Ethical View of Overturning Death Sentence to Life in Prison Paper
Requirements
4-5 Page Paper
Minimum of 1100 words
APA Format
Times New Roman
Size 12 Font
Needs to have an Introduction, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion
Needs 3 references
Paper on the Ethical view of overturning Death Sentence to Life in Prison
Covering
Introduction
Gissendaner’s life in prison sentence change
Gissendaner was originally sentenced to death
Why
Gissendaner plotted the death and murder of her husband with the aid of her boyfriend, Gregory Owen
When was she due to be executed and why was she not
She was due to be executed March 2015
She was not due to failed lab tests of the lethal injection drugs
Advocates of Gissendaner are trying to get her sentence commuted to life in prison
Religious groups rallied to get her sentenced commuted to life in prison
Body 1
Moral Logic 1 ( deontology )
What is deontology
Also known as Kantian Ethics
Main points
Actions are right or wrong based on the intent of the action
Actions must be universally acceptable in every case
If it is ok to murder someone, then it must be ok to murder someone regardless of circumstance
People cannot be thought of as a means to an end
Everyone has intrinsic value
How would deontologists view her sentence being overturned
Deontologists would not agree with her sentence being overturned
The act of her plotting the murder of her husband’s death is not a right action
The intent was murder regardless of whether she was committing the act or not
The act of plotting murder cannot be seen as a universally right action
Gissendaner used her husband as a means to an end to acquire financial relief through insurance money
What are the strengths to this view
Deontology provides a clear black and white approach
Leaves little grey area as to what a right action over a negative action is
What are the weaknesses
There is no grey area
There is no good way to determine what the right action is in the event there are multiple conflicting actions
Body 2
Moral Logic 2 ( Divine Command Theory )
What is command theory
The ethical framework that is dictated by the commandments of God
How would command theory view having Gissendaner’s sentence commuted to life in prison
This would all depend on what religion is in question
As I am not religious, for arguments sake I will use Christianity
The actions of plotting the death of her husband are a wrong and sinful act in the eyes of Christian followers
With that said, Christians believe in redemption and forgiveness.
During Gissendaner’s time in prison she found religion and became a model prisoner
Leading religious groups to rally behind having her sentence changed
What are strengths
There is a chance for forgiveness
what are weaknesses
This is dependent on what religion you believe in
Some religions may see plotting a murder as nothing sinful
While others see is as a cardinal sin
Body 3
Do I agree or disagree with the ethical views
I agree with both of the view as to how they would view the issue
Deontologist I think would not want the sentence commuted
While I see how the religious communities that follow command theory of ethics would believe the sentence should have been changed
What is your opinion on the issue
I agree that the sentence should have been changed to life in prison as opposed to death
The person that committed the murder was sentenced to life in prison
Makes little sense that the person that made the plan, gets a harsher punishment
If a person is able to find redemption through religion of other means and work toward the betterment of others there is no reason for that person to be killed
Conclusion
How can we determine if someone has changed to be a betterment for society?
Is this simply base on someone finding religion or can people change by other means
Can evil deeds be overlooked because we find our faith
To what degree of evil can a person go before there is no coming back
How are crimes judged to determine the sentencing
Our judicial system need to get better
With the betterment of technology and training methods for judicial action we can come to more adequate punishments for crimes.