Mindanao State University

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

A.Y. 2021-2022

Death Penalty - An Ethical Paper

An Ethical Position Paper in Compliance to GEC107 N29.1

Presented to Professor Najifah Macaraya

Presented by:
VALDUEZA, HONEYLETTE

A.Y. 2021-2022
INTRODUCTION
Philosophy is a vast subject with various branches and sub-disciplines.
Epistemology, for example, is the study of knowledge, such as its nature, origins, and
limitations. Ethics, on the other hand, is the study of morals, such as what is right or
wrong, good or evil. The death penalty might be classified as an ethical issue and it is a
practice that has existed in many countries around the world, albeit the majority of them
simply keep it but do not practice it.

The death penalty, sometimes known as capital punishment, is a government

sanctioned procedure in which a person is sentenced to death as a punishment for a
crime. It is the practice of executing someone as a punishment for a specific offense
after a proper judicial trial because it can only be employed by a state, when non-state
organizations say they have executed someone, they have actually killed them. It is
normally reserved for the most heinous sorts of murder, however in other countries,
treason, fraud, adultery, and rape are all considered capital offenses. The death penalty
is still used in many states, but its use has decreased dramatically in recent decades. At
the same time, there are still two conflicting viewpoints on death punishment in the
populace, with some advocating for its continuation and others calling for its repeal.

For instance, in the United States, even though most children and non-
governmental organizations are vehemently opposed to it, the majority of adults appear
to support the death penalty. In the majority of American states, the statute still exists.
However, the topic has received significant support in other nations, like as Taiwan, and
there appears to be very little opposition to its commission (White, 2011).

Collen and Wellman (2005) claimed that the morality of the death penalty is
compromised by various viewpoints advanced by various ideas or schools of though in
the ethical disciplines. For example, depending on the circumstances murdering is
deemed the fact that killing is evil and unethical in general. Killing for self-defense and
the greater good of society, such as to prevent further harm to innocent civilians, is
usually justified, but deliberate killing is regarded as wrong.
 The main ethical dilemma presented in this paper is the legalization of death
penalty and allowing it to be practiced as a punishment for a crime. This paper aims to
examines the death penalty in terms of ethics, focusing on what is regarded right or
wrong in the light of both pro and con arguments.

PERSONAL STAND
Personally, I think that the legalization of death penalty is ethically justified but
morally wrong. It is ethically justified because some argue that it has long served as a
productive means of maintaining order in society by preventing crimes and bringing
offenders to justice. It is ethical for some people to sacrifice an unjust person for the
safety of the entire society. On the other hand, it is morally wrong because it involves
the execution of a criminal as a form of retribution for crimes that are deemed serious by
the law, such as murder and treason, although in some cases, it could also include
adultery, rape, and some types of fraud.

ETHICAL FRAMEWORK
In the framework of Utilitarianism, pursuing the greatest good for the largest
number of people is the standard for right behavior, and if necessary, killing is permitted
to achieve that goal. However, utilitarianism also contends that a course of action is only
moral if it cannot be improved upon in order to serve the interests of the largest number
of people. Even though it might appear that the death penalty satisfies the first
requirement, it does not satisfy the second because life imprisonment can benefit more
people because it accomplishes everything that the death penalty offers without causing
a person's death or wasting a lot of needless money.

The conclusion drawn from all of the evidences and data is that there is no
connection between the death penalty and a decline in the murder rate. Another
argument in favor of the death penalty is that by ending the offender's life and
prospects, it makes society safer by removing potential threats. I do concur that a
society with fewer dangers is a safer place to live, and the death penalty succeeds in its
objective of bringing the wrongdoers to justice and halting the growth of violence, which
is a benefit for society. But there are other ways to accomplish this goal besides the
death penalty. Life in prison accomplishes the same goal because if you compare the
death penalty to life in prison, the former is a more expensive option because The
monetary cost of the death penalty is extraordinarily expensive. Also, a person who
receives the death penalty will actually die. Regardless of the technique employed to
end the criminal's life, this killing was planned and executed with purpose. In spite of the
legality of the action, we can at least agree that taking someone's life is not ideal, except
for its positive effects on the rest of society. For the purposes of this argument, we will
set aside ethical considerations of such an act.

On the other hand, life in prison only places offenders behind bars to prevent
them from further harming society and preventing needless bloodshed. Now, others
could counter that a person's life sentence forces the state to revoke their rights in every
other way, which is hazardous. Although I personally support the stance, I believe that
the cost of losing one's liberty is not as high as the cost of losing one's life. If the verdict
is unfair, the death penalty also runs the risk of murdering an innocent person.
However, if a person is sentenced to life in prison as a result of an error, he may be
released when the truth is revealed.

Even though murdering someone is already wrong, it is especially wrong to kill

an innocent person. The counterargument might be that, because the verdict was
reached after going through several courts and being supported by a wide range of
evidence, and because most individuals reach consistent conclusions, it cannot be
erroneous under such a rigorous procedure. But these situations do happen.

Some might even contend that the criminal's death will do a lot to comfort the
relatives of the victims. Without a doubt, the appropriate punishment gives the victims
and their families a great deal of consolation, but the death penalty may also brutalize
these defenseless individuals, increasing their desire for retaliation and hatred. Not only
does incarcerating the offender stop this kind of abuse, but it also gives the inmates a
chance to acknowledge their guilt and so protects their mental health. Some offenders
won't regret their wrongdoing, while others will still try to seize the last opportunity to
atone for their transgressions. A greater consolation than the victim's gruesome death
would be for them to honestly apologize to the victim's family and make up for their loss.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the death penalty is ethically justified but morally wrong, hence, to
abolish the death penalty is morally right. Even though the government would need to
hire extra security guards to watch over the offenders, this modest cost results in a
significant amount of gain for society as a whole. The government can avoid incurring
significant unneeded expenses, spare the relatives of the victims from abuse, and still
stop criminals from posing a threat to society. It is morally right to abolish the death
penalty since doing so will have more positive effects and a wider impact than it will
cost.
REFERENCES
Hantao Hu. “Death Penalty: An Unethical Punishment”. American Research
Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, vol 4, no. 1, 2018, pp. 1-4.
IvyPanda. September 09, 2019. Death Penalty and Ethics. Retrieved on June 22,
2022 in https://ivypanda.com/essays/death-penalty-2/
StudyCorgi. April 22, 2022. Death Penalty: Practice and Ethics of the Use.
Retrieved on June 22, 2022 from https://studycorgi.com/death-penalty-practice-and-
ethics-of-the-use/
Venturi, GC. 2016. The Death Penalty. Retrieved on June 22, 2022 on
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313876668_The_Death_Penalty#:~:text=Capit
al%20punishment%2C%20also%20known%20as,a%20punishment%20for%20a
%20crime
White, D. 2011. Pros & Cons of the Death Penalty. Retrieved from
https://www.thoughtco.com/pros-and-cons-death-penalty-3325230