Moral Consequences Of The Death Penalty - 1623 Words

Moral Consequences of The Death Penalty The death penalty is quickly becoming one of the more controversial topics in the United States. Currently, there are 31 states where capital punishment is legal. As of April 2016, there have been 1,431 executions in the United States, but the number of executions in recent years has been steadily decreasing (Timmons 2017). The death penalty can be put up for moral debate, and one can ask oneself whether the death penalty is ever morally permissible. There are some pros and cons to having capital punishment. For example, deterrence and prevention are good reasons to have the death penalty, but, in reality, the cons far outweigh the possible benefits that may come from capital punishment. The†¦show more content†¦Kant once stated: Accordingly, any undeserved evil that you inflict on someone else among the people is one that you do to yourself. If you vilify, you vilify yourself: if you steal from him, you steal from yourself; if you kill him, you kill yourself. (Timmons 2017) Looking at the death penalty from Kant’s perspective, alone, if one commits the crime of murder, it is okay for the state to kill the offender; if it is okay for the the state to kill the offender, then it is okay for one to kill anyone as well. Kant’s theory puts one in a never ending cycle. Stephen Nathanson argues that the death penalty is immoral; if the state kills because the offender killed, then the state is not any better than the offender himself. Nathanson argues that the â€Å"eye for an eye† principle is comparable to saying that if one rapes, then rape should be the punishment for the rapist ; if one kills, then death should be the punishment; and if one tortures, then torture should be the punishment. Killing is never ethically permissible, and therefore, the state should not be able to kill its citizens, even if they commit a horrible crime. Moreover, the death penalty should be abolished because it allows the state to play the role of a god in t he sense that they have power over what can and will happen to the individual prosecuted. Nathanson argues that there is human dignity in each and every individual that cannot be overlooked no matter whoShow MoreRelated Capital Punishment Is Necessary1130 Words   |  5 PagesAmerica today† (Death Penalty 55). Keeping the death penalty upheld and established in all states would greatly decrease that number. Something must be done to keep citizens safe and to keep the murder rates low. Capital Punishment is a rightly justified penalty because it is moral retribution, constitutional, and it deters crime. One reason that Capital Punishment is just is the idea that it is moral retribution to the murderer. According to David Gelernter, the death penalty supporter’s viewRead MoreThe Case For Death Penalty1252 Words   |  6 Pages The Case for Death Penalty In the wise words of the philosopher Immanuel Kant, â€Å"a society that is not willing to demand a life of somebody who has taken somebody else’s life is simply immoral.† When considering the issue of capital punishment, many arguments are made in favor of proponents and abolitionists. There are utilitarian arguments, retributive arguments, and egalitarian arguments. Utilitarian arguments argue against the death penalty, for they look to punish criminals for the benefitRead MoreCapital Punishment And The Death Penalty1235 Words   |  5 PagesWhat is capital punishment? Why do people support it, but yet people cherish lives? Is it a moral thing to do? Should one be for or against the Death Penalty? Let’s take a look deep into the world of justices and why capital punishment still exists in today’s society. Capital punishment or the death penalty is a federal punishment given to criminals who are convicted of murders. It is the highest law punishment available that can prevent future murders by developing fear within them. Capital punishmentRead MoreArgument Against The Death Penalty1247 Words   |  5 Pagesimmoral.† When considering the issue of capital punishment, many arguments are made in favor of proponents and abolitionists. There are utilitarian arguments, retributive arguments, and egalitarian arguments. Utilitarian arguments argue against the death penalty, for they look to punish criminals for the benefit and the â€Å"lesson learned† from the punishment. They believe that this is the most effective form of deterrence, because the criminal will learn their lesson and the public will benefit from safetyRead MoreReasons For The Death Penalty1741 Words   |  7 Pages Reasons to Preserve the Death Penalty Imagine you are watching the evening news. How would you feel when you find out that they have found the remains of 10 bodies at the farm two doors down the road? It seems that the neighbors have been killing people for quite some time. Would you have ever known they were murderers? Ten lives have been taken from this world and never to return, what would you want from the government if you found out one of those remains was someone very dear to you thatRead MoreThe Death Penalty Must Be Abolished1011 Words   |  5 Pages The death penalty is legal in thirty-two states. I shall argue that capital punishment should be abolished in our country because it is never moral to kill a human being no matter what they have done, because it often costs more money to keep someone on death row than to keep someone in prison for life, because of the men and women who are wrongly accused of a crime they did not commit, and because death is the easy way out. I believe that there is a standard when it comes to moralityRead MoreCapital Punishment And The Death Penalty1714 Words   |  7 PagesCapital punishment, or the death penalty is the legally authorized death of an individual as punishment for a heinous crime, typically one that involves murder. The legality of it varies by state and it continues to be a contentious topic of discussion in the United States. Furthermore, in recent decades, public opinion has been shifting from a supportive stance to an unsupportive stance on the use of the death penalty. It is now perceived by most people to be an unethical, immoral, and expensiveRead MoreArguments for Capital Punishment852 Words   |  3 PagesCapital punishment is the death penalty .Capital Punishment is the lawful infliction of death as a punishment and since ancient times it has been used for a wide variety of offences. As real justice requires people to suffer for their wrong doing, and to suffer in a way appropriate for the cr ime. Each criminal should get what their crime deserves and in the ease of a murderer what their crime deserves is death. Capital punishment permanently removes the worst criminals from society and should proveRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is More Expensive Than Housing1610 Words   |  7 Pages The death penalty is a hot button issue in contemporary American politics. There are many sides and stances that need to be addressed in order to truly understand the issue. The three main arguments for or against the death penalty tend to be focused around three main areas: fiscal issues, moral issues, and crime prevention issues. Many Americans are concerned about the cost of capital punishment, specifically; the cost of the death penalty per inmate, per year. Is it actually cheaper for theRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is The Only Good Enough Punishment1065 Words   |  5 Pagesgiven the death penalty for murder are neither innocent nor victims. There’s nothing moral about how a criminal murders an innocent victim. These kinds of individuals should be removed from society permanently. The death penalty is the only good enough punishment for taking a human life unlawfully and is the only moral action (Van den Haag 1983). Our laws based ultimately on ancient Jewish laws which is the basis of all western morality and is in which the death penalty was practiced. The death penalty