using Ethic of care, how would you apply it to this set of questions? What\'s yo
ID: 3471561 • Letter: U
Question
using Ethic of care, how would you apply it to this set of questions? What's your best argument? Why?
In 2005, 51-year-old Stanley Tookie Williams, convicted murderer and Crips gang co-founder, was executed by the State of California. His many supporters—including celebrities such as Jamie Foxx and Snoop Dogg—denounced the execution as unjust because while in prison he had sought and found redemption.
As one report says, The case became the state’s highest-profile execution in decades. Hollywood stars and capital punishment foes argued that Williams’ sentence should be commuted to life in prison because he had made amends by writing children’s books about the dangers of gangs and violence.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger rejected Williams’ plea for clemency on the grounds that Williams was not genuinely remorseful about the Crips’ killings. Williams was convicted of murdering four people—a 26-year-old store clerk and a couple and their 43-year-old daughter. At the trial, witnesses said he bragged and laughed about the murders.
The Associated Press quoted Williams saying, “There is no part of me that existed then that exists now.”*
Suppose Williams was guilty of the murders for which he was convicted, and suppose he had a gen- uine change of heart and performed many com- mendable deeds while in prison. Should Williams’s sentence then have been commuted to life in prison? Why or why not? Is redemption compatible with justice? If a murderer mends his ways, should this change have an effect on his punishment? Is mercy (giving someone a break) compatible with justice (giving someone what he deserves)?
Explanation / Answer
One of the most important and hot topic for debate is capital punishment. Although most of the countries have abolished capital punishment on humanitarian grounds, few countries still have it. Fear of punishment is what keeps people out of crime and that’s why all the civilized countries have written law to punish crimes depending upon their severity. No one has the right to kill anyone except law because there should be a higher order authority who upholds justice for all.
All the four people who were killed by Stanley Tookie Williams deserved to live. They were not criminals nor involved in any other activity that affected the peace of the society. Although killing one for murdering others is not ethically correct, capital punishment is what should be the ultimate warning for people who think of killing someone. So, changing one’s life around is not the problem here but it is the problem of cold blooded murderers walking free threatening the society again. There is no guarantee that Williams wouldn’t repeat his actions. So, capital punishment should be the ultimatum for those who dare to threaten the society with their barbaric mind-set.
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