Safeena Basir

Professor Womack

English 15

October 25, 2013

Ethics of Death Penalty

The concept of capital punishment has existed for several years. In the past, many countries have used the death penalty as a main way of carrying out punishment. The use of the death penalty follows back to the eighteen century B.C.; it was enforced by King Hammurabi of Babylon. There are many countries that have practiced, and still do practice, the act of the death penalty. Each country has had its own methods of execution; the methods for some of the countries have changed as the years go by. The most popular method was considered hanging, and it was carried out mainly by Great Britain. The United States was inspired by Great Britain and started enforcing the death penalty as a way of punishment. The types of execution methods used in the past were inhumane and gruesome, but in the present time, the Government has been more concerned with the humane way of carrying out a punishment. As the years advance, the ethical view on the death penalty has changed in the U.S. As the ethical view changes, so does the execution methods.

The most common methods used in the Unites States include hanging, lethal injection, lethal gas, firing squad, and electrocution. Hanging was a very popular technique used for execution. The U.S. developed the method of hanging from Great Britain. It was used for any kind of crimes that were committed, even petty crimes such as stealing. In the current time, the only states that have been using hanging as a method of execution are Delaware, New Hampshire, and Washington.

As the years went by, electrocution was created and thought to be a more humane method. New York was the first state to use the method of electrocution. They built the first electric chair in 1888 and electrocuted the first person, William Kemmler, in 1890 (Weier). Electrocution is only carried out in Nevada. Following the method of Electrocution, death by lethal gas was created. It was first used by the state of Nevada in 1924 on a man by the name of Jon Gee (Weier). The law of Nevada wanted the condemned to be gassed in their cell while being asleep. It was a difficult task to accomplish; however, a gas chamber was created. Lethal gas is used in states such as Missouri, Arizona, California, and Wyoming.

After many try and fails, the government eventually found a suitable method for carrying out the death penalty. This method has been known as death by lethal injection. Execution by lethal injection has been very popular in the current time and it has been used in almost all of the states. Texas was the first state to use lethal injection in 1982 to execute Charles Brooks. After that execution, many states consider it to be a more humane method. Lethal injection is used in almost all states that carry out the death penalty as a primary method for execution. Although some states have other ways of carrying out capital punishment, they usually give the condemned the option of being executed by the lethal injection.

Along with those methods, the firing squad was developed and used. It was authorized in Oklahoma, Idaho, and Utah in 2003 (Weier). It would only be used if the lethal injection was not sufficient enough to be used. Utah is one of the states that have used the firing squad. It was used on Gary Gilmore, by request from him, in 1977 (Weier). Even though the firing squad is used, it is still considered to be unconstitutional.

The government of the U.S. has come a long way with its view on the death penalty from the 1600s to the present time. In the 1600s, the death penalty was carried out based on the personal view of the judges. In their book, McGowan, Garland, and Meranze states that, “the common law high judiciary had a very personal perspective on capital punishment…distinct from that of the House of Commons” (130) The judges did not base their decision for execution on the evidence and type of crime committed but on what they personally felt. “Many opponents of the death penalty attacked it in absolute terms… that a morally mature society should not use death as an instrument for revenge or retribution” (Weisberg 310). In the current time, judges merely look at the evidence and type of crime committed to determine the final verdict for execution. The death penalty is also only given to those who have committed an extremely crucial crime. In the past, nevertheless, the death penalty was given to people for minor crimes. As the years went by, people begin to realize the morality of the death penalty. Amnesty International proclaims the concern for discrimination and false conviction led to an outpour for abolition in the U.S (4)

Abolition has increased drastically throughout the world, including some of the states in the U.S. There are currently 18 states that have abolished the death penalty (Koch et al). Some of those states include Michigan, Wisconsin, Maine, Minnesota, North Dakota, Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, and West Virginia. Based on their ethical view, the government has changed the way they approach the death penalty over time. The change in view has led to many conflicts about abolition. Some states have tried to abolish the death penalty but were not successful. People have realized that pursuing the death penalty as a capital punishment is not the right way to go. Martins argue that abolition of the death penalty is what keeps us a “civilized society.” He also states, “to be pro-life, in the deepest and truest sense of that term, is to respect all life unconditionally.”

Death penalty has been a subject that has been looked upon for years. The view about it has changed from since the early 1600s and so did its methods. During the early years of capital punishment, the government mainly sentenced people to death based on personal reasons. There was no evidence or any type of careful thought process. As years went by, people have begun to see the ethics behind putting someone to death. The government tries their best to respect the condemned rights as a human. Abolition of the death penalty has become a trend around the world, and many states in the U.S. have tried to go through the process. Many have argued that the death penalty is wrong. It can cause an innocent person, who is wrongfully convicted, to lose their life. There have been many methods that were used to execute a criminal. Most of them are looked at as inhumane, but the one method the U.S. government primarily uses is lethal injection. No matter what type of method is chosen to kill criminals, there will always be a movement for abolition to get rid of the death penalty.

Work Cited

Death Sentences and Executions 2012. London: Amnesty International Publications, 2013. 1-60.

Print.

Garland, David, McGowen, Randall, and Meranze, Michael. America’s Death Penalty: Between

Past and Present. New York: New York University Press, 2011. 130. Print.

Koch, Larry Wayne, Galliher, John F, and Wark, Colin. The Death of the American Death

Penalty: States Still Leading the Way. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2012. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 29 Oct. 2013.

Rogoff, Martin A. “For the Abolition of the Death Penalty in America: The Advocacy of Robert

Badinter.” Human Rights Quarterly 30.3 (2008): 772-796. Project MUSE. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.

Weier, John W. “Death Penalty Statutes and Methods: Changes and Challenges.” Capital

Punishment: Cruel and Unusual? Gale, 2006. Web. 17 Oct. 2013

Weisberg, Robert. “Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238 (1972).” Encyclopedia of the Supreme

Court of the United States. Ed. David S. Tanenhaus. Vol. 2. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008. 310-312. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.