Over the past few days, The Prindle Institute held events concerning ethics and capital punishment. From a showing of "The Green Mile" to guest lectures, these discussions showed what a prominent ethical issue capital punishment is in American society.
Consider some quick background. Recorded statistics for civil executions (aka nonmilitary) began in 1930 in the United States, although surely unrecorded executions were occurring before this time. Today, 35 of our 50 states abide by the death penalty, including Indiana.
The methods used for capital punishment in the U.S. are lethal injection (the primary method), electrocution, gas chamber, hanging and firing squad. Although firing squad seems pretty old school, Oklahoma still lists it as a method of execution that can be used if injection and electrocution are found "unconstitutional."
The most popular arguments for the death penalty include the penalty as a deterrent for murder, as an equal form of justice and that inmates on life sentences are more likely to kill other inmates while incarcerated. Ernest van den Haag, a well-known defender of the death penalty and former professor of public policy at Fordham University, said that it is, "the most fitting retribution for murder I can think of."
Overall, I just see too many weaknesses with these arguments supporting the death penalty. First of all, does capital punishment actually deter murder? I don't think a murderer is thinking about how he/she will be punished because they don't think they'll be caught in the first place.
It's also more expensive to sentence and execute criminals to death. There is also the interesting argument that jurors may be less likely to convict a criminal if the death penalty is on the table.
For or against capital punishment, the system that decides the fate of these criminals is flawed. Remember the case of Troy Davis? Why is it that he was executed even though seven of the nine recorded witnesses recanted their former statements?
Race and the death penalty is another important ethical issue that needs to be explored. Take the case of death row inmate Duane Buck in Texas. Duane is an African American who admittedly shot and killed his ex-girlfriend and a male counterpart. His guilt is not the issue. His case is under review because at his trial, a psychologist named Walter Quijano testified that black criminals are more likely to be violent again in the future. In 2000, six other cases with testimonies from Quijano went under review for racial discrimination.
More ethical questions can be addressed with the methods of execution. For instance, what about the doctors who have to administer the lethal injection? All doctors abide by the Hippocratic Oath that states that they must practice medicine ethically. Does purposefully administering death go against this code of ethics?
Both sides of the capital punishment argument raise important questions and concerns about our justice system and what we see as fitting retribution for murder.
— Aldrich is a senior from Lexington, Ken., majoring in environmental geoscience. opinion@thedepauw.com