Term Paper on "Death Penalty Whistleblower"

Term Paper 4 pages (1106 words) Sources: 0

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Death Penalty

Dudley Sharp claims that the death penalty is the "most appropriate punishment" for particularly horrendous crimes (p. 2). Therefore, first point Sharp makes is that capital punishment is the best punishment for heinous crimes like murder. Second, Sharp claims that no other punishment meets the needs of victims' sense of justice and equity.

Steven W. Hawkins, on the other hand, claims that the death penalty is racially biased and therefore highly unethical. Poor people and people of color do not have access to the quality attorneys that wealthier people do and therefore are more likely to be sentenced to death. Second, Hawkins points out that many innocent people are sentenced to death because of flaws in the justice system.

Sharp claims that most arguments against the death penalty are flawed. Sharp notes that opponents decry capital punishment because an innocent person might be sentenced to death. Sharp argues that the death penalty is an "accurate criminal sanction" and few innocents are sentenced to death (p. 3). The author also states that the death penalty is the only way to completely ensure that the criminal will not commit murder again, and refutes the notion that capital punishment does not deter would-be offenders. Moreover, Sharp refutes the belief that the death penalty is more liberally meted to people of color or to the poor.

According to Hawkins, proponents of the death penalty claim that it is only reserved for the "worst of the worst," (p. 6). The author refutes that claim by citing statistics that show that racial minorities are more frequently sentenced to death than whites. Second, Hawkins implies that many Americans support the death penalty without thoroughly evaluating the alternatives or the ethical issues involved.

3. The death penalty seems blatantly illogical: if killing a human being is wrong then the government should not kill people, period. Thus, on a purely rational level capital punishment makes no sense in the United States. Many nations have abolished the death penalty, illustrating the fact that the United States is unique among developed nations in killing its own citizens. At the same time, Americans criticize the public executions that have taken place in other societies. Death sentences are often carried out in public in America; although not in city squares, many executions take place in rooms open to visitors. Therefore, capital punishment can be viewed as a contradictory or hypocritical punishment.

On ethical grounds, too, the death penalty is wrong. A murderer is still a human being who has the possibility of being rehabilitated and reformed. Offering a human being a second chance at life is a noble gesture that sends a far better message to our citizens than execution does. The family of the convicted felon suffers when their loved one perishes at the hands of the law. Placing someone behind bars for life at least allows families to communicate with the individual throughout the duration of their lives. The individual who is sentenced to life in prison has every chance of learning how to totally transform their personality and persona and even to be redeemed through public service. For example, a convicted felon might write a book that affects far more people than an execution would.

Hawkins points out some of the clear reasons for abolishing capital punishment in the United States.… READ MORE

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