Moral Value: the Death Penalty
Running head: MORAL VALUE: THE DEATH PENALTY
Moral Value: The Death Penalty
Moral Value: The Death Penalty The death penalty is a moral value issue that has brought much controversy within society. It is morally justifiable to continue to practice the death penalty for convicted felons who are a threat to society. The death penalty is authorized in 37 states in the United States as well as by the U.S. Military. There are 13 states as well as the District of Columbia that do not practice the death penalty. Capital punishment, another term used for the death penalty in the United States, is reserved mainly for those convicted of aggravated murder or felony murder. Other crimes that may fall under the capital punishment category are use of a weapon of mass destruction, treason against the United States, terrorism, and in some states aggravated kidnapping. Sentencing a person to death is the job of a judge that is assigned on a case by case basis. Each of the above listed crimes should be taken on a case by case basis, however, the death penalty should remain an option if the crime is violent, and if the criminal is unable to safely be returned to society. Those who oppose the death penalty claim that the death of a convicted felon is costly, and also point to the possibility of a wrongful conviction. These arguments are not relevant due to the alternative cost of keeping someone in prison and the accuracy and fairness of the current justice system in the United States. The first, and probably most morally justifiable, reason to continue to allow capital punishment is the justice and closure it gives to the families of the victims of violent crime (Messerli, 2012). When a family member is violently taken away by another person there is nothing that can be done to bring that person back, however, the justice that is brought when the offender is sentenced to the same fate is some comfort to family members. One
Moral Value: The Death Penalty
Moral Value: The Death Penalty The death penalty is a moral value issue that has brought much controversy within society. It is morally justifiable to continue to practice the death penalty for convicted felons who are a threat to society. The death penalty is authorized in 37 states in the United States as well as by the U.S. Military. There are 13 states as well as the District of Columbia that do not practice the death penalty. Capital punishment, another term used for the death penalty in the United States, is reserved mainly for those convicted of aggravated murder or felony murder. Other crimes that may fall under the capital punishment category are use of a weapon of mass destruction, treason against the United States, terrorism, and in some states aggravated kidnapping. Sentencing a person to death is the job of a judge that is assigned on a case by case basis. Each of the above listed crimes should be taken on a case by case basis, however, the death penalty should remain an option if the crime is violent, and if the criminal is unable to safely be returned to society. Those who oppose the death penalty claim that the death of a convicted felon is costly, and also point to the possibility of a wrongful conviction. These arguments are not relevant due to the alternative cost of keeping someone in prison and the accuracy and fairness of the current justice system in the United States. The first, and probably most morally justifiable, reason to continue to allow capital punishment is the justice and closure it gives to the families of the victims of violent crime (Messerli, 2012). When a family member is violently taken away by another person there is nothing that can be done to bring that person back, however, the justice that is brought when the offender is sentenced to the same fate is some comfort to family members. One
References: Earley, Mark. (September 2, 2009). Prison Overcrowding and Public Safety. Retrieved from http://www.breakpoint.org Kane, Gregory. (February 5, 2003). To murder victims’ families, executing killers is justice. Retrieved from http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bal-md Messerli, Joe. (2012). Should the Death Penalty be Banned as a Form of Punishment?. Retrieved from http://www.balancedpolitics.org/death_penalty.htm Sharp, Dudley. (2012). Innocence Issues: The Death Penalty. Retrieved from http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/innocence.htm