Death Penalty: The Ultimate Punishment
Advisor(s)
Peter Baffoe
Advisor(s)
Sharanya Choudhury
Document Type
Presentation
Type
Information Motivating Public Activism (IMPACT)
UN Sustainable Development Goal
UNSDG #16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Start Date
29-4-2020 10:45 AM
End Date
29-4-2020 11:00 AM
Abstract
At times, severe crimes call for severe punishments. A clear example includes the death penalty, in which prisoners are given a certain amount of time before they are ultimately put to death. The criminal sentence evolved as time passed, starting from the primitive guillotine, merging with the messy methods of hanging and the electric chair, and finally, ending with the lethal injection. This method is thought to be the most humane and ethical way to dispose of a person who, simply put, has committed a crime great enough to be deemed worthy of death. As of 2020, 26 states are actively using the death penalty, four states have temporarily prohibited it, and 20 states have banned this punishment, including Illinois. However, this raises the question: Does this sort of consequence satisfy the conditions of UN-SDG 16? Calling for “access to justice for all and building effective, accountable institutions at all levels,” current death penalty institutions strongly go against this sustainability goal.
Death Penalty: The Ultimate Punishment
At times, severe crimes call for severe punishments. A clear example includes the death penalty, in which prisoners are given a certain amount of time before they are ultimately put to death. The criminal sentence evolved as time passed, starting from the primitive guillotine, merging with the messy methods of hanging and the electric chair, and finally, ending with the lethal injection. This method is thought to be the most humane and ethical way to dispose of a person who, simply put, has committed a crime great enough to be deemed worthy of death. As of 2020, 26 states are actively using the death penalty, four states have temporarily prohibited it, and 20 states have banned this punishment, including Illinois. However, this raises the question: Does this sort of consequence satisfy the conditions of UN-SDG 16? Calling for “access to justice for all and building effective, accountable institutions at all levels,” current death penalty institutions strongly go against this sustainability goal.