Death+Penalty+&+Ethics

THE DEATH PENALTY AND ETHICS BY CLAUDIA ROLLE,BRIDGET ABUH AND MITCHELL MOORE



__** Summary **__

For many centuries, man has used pain and suffering to punish those who cause pain and suffering. We can argue about the death penalty by applying religious views and opinions, but many scholars have found that ethics serves as an effective road map to finding a answer to these questions. The collective purpose of this wikispace is to discuss and clarify the various aspects of the death penalty and euthanasia with a focus on their effects in the United States.

To analyze these various perspective of the death penalty and euthanasia,we first clearly defined the terminology involved with them and discussed each issue from an ethical standpoint and then from a judicial standpoint. Next, we maintained an unbiased environment by covering all sides of the arguments and finally we provided famous cases of each to emphasize the impact of each issue on society. The conclusion as you would imagine is moot because there will always be differing beliefs, opinions and conflicting facts and for all pros there will be coinciding cons to disprove them. This wikipage in particular, discusses the application of ethical standards on the death penalty.

__Table of Contents__

 * 1) What is the death penalty?
 * 2) Facts about the death penalty
 * 3) What is ethics?
 * 4) How is the death penalty and ethics related?

**__What is the Death Penalty?__**
 Death penalty is a form of punishment that has been around for decades and counting. It is known as a fair and morally justified punishment for individuals who commit premeditated /deliberate murder or other crimes equivalent. Though there are many opinions on whether capital punishment is morally ethical, the occurrence of the death penalty confirms society’s acknowledgment that some crimes are unlawful (Williams, 2000 ).

__Methods of Execution__ As time develops and technology increases in growth, the executions performed today can be viewed as humane and painless. After really thinking about the various execution styles and how they go about fulfilling them we later on find out that being humane and painless is far from the truth. Hanging, electrocution, and lethal injection are but few types of capital punishment used on a vast scale today and can be very agonizing physically. 
 * Here are some forms of execution that were practiced in ancient and medieval times:**
 * Drowning
 * Stoning
 * Burning alive
 * Beating to death
 * Crucifixion
 * Impalement
 * Boiling
 * Beheading
 * Firing Squad
 * 1. Hanging:** Classified as one of the quickest and most painless ways of execution, is when a person is placed at a drop distance required to break the individuals neck based on his/her weight, height and built. This distance can be anywhere between 5 and 9 feet. The knot of the rope, otherwise known as the noose, is placed on the left side of the person’s neck so that when it breaks and the spine separates; the individuals’ blood pressure drops to abou.t nothing within a given second. This results in loss of consciousness and eventually brain death, which takes possibly 15 to 20 minutes to transpire. However, before the physics of this method was figured out, there were frequent instances in which the offender's neck would not break properly or they are only partially hanged and are in excruiciating pain for extended periods (Howstuffworks.com,n.d.).




 * 2. Electrocution:** This style of execution involves a carefully calculated amount of current being passed throughout the body. The current supplied throughout the body causes the respiratory center of the brain to become paralyzed, eventually stopping the heart. This method of capital punishment can be fulfilled in minutes and in some occurrences seconds (Howstuffworks.com,n.d.).

 During the day before the execution, the **warden will make special arrangements for visits by approved family members, spiritual advisors, and friends**. About 6 p.m. the day before the execution, the inmate will be **moved to the death watch cell** which is adjacent to the execution chamber. From then on, a three-member staff unit will provide a constant death watch. Soon after he is rehoused, the inmate will be served his **last dinner meal**. The prison makes every effort to provide the meal requested by the inmate. About **30 minutes before the scheduled execution, the inmate is given a new pair of denim trousers and blue work shirt to wear**. He is **escorted into the execution chamber a few minutes before the appointed time and is strapped onto a table**. [The chairs previously used for lethal gas executions have been removed.] The inmate is **connected to a cardiac monitor** which is connected to a printer outside the execution chamber. An IV is started in two usable veins and **a flow of normal saline solution is administered at a slow rate**. [One line is held in reserve in case of a blockage or malfunction in the other.] **The door is closed. The warden issues the execution order.** In advance of the execution, syringes containing the following are prepared:
 * 3.** **Lethal Injection**: Since this is the most relevant method of execution used in the United States, a detailed description of the procedures for a lethal injection execution performed in the last 24 hours of the execution has been provided. According to The Death Penalty Information Center (2009):
 * The following takes place in the last 24 Hours**
 * The Execution**
 * 5.0 grams of sodium pentothal in 20-25 cc of diluent
 * 50 cc of pancuronium bromide
 * 50 cc of potassium chloride
 * Each chemical is lethal in the amounts administered.**
 * A physician is present to declare when death occurs.**
 * After all witnesses have left, the body is removed with dignity and care.** Typically, the family claims the body. If not, the State makes the arrangements (Death Penalty, n.d.).


