Capital Punishment

Coretta Scott King, late wife of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., once said “I stand firmly and unequivocally opposed to the death penalty for those convicted of capital offenses. An evil deed is not redeemed by an evil deed of retaliation. Justice is never advanced in the taking of a human life. Morality is never upheld by a legalized murder” (Gottfried, 2002, p. 46). This quote alone could not possibly portray the gist of my belief on Capital Punishment any better than it already does. Capital Punishment is murder, plain and simple. In the following paragraphs I have provided the history of Capital Punishment along with general facts and ethical issues about the subject. This information will lead to my explanation of the most valid ethical approach to solving this problem.

Capital Punishment, as well as campaigns opposing it, has been in our nation’s history since the beginning (Gottfried, 2002, p. 24). After British law, execution was a punishment approved and supported by most of the leaders of the new nation (Gottfried, 2002, p. 25). Thomas Alva Edision invented the electric chair and it was first used on August 6, 1890 (Wolf, 1997, p. 25). The electric chair became the most popular form of execution during the early twentieth century. By 1951, 26 American states used the electric chair to perform their executions. Currently, only 11 states have chosen to still use the electric chair (Wolf, 1997, p. 26). The gas chamber was invented in 1924 by D.A. Turner. Currently the method of the gas chamber is used in only seven states. Lastly, lethal injection was first used in 1977 in Oklahoma and currently is the main method chosen in 32 states (Wolf, 1997, p. 27).

A capital case is defined as when the crime involved is premeditated and there are no justifying circumstances. It is punishable by death (Gottfried, 2002, p. 12-13). A poll taken in June of 2000 by Newsweek magazine found that 73% of the 750 people polled were in favor of the death penalty. However, it is believed that the opinion and the views of the American public are slowly changing. Another poll taken in 2000 by the Gallup Organization asked the question of whether a first degree murderer should be punished by death or by life imprisonment. When given the option of life imprisonment, only 56% of the people polled were in favor of death, while 38% supported life imprisonment without the chance of parole (Gottfried, 2002, p. 13). Many people think that the opinion of the American public reflects the context of the question asked. When given an option, many people will opt for another form of punishment other than death (Gottfried, 2002, p. 13).

Many people are in favor of the death penalty because they think that it prevents more murder and more crime from occurring. However, other people believe the exact opposite. “One of the primary reasons for administering the death penalty is to control crime, but many people question the death penalty’s deterrent effect, and some people even assert that watching the government kill people makes citizens even more likely to commit murder” (Marzilli, 2003, p. 18-19). In 1980, the homicide rates in New York were examined during the years of 1907 to 1963. During this period of time, New York was the state that executed the most people. In general, homicide rates increased in the month after an execution took place. “When the state takes a person’s life by execution, it devalues human life in the eyes of its citizens, making them more likely to commit murder” (Marzilli, 2003, p. 39).

In the 1960s, the amount of executions decreased intensely. In 1965 there were seven executions that took place in the United States, opposed to the 152 that were performed in 1947. By the year 1967, there were only two. “In 1967, public opinion was overwhelmingly opposed to the death penalty” (Gottfried, 2002, p. 31). The following year there were no executions that took place in the United States. This suspension went on for nine years (Gottfried, 2002, p. 31). One of the main reasons for the suspension was that the United States Supreme Court had been influenced by the attitudes of American society. People stood strongly against the death penalty. In 1972, The Supreme Court ruled that Capital Punishment laws were unconstitutional. Capital Punishment consisted of the cruel and unusual punishments that were explained and banned by the eighth amendment to the United States Constitution (Gottfried, 2002, p. 31). In 1976, the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty after 9 years of not using it. The court decided that death as a punishment for murder is not unjustified. And so, the death penalty did not fall under the category of cruel and unusual punishments (Gottfried, 2002, p. 32). How can death (murder) not be a form of cruel and unusual punishment? This question is especially important in the case of John Evans. John