Death Penalty Should be Abolished -‐ Wright
• CriIcisms of the Death Penalty – conInued – Prosecutorial DiscreIon
• Decision-‐making role is taken from juries, even though they are the fact-‐finders in our system
– Racial Bias – IneffecIve assistance of counsel
• Bad lawyering leads to execuIons – More capital sentences for the disadvantaged
• Weakest and most troubled members of society
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Death Penalty is Morally LegiImate
• Louis P. Pojman (1935-‐2005) – Philosophy professor – Argued that the death penalty is morally permissible, because of:
• Its ancient roots • Its biblical Ies • Its deterrent effect • RetribuIon
– Why the Death Penalty is Morally Permissible
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
A Defense of the Death Penalty -‐ Pojman
• Support for the Death Penalty – RetribuIon
• Three proposiIons: – The guilty deserve to be punished – Only the guilty deserve to be punished – The guilty deserve to be punished in proporIon with the severity of their crime
• Appeals to our natural insInct for vengeance, while allowing for the restraint required in civilized society
• Reminds us that there are consequences for our acIons
12/8/13
4
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
A Defense of the Death Penalty -‐ Pojman
• Support for the Death Penalty – conInued – Deterrence
• Deters would-‐be criminals from killing innocent people • StaIsIcs cannot tell us how many potenIal criminals were actually deterred by the death penalty
– However: » Criminals generally do not try to kill their captors, because of fear of the death penalty
» Criminals refrain from carrying deadly weapons during some kinds of crimes, because of fear of the death penalty
» Criminals have transported vicIms to non-‐death penalty states to avoid execuIon
Introducing our Online Essay Writing Services Agency, where you can confidently place orders for a wide range of academic assignments. Our reputable homework writing company specializes in crafting essays, term papers, research papers, capstone projects, movie reviews, presentations, annotated bibliographies, reaction papers, research proposals, discussions, and various other assignments. Rest assured, our content is guaranteed to be 100% original, as every piece is meticulously written from scratch. Say goodbye to concerns about plagiarism and trust us to deliver authentic and high-quality work.