 * __ Facts about the Death Penalty __**




 * FACT:** Texas has the highest execution count of any other state.





__**What Is Ethics?**__

A sociologist by the name of Raymond Baumhart asked business people: "What does ethics mean to you?" Among their replies were the following:

"Ethics has to do with what my feelings tell me is right or wrong." "Ethics has to do with my religious beliefs." "Being ethical is doing what the law requires." "Ethics consists of the standards of behavior our society accepts." "I don't know what the word means."

(Valesquez, Shanks,Meyer,Andre,1987)

If anyone recalls in our first class, there were similar responses when Professor Shelly Wyatt asked the same question posed by Mr. Baumhart. She later informed us that ethics, while very complex, can be defined very simply: Ethics is the study of right action.We also learned that ethics is all about trust, it revolves mainly around people though it recently has extended to animals and the environment.


 * __ How Does The Death Penalty Relate To Ethics? __**

For centuries, the death penalty has been argued and there are countless resources that provide pros and cons of this controversial issue. Opinions and beliefs on the topics may change rapidly but ethical theories remain constant, allowing for a strong guide to judging the morality of the act. As we have learned from prior lectures, ethical systems are the foundation for moral judgement, they are a source for moral beliefs, they are beyond argument unlike religious applications, they are internally consistent in that the theories do not change, and they have a type of "moral common sense". These qualities show that applying ethical systems to a case like the death penalty is an accurate way to judge its morality.

Here are some ethical approaches to judging the morality of the death penalty:

1. **Deontology**: In the deontological approach, we learn that the key to morality is human will or intention, while the consequences are irrelevant. This may imply that the death penalty is carried out with the good intention to deter others from similar crimes, retribute the victim and rid the society of a threat so possible consequences of executing an innocent person is irrelevant. Also, deontology contends that as long as the act is done for the sake of duty like the death penalty is carried out to fulfill the duty of deterance and retribution, the act has moral worth. The intentions were good so the act is considered to be "good" or moral in the eyes of deontology.

2. **Teleology - Utilitarianism**: Teleology, in contrast to deontology, contends that an act is determined to be good or bad based on the outcome or consequences of the act. In this sense, the utilitarian theory is that "If an act benefits many people, and causes pain to only a few, it is still good because the greatest good for the greatest number is more important than the pain of the smallest number". The outcome of carrying out the death penalty is the death of an offender that was found to be mostly guilty with only a small amount of doubt and the mourning of the offender's family along with the retribution of the victim and the possible deterence of others. It appears that the outcome is mostly good. Teleology alone would deem the death penalty morally correct. Utilitarianism would be in aggreance since only the life of the offender is lost and their family may be in mourning. Should society be factored in this calculation? Would society benefit more from the elimination of a potential threat or is society being confused by contradictory ideals like "An eye for an eye"?

3. **Cultural Relavitism**: The death penalty is also an issue that varies throughout cultures. Good depends on the norms of each society so who are we (Just one culture out of many) to deem capital punishment as immoral for all cultures? Why should our culture be able to say what is right and what is wrong and not others?

4. **Ethical Relavitism**:

Moral systems are products of an individual or group. "Good" and "bad" may depend on an individual situation. Moral systems are products of an individual or group. This theory contends that an act can be judged based on an individual situation or on a case by case basis. Some people may feel that it is good to execute a serial killer and bad to execute a man that killed his children because he was stressed. Some people may feeel that it is good to execute someone because the public wants to see them executed like a famous serial rapist and bad to execute someone that the public is in favor of like celebrity that committed murder.

In closing, we have much to think about in terms of the death penalty. In judging its morality, we produce more questions that will continue to be argued for years to come: Is it our responsibility to judge? If it is, how do we go about it? What ethical approach should be used to make this final judgement? As mentioned earlier, ethics is the study of right action. We need ethics in our every day life to seperate right action from wrong action so we are able to live morally. Many have wondered whether or not the death penalty is the right action to take for a criminal. This question is a clear indication of how the death penalty relates to ethics.


 * REFERENCES**

Death Penalty Information Center. (n.d). //Part I: History of the Death Penalty//. Retrieved from []

HowStuffWorks.com. (29 September 2009). Hanging. Retrieved from [] Velasquez, M., Shanks,T., Meyer, M., S.J. & Andre, C., (1987). What is Ethics?. In Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.Retrieved from []

Williams,E.M.(2000) //Capital Punishment//. San Diego:Greenhaven Press, Inc.