Capital Punishment is a heavily debated topic. Is it moral to end a life as punishment for a crime committed? Can there be rehabilitation instead of punishment? Earlier this term, we were given a video about prison in the Nordic Countries as seen through the lens of an American penal officer. Instead of focusing on punishment, Sweden and Finland focus on rehabilitation at the lower levels, leading to a decrease in crime at the higher levels. While here in America, the penal code system operates more in a reactionary measure than a preventative measure, leading us to the notion of Capital Punishment for the most severe of cases.
Capital Punishment is not shown to decrease crime. It is not shown to be unfairly applied across skin tones (though economic status is a huge factor) or to catch many innocent victims in its web. It is also more expensive than keeping a prisoner for life. It is a severe punishment fitting a severe crime. And it is a torture mechanism. The people who administer the drugs are not trained medical professionals, as their code is “do no harm” and ending a life is seen as doing harm. They are lay people who inject a very powerful sedative, a neuromuscular blocking drug that has been described (by survivors of lethal injection) as being similar to shooting fire in their veins, concluded with a drug that stops the heart. Because of the giant room for error due to having no medical professionals on hand and how easily someone can botch the execution, lethal injection is a system of torture. This week’s reading by Reiman states, “That we will not torture even those who have earned if by their crimes conveys a message about the awfulness of torture, namely, that it is something that civilized people will not do even to give evil people their just desserts.” (p. 507) America has a long history of torture, even if the nation claims to be against it. This is just another example of how America hypocritically claims to be a state of laws and justice but will openly torture people.
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