Death Penalty Deterrence, Essay Example

Values and ethics are the epicenter of each person’s moral fiber.  Those two aspects of humanity have guided leaders to greatness and caused entire empires to crumble. Values are those things that have a certain value or importance to someone.  They embody what the person stands for and are the basis for their behavior.  Values provide the foundation for judgment about what is important.  Ethics or to behave ethically is to act in a manner consistent with morally based actions of the society in which the person resides.  The moral fiber of an individual is the backbone and structure of the compass in which they use to determine right and wrong.  With that being said, death as well as how a person perceives death is on an individual basis.  With capital punishment, the ultimate punishment regarding what a person sacrifices for their crime, is used as a punishment but also as a counter-deterrent to those that may commit heinous crimes in the future.  This type of measure does not necessarily hold the validity as a counter-deterrent because the devastating impact of the punishment is not experienced until the end of the entire criminal act and ultimate bringing of justice. The ability to learn from one’s mistakes and make corrections are superseded by the counter-deterrent methodology. A rational human being has the ability to understand right from wrong as well as weigh the ramifications with their actions are negated in a scenario where a crime warranting capital punishment comes into play.  The counter-deterrent effectiveness is based individually on the person’s value of life as well as their understanding of religion, beliefs or mental acuity.  A crime that warrants the death penalty does not deter someone from committing this type of crime based on deterrence but rather removes the person from the world prior to committing further crimes against humanity.