Verified Document

Capital Punishment The Ethical Issues Thesis

" (Introduction to the Death Penalty) an important decision was taken by the Supreme Court in 1958 which stated that "… the Eighth Amendment contained a & #8230;evolving standard of decency that marked the progress of a maturing society." (Introduction to the Death Penalty) This decision referred to standards of decency and morality in civilized countries which also implies that the death penalty was not socially or morally acceptable. (Introduction to the Death Penalty) This view was also based on the important morals issue of the right to life. In terms of this ethical stance which emphasized the sacred nature of life there can be little moral justification for the implementation of the capital punishment. There is also another moral dimension that should be considered in this regard. This refers to the view that in a civilized society there should be humane and make use of more sophisticated ways of dealing with extreme crimes -- such as rehabilitation of the criminal through therapy...

This in itself is seen by some as a moral imperative in a civilized and advanced culture.
In conclusion, while some would claim that there are extreme cases where the death penalty should be implemented, such as rape and murder, this view does not coincide with the strict moral and ethical view. From this perspective the taking of life under any circumstances is morally reprehensible. One of the reasons why so many countries decided to reject extreme punishments such as the death penalty is because advances in modern psychological research suggested that rehabilitation is a possible and effective way of dealing with extreme criminals. Therefore, the trend in most countries in recent years has been to deny the moral validity of capital punishment. It is seen as being not only morality indefensible but also counters to the aims and objectives of modern, civilized society.

Bibliography

Bienen, Leigh B. "The Death Penalty in America: Current Controversies." Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 89.2 (1999).

Human rights. September 26, 2004.

Introduction to the Death Penalty. 25 September, 2009.

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=15&did=410#IntroductionoftheDeathPenalty

Sharp D. Death penalty and sentencing information in the United States. 1997. 25

September, 2009.

Sources used in this document:
Bibliography

Bienen, Leigh B. "The Death Penalty in America: Current Controversies." Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 89.2 (1999).

Human rights. September 26, 2004. <http://www.derechos.org/dp/>

Introduction to the Death Penalty. 25 September, 2009.

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=15&did=410#IntroductionoftheDeathPenalty
September, 2009. <http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/DP.html
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Capital Punishment Death Penalty
Words: 2713 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

Capital Punishment The issue of the death penalty and capital crime has become one of the dominant issues debated in contemporary culture. The reason for this is firstly a moral questioning of the right to take a life, even when it is in retribution for extreme crimes like murder. The foundation of this contemporary attitude lie in the view that modern culture and society should be able to deal with extreme

Pros and Cons of Death Penalty
Words: 1028 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Death Penalty An issue as divisive as the death penalty has many arguments in its favor and many against it. Sorting through these different arguments to find a reasonable conclusion to either support the death penalty or not can be challenging. In terms of favoring the death penalty, there are two main themes, the deterrence theme and the retribution theme (Gill, 2013). Some pros are: Death penalties act as a deterrent for some Death

Legal, Moral, and Financial Debate of Pro Capital Punishment
Words: 1682 Length: 6 Document Type: Research Paper

These people demonstrated that a trial regarding a possible capital sentence is lengthy and is probable to reflect negatively on the suspect, considering that he or she experiences intense feelings as he or she stands and waits for the jury to decide whether he or she is going to live another day or not. Taking into account the nature of the crimes attributed to a person who is susceptible

Death Penalty Is Fair Punishment
Words: 1594 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

Death Penalty Is Fair The Death Penalty Is a Fair Punishment for Murder Arguements have been raised concerning death penalty for a long time now. A lot of people consider death penalty as an immoral, or an unreasonable punishment. (Messerli, 2007) Despite the fact that the death sentences were a constant element of society in the past, which actually initiated from lynching and ended in the modern capital punishment and is still

Ethical Issues of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia
Words: 6393 Length: 16 Document Type: Term Paper

Ethical Issues of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia The ethical issues relating to assisted suicide and euthanasia have captured the attention of the public. The topic of Euthanasia is a contentious one and it inescapably incites strong emotional argument and gives rise to tough beliefs that do not straight away lend themselves to consensual harmony. It is improbable that a decision can be reached which will meet with universal support whenever such

Ethical Issues of South Africa's
Words: 2537 Length: 8 Document Type: Term Paper

South Africa consequently had to arrange for a down payment of $600 million at a rate perceived to be extraordinarily high. It was too late for the country to induce any negotiations of the deal. Serious agreements ensued thus maneuvering South Africa to pay back much of the nation's hard currency debt in a short period. This led to the emergence of a new democratic regime stemming from an

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now