The Just and Fairness of the Death Penalty
The Just and Fairness of the Death Penalty
Lori Pope
PHI 103
Daniel Haynes
November 9, 2011
Is the death penalty just and applied fairly? One of the great debates of our time is the legality and use of the death penalty. The death penalty is something that many people do not have a clear decision on. Some insist that the death penalty acts to deter a capital crime, while others feel that it has not effect whether a capital crime is still committed. My personal look at the death penalty is that it should be administered only in cases of particularly cruel crimes or serial crimes such as serial murder. If we administered the death penalty when the death penalty is called for maybe then people would stop before they commit the ultimate sin. If a person murders some other person then that person who is the murderer must not hold any value to the concept of life. Why should we let these people spend useless time in our prisons if we know beyond a doubt that they have indeed committed murder? If the death penalty is administered for the cases of the heinous crime of intentional murder, then maybe we can deter others from following in the same steps. Many people pose the question in that how can we punish a murderer by putting that person to death. The answer to this question is, there really is not easy answer. No matter how much a person can explain it there is always someone else there to will argue the point and try to show how justification can be or cannot be. U.S. Supreme Court, in Booth v. Maryland 482 U.S. 496,107 S. Ct 2529, 96 L.Ed.2d 440(1987), initially forbade the use of victim impact statements in death penalty cases. The Court reasoned that the imposition of the death penalty could be based on subjective feelings for the victim rather than the objective criteria indicating the defendant’s guilt and culpability. However, in Payne v. Tennessee, 501 U.S. 808,111 S. Ct. 2597,115 L.Ed.2d 720(1991), the Court reversed
Lori Pope
PHI 103
Daniel Haynes
November 9, 2011
Is the death penalty just and applied fairly? One of the great debates of our time is the legality and use of the death penalty. The death penalty is something that many people do not have a clear decision on. Some insist that the death penalty acts to deter a capital crime, while others feel that it has not effect whether a capital crime is still committed. My personal look at the death penalty is that it should be administered only in cases of particularly cruel crimes or serial crimes such as serial murder. If we administered the death penalty when the death penalty is called for maybe then people would stop before they commit the ultimate sin. If a person murders some other person then that person who is the murderer must not hold any value to the concept of life. Why should we let these people spend useless time in our prisons if we know beyond a doubt that they have indeed committed murder? If the death penalty is administered for the cases of the heinous crime of intentional murder, then maybe we can deter others from following in the same steps. Many people pose the question in that how can we punish a murderer by putting that person to death. The answer to this question is, there really is not easy answer. No matter how much a person can explain it there is always someone else there to will argue the point and try to show how justification can be or cannot be. U.S. Supreme Court, in Booth v. Maryland 482 U.S. 496,107 S. Ct 2529, 96 L.Ed.2d 440(1987), initially forbade the use of victim impact statements in death penalty cases. The Court reasoned that the imposition of the death penalty could be based on subjective feelings for the victim rather than the objective criteria indicating the defendant’s guilt and culpability. However, in Payne v. Tennessee, 501 U.S. 808,111 S. Ct. 2597,115 L.Ed.2d 720(1991), the Court reversed
References: Group, T. G. (2002). Extenuating Circumstances. Chicago: The Gale Group. Group, T. G. (2002). In World of Criminal Justice. Maryland: The Gale Group. ProCon.Org. (2009, January 1). Should the death penalty be used for retribution? Retrieved October 24, 2011, from http://deathpenatly.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001004: http://deathpenatly.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001004 Schaefer, R.T. (2009). Sociology A Brief Introduction 8th edition New York: McGraw Hill