Is Capital Punishment Ethical Essay - 2408 Words

Capital punishment is a difficult subject for a lot of people because many question whether or not it is ethical to kill a convicted criminal. In order to critically analyze whether or not it is ethical, I will look at the issue using a utilitarianism approach because in order to get a good grasp of this topic we need to look at how the decision will impact us in the future. The utilitarianism approach will help us to examine this issue and see what some of the consequences are with this topic of capital punishment. For years, capital punishment has been used against criminals and continues to be used today, but lately this type of punishment has come into question because of the ethical question. On the one hand, people who oppose the†¦show more content†¦Clarify Concepts Before jumping right into the topic, it is important to clarify a few key concepts and words that are often used when discussing capital punishment. Capital punishment refers to the concept of ending a suspected criminals life, and the methods that are typically used are: lethal injection, gas chamber, and the electric chair. The two most commonly used are lethal injection and the gas chamber. Neither act is considered better or worse, because ultimately they end with the same result. However, the alternative to these types of punishment is long-term imprisonment. Many anti-death penalty advocates argue that long-term imprisonment is by far the best course of action, because it allows for the possibility that if a mistake was made in the conviction of the suspect, they would be able to correct it without ending the life of an innocent person. Identify the Problem Now, in order to truly look at the topic at hand, I feel that it is necessary to examine a few different viewpoints when it comes to this ethical issue. These viewpoints are called deontological, and utilitarianism. Each approach provides a unique look in the idea of capital punishment and will help to look at the consequences at the present time, as well as in the future. The question of whether it is ethically acceptable to take the life of someone is at the heartShow MoreRelatedCapital Punishment : Is It Ethical?983 Words   |  4 Pagesdeals with people’s morals and ethical views there are people who agree and disagree with what is and is not ethical. The death penalty is one of these things that people cannot agree whether it is ethical to do or not. My article focuses on how big names in politics feel about capital punishment and whether they stand for it or not. 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