Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Death Penalty
Society's primary responsibility lies in working towards assuring the physical and psychological well-being of its honest and upright citizens. Implicit in the preceding statement is that government and other social institutions must bring about a social environment that is safe and free of crime, especially serious offenses that can endanger lives. Viewed from this perspective, it appears that perhaps the death penalty is a necessary recourse for any society, which wishes to prevent the reoccurrence of severe crimes. Further, and more important, imposing the death penalty plays a pivotal role in society being able to uphold the values of justice, innocence, and social well being.
The ongoing debate on whether the death penalty should be retained or abolished concerns itself with the issue of justice from differing perspectives. The abolitionists, for instance, argue that the death sentence runs the risk of executing some convicted people, whose...
Further, they contend that the death sentence only serves as a form of retributive justice for the families of victims (Kane, 2003). This view point can, however, be countered effectively by the fact that the death sentence actually delivers a far more all-encompassing form of social justice. For, by imposing the death penalty, society is ensuring that it "...sends a powerful moral message that the innocent life... was so precious, and the crime... committed so horrific that...forfeits...own right to remain alive." (Jacoby, 2003)
Of course, the ideal lies in ensuring that undeserved injustice does not occur in the first place. Indeed, practitioners of justice, sociologists, and philosophers have long espoused the view that the ultimate form of justice is the absence of injustice in society. This philosophy implies ensuring the safety and security of innocent citizens so that they enjoy life free of fear. The question that, therefore, arises is whether the mere imprisonment of hardened criminals is an effective enough measure. The answer to this question can easily be determined by looking at the number of incidences of prison outbreaks that lead to murderers escaping only to find more victims. Take, for instance,…
Works Cited
Jacoby, J. "When Murderers Die, Innocents Live." The Boston Globe. Sept. 28, 2003.
Accessed Feb. 29, 2004: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2003/09/28/execution_saves_innocents/
Kane, G. "To murder victims' families, executing killers is justice." The Baltimore Sun. Feb.
5, 2003. Accessed Feb. 29, 2004: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.kane05feb05,0,6385621.column
Pataki, G.E. "Death Penalty is a Deterrent." USA Today. Mar. 1997. Accessed Feb. 29, 2004: http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/Articles/Pataki.htm
29, 2004: http://www.columbiaspectator.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2001/02/06/3c7408fcc20c8?in_archive=1
Capital Punishment (Death Penalty) and Mentally Retarded In July 2002, the United States Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to execute mentally retarded prisoners. This ruling reflects a shift in the Court's previous position, when it ruled in 1989 that such executions did not entail "cruel or unusual punishment" nor did they violate the Constitution's Eighth Amendment. Despite the ruling, however, the debate about the death penalty and mental retardation continues. Human rights
Powell points to the fact that "in Georgia, for example, the time between the date of the murder and the murderer's execution (if it occurs) averages close to I0 years 25 Although the average lapsed time in Georgia may be the highest, the same situation generally prevails in a number of other states. No one would suggest that this is satisfactory." (Powell, 1038) Indeed, according to Calvert (1993) it demonstrates
She answered that no one had condemned her. Jesus then said to her, "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin" (John 8:11). Because the woman was not stoned in the end, many interpret it to mean that Jesus changed Mosaic law and then this argument is extended to capital punishment in general. However, Jesus still left the opportunity for her to
This is the perfect way to end this poem. The ending is in fact effective and consistent. The entire time, the duke speaks about how it was to have his wife besides him and how much he did not agree with her behavior. He then makes an insinuation that it was him in fact that had her killed. The ending leaves the reader in a sort of shock. The lines,
Criminal Justice Trends The trends of the past, present and future that outline the borders connecting the criminal justice system components and their links adjoining the society is, beyond doubt, an authentic relationship that the law and society have established. Criminal justice has been affected by various trends in the times gone by. This is because trends keep changing with the passage of time. Therefore, it is exceedingly important for the
There are three types of stimuli used, which are: 1) Targets; 2) Irrelevant; and 3) Probes. These are used "in the form of words, pictures, or sounds..." which a computer presents for a second or even a partial second. Incoming stimulus, if it is worth noting, results in a P-300, which is an electrical brain response. The P-300 is part of a MERMER or a memory and encoding related multifaceted electroencephalographic response,