Penology

Stephen Nathanson’s argument in “An Eye for an Eye?” stresses the need to do away with the ultimate form of punishment; the death penalty. Nathanson compares the ancient principle of equal retaliation to the current idea of capital punishment. He provides moral arguments for preserving the sanctity of human life as he points out the flaws with murdering killers. The views of other scholars of philosophy are cited by Nathanson and then analyzed for their invalid points. Nathanson first describes…

Would you consider a judge a murderer for sentencing a criminal to death? Would you love a man who killed your family? Would you attack the only person dedicated to protecting you? These are the questions that today face the jury, as they decide whether or not they will stand by Creon, the king of our city, and his actions on that fateful day. We all remember what happened on that day. One week ago, Creon set forth the law that no person could bury Polyneices, in an attempt to preserve the honor…

Studying obedience to authority most often reveals human nature repugnantly; however, it teaches society their individual capability thus they can prevent unethical actions. In “The Abu Ghraib Prison Scandal: Sources of Sadism,” Marianna Szegedy-Maszak writes about the unethical treatment and results of American guards physically violating the Iraqi prisoners. The guards with authority over the criminals were charged for “crimes against humanity” (Szegedy-Maszak 75). The author analyzes why the…

Bryan Stevenson’s novel, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, focuses on the narrative of one of his first cases as a young lawyer. He shares the story of Walter McMillian, a young man sentenced to death for a murder that he did not commit. Stevenson’s primary objective with this novel is to draw attention to broken criminal justice system. The utilization of a primarily logos argument can only be justified if their is equality within the given system. However, when issues such as…

In the United States legal system, people see justice in terms of punishment. A criminal can receive countless years in prison or even be assigned the death penalty. In the article, “The Restoration of faith,” Amitava Kumar shows how forgiveness and understanding can be a better solution than punishment when it comes to criminals. Kumar uses solid evidence and reasoning in his article to show the benefits of Restorative justice. Therefore, Kumar achieved his goal in writing a convincing argument…

In cultures around the world, people are acting, protecting, and making decisions in the name of “honour.” Broadly, honour is high respect, regard, or esteem. However, the value and meaning of honour varies by culture and even by individual. Gabriel García Márquez wrote Chronicle of a Death Foretold to reflect the actions and responses of Colombian society to the event of murder. Describing the murder of Santiago Nasar, Chronicle of a Death Foretold depicts the significance of honour in…

Kelsy Siddell 7 October 2017 Miss Windish 6th period The Death Penalty Have you ever thought of someone murdering a family member? If so, would you want them to be on death row? Putting someone on death row creates another murderer, which is why the death penalty should NOT be allowed. The death penalty is part of the criminal justice system. The criminal justice system has multiple flaws so the death penalty could also be one of those. It is dehumanization and termination. Many people think…

Home is not simply a place, but where the heart is. However, what about people in prison or those living in a shelter, is that their home? The solution of trying to find the most acceptable meaning of a home has been a dilemma for centuries. Some people run from their homes to seek a better future only to be detained while others live on the streets because they refuse to compromise what they believe in. Edwidge Danticat and Anna Quindlen utilize their writing by sharing emotional experiences to…

"Nalini Nadkarni: Life Science in Prison" 1. Do you think violent criminals deserve to "feel more serene" as the speaker suggests? 2. How might the prison benefit from prisoners who are calmer? I do think that violent criminals deserve to “feel more serene” as the speaker suggests because of the fact that feeling more serene can possibly help the violent criminal(s) to feel as if they are truly not in prison, but in the comfort of their own home or any other location that they resided in before…

Throughout human history, fear has played a significant role in our societies. Oftentimes, when we humans make a decision, fear of potential consequences for choosing any of the available choices we have is factored into our final decision. Bill 'The Butcher’ Cutting said it best with his claim in the film Gangs of New York that fear is "what preserves the order of things.” In many ways, such fear helps to keep us from being disorderly or breaking our given society’s laws. In turn, fear can be…