Capital Punishment: Public Policy
SOC 101
17 March 2014
Capital Punishment
“An attempt to explore public policy, especially penal policy, is mandatory, for such policies are techniques which disclose the operation of power in social life” (Tifft 61). Capital Punishment is a long debated topic; the importance of this debate not only effects criminals but also is a window into the power structure of our country. As Tifft said, capital punishment displays how governmental power is executed in social life along with how certain criminals should be punished. Should the state have the power to end the life of individuals that justice deems acceptable? Personally, I think capital punishment should be abolished. More importantly, I think it is crucial to view capital punishment …show more content…
The definition of a democracy is a system of government by which the whole population or all of its eligible members, typically through elected representative, have the power to govern themselves. So it would seem that we, the people, should have the power to determine appropriate punishments for any given criminal offense as well as be in charge of when and how the given punishment is carried out. With that in mind, is capital punishment an example of power from the people or power from the governing bodies? Those who write the laws and deal with the punishments have much more power over others than many people realize. Even though these elected officials are supposed to represent the interest of the public, it has been proven time and time again that they do not always go with the public …show more content…
When Tifft says our obedience makes us incompetent he means we are partially blind to one side of the argument. We assume the government/state knows what is best when dealing with what is right, what is wrong, and what is in the public’s best interest. We are placing a large amount of trust for a large amount of people in the hands of relatively few individuals. He clearly demonstrates how powerful wordplay can be when properly utilized. Wordplay can make a heinous act appear as an innocent act. Capital punishment should be viewed in the same manner; prisons are privately run, he who defines the law defines right and wrong or life and death, and what is best for the general population. This mix of situations does not sound like an appropriate and efficient manner to deal with punishments including capital punishment. The lawmakers as well as penal system working together, driven by justice on one side and profit on the other, does not appear to be in the best interest of our communities or its people. Allowing this system to willfully end the lives of any individual at all seems negligent at its base. I do not believe this current system has the proper motivation and knowledge to be able to determine if one should live or if one should die especially with a conflict of interest as profound as profit and justice. Regardless, select states still allow
17 March 2014
Capital Punishment
“An attempt to explore public policy, especially penal policy, is mandatory, for such policies are techniques which disclose the operation of power in social life” (Tifft 61). Capital Punishment is a long debated topic; the importance of this debate not only effects criminals but also is a window into the power structure of our country. As Tifft said, capital punishment displays how governmental power is executed in social life along with how certain criminals should be punished. Should the state have the power to end the life of individuals that justice deems acceptable? Personally, I think capital punishment should be abolished. More importantly, I think it is crucial to view capital punishment …show more content…
The definition of a democracy is a system of government by which the whole population or all of its eligible members, typically through elected representative, have the power to govern themselves. So it would seem that we, the people, should have the power to determine appropriate punishments for any given criminal offense as well as be in charge of when and how the given punishment is carried out. With that in mind, is capital punishment an example of power from the people or power from the governing bodies? Those who write the laws and deal with the punishments have much more power over others than many people realize. Even though these elected officials are supposed to represent the interest of the public, it has been proven time and time again that they do not always go with the public …show more content…
When Tifft says our obedience makes us incompetent he means we are partially blind to one side of the argument. We assume the government/state knows what is best when dealing with what is right, what is wrong, and what is in the public’s best interest. We are placing a large amount of trust for a large amount of people in the hands of relatively few individuals. He clearly demonstrates how powerful wordplay can be when properly utilized. Wordplay can make a heinous act appear as an innocent act. Capital punishment should be viewed in the same manner; prisons are privately run, he who defines the law defines right and wrong or life and death, and what is best for the general population. This mix of situations does not sound like an appropriate and efficient manner to deal with punishments including capital punishment. The lawmakers as well as penal system working together, driven by justice on one side and profit on the other, does not appear to be in the best interest of our communities or its people. Allowing this system to willfully end the lives of any individual at all seems negligent at its base. I do not believe this current system has the proper motivation and knowledge to be able to determine if one should live or if one should die especially with a conflict of interest as profound as profit and justice. Regardless, select states still allow