No More Capital Punishment, Mr. Cuomo!

No More Capital Punishment, Governor Cuomo!

Kaplan University - April Term

HU245: Ethics

No More Capital Punishment, Governor Cuomo!

Mr. Cuomo,

The ongoing crucial debate within New York State’s judiciary system as to the moral status of the death penalty must come to a conclusion now –no more capital punishment, Mr. Cuomo!

Capital punishment is built on the concept of utilitarianism (Policy Innovations), which justifies punishment insofar as it promotes general happiness, if you will.

In today’s society, where we preach understanding and tolerance, we can no longer use the following arguments as potential utilitarian reasons to punish:

• Prevent offenders from doing further harm

• Deterrence (to prevent recidivism and discourage committing first degree murder)

• Satisfaction for victims and/ or society

• Reform and/or educating offenders to turn them into productive members of society

Contrary to Immanuel Kant's statement that “if an offender has committed murder, he must die”, (Lacandazo) I believe that putting the criminal to death only compounds immoral acts, because the state commits legalized murder. We cannot use the death penalty as a conclusion of the argument for justice.

We can no loner act in accordance with utilitarianism; we should not take action that will promote a concept that focuses on the consequences of our actions becoming as benevolent as possible, and if we act contrary, we will be punished to serve the greater good of mankind.

We are too evolved as a people as that we can continue to use Kant’s justification for punishment, which hinges on the assumption that the punished actually chose their actions autonomously, using their own rationality. The perpetrator many not have been a moral agent when he acted because he may have been afflicted by illness.

Kant’s justification of capital punish¬ment may be coherent, but we have to wonder, if it sanctions the execution of murders still by today’s standards, despite Kant’s...