Ethical Issues Surrounding the Death Penalty

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the debate on the death penalty as more than a moral issue of whether it is ever permissible to intentionally kill, but rather as an ethical debate on how the death penalty is administered in the United States. It suggests that issues surrounding the administration of the death penalty, make a compelling case for abolishing capital punishment as a sentencing option in the United States.

Table of Contents:
Does The Death Penalty Deter Crime - And Do Americans Really Support It?
Arguments On Behalf Of Victims' Families Ring Hollow
The Wrongly Accused: DNA And Other Exonerations
Racism And The Death Penalty
Executing The Mentally And Psychologically Incompetent
Ineffective Counsel
Methods Are Not As Painless As Some Argue
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"When celebrities such as Robert Blake or O.J. Simpson are charged with murder, it is not uncommon for millions of dollars to be spent on their defense. While we may not expect such extremes when poor or middle-class people are charged with murder, we would expect that these defendants would at least have competent legal representation. Quite clearly, this is often not the case."
"For example, the state of Florida allocates only $3,500 for a person to defend themselves against murder charges when a private lawyer can not be afforded and a public defender is unavailable (Payne 2006). That is, in fact, much less than what one might expect to pay for a reliable used car, and yet it is all the money that is allocated for people trying to save themselves from execution. Further, the state also caps how much can be spent by the defense on appeal (no such cap exists for the prosecution), resulting in what State Supreme Court Justice Raoul Cantero has referred to as "some of the worst lawyering" he has ever witnessed (Payne 2006)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• American Civil Liberties Union (2002). "ACLU Praises Supreme Court Refusal of 'Sleeping Lawyer' Case As 'Acknowledgment and Reminder' of Death Penalty Problems." Retrieved Sept. 30, 2006 from http://www.aclu.org/capital/unequal/10466prs20020603.html.
• American Civil Liberties Union (2002). "DNA testing and the death penalty." Retrieved Oct. 1, 2006 from http://www.aclu.org/capital/innocence/10392pub20020626.html.
• Amnesty International (2006). "Death penalty." Retrieved Sept. 30, 2006 from http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/index.do.
• Antonio, Michael E. (2006). "Arbitrariness and the death penalty: how the defendant's appearance during trial influences capital jurors' punishment decision." Behavioral Sciences & the Law. March 2006.Vol.24, Iss. 2.
• Brink, Graham (2006). "Bid to halt execution says death penalty is flawed." St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Fla.: Sep 29, 2006. pg. 5.B

More papers on Ethical Issues Surrounding the Death Penalty:

• Term Paper # 49907 : "The Death Penalty"
• Analytical Essay # 31259 : "The Death Penalty"
• Argumentative Essay # 54525 : "Capital Punishment"

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