Christian Ethics – Fourth Quarter – Capital Punishment
Review Questions – Test #6 – April 4, 2014
The Bible and the Catholic position (Compendium)
1. What in general does the Bible have to say about Capital Punishment?
2. What are the differences between the Old and the New Testament with regard to the subject?
3. What principle would the Christian need to employ when consulting the Bible on the subject?
4. Be familiar with how one might employ the New Testament to support or reject capital punishment.
5. Be ready to explain the difference between a situation of “legitimate defense” and a situation of “excessive
force.”
6. Explain how “legitimate defense” is not an example of murder – based on an intended and an unintended
effect.
7. What fundamental principle of morality is the basis for legitimate defense? Explain.
8. What importance does legitimate defense take on for those responsible for the lives of others?
9. What are the two purposes of punishment given by a public authority?
10. Explain how the Catholic teaching places the death penalty in the category of “legitimate defense.”
11. What kind of punishment may be imposed? Explain.
12. What are the proper circumstances needed, in order to justify the death penalty?
13. How often does John Paul II think there are cases when the death penalty is justified today? Explain.
Nygaard article
1. What does Nygaard find strange about the position of some Christians on abortion and the death penalty?
2. What are the three means of punishment our criminal system uses?
3. Be ready to name the four possible justifications for the death penalty as listed by Nygaard.
4. Be ready to explain the reasons Nygaard rejects each of these possible justifications.
5. What is the difference between “general deterrence” and “specific deterrence”?
Pakaluk article
1. Explain Kant’s views of life imprisonment and the death penalty as punishments for murder. Be sure to
explain his repentant/unrepentant prisoner distinction. Be ready to say whether or not you agree with Kant
and why.
2. What does Pakaluk think of the argument that the death penalty should be abolished because it is applied
more frequently to minorities?
3. What is Pakaluk’s opinion of the argument that the death penalty is not a deterrent?
4. What is Pakaluk’s response to the argument that a few innocent persons will inevitably be put to death if
capital punishment is used?
"Fourteen Years on Death Row"
1. What two issues were prominent in Shabaka’s case – issues of injustice in the system which applies the
death penalty? Explain the details briefly.
2. What happened with Shabaka’s brother while he was in prison?
3. What does Shabaka say motivated him to strike out at the prison guards as they measured him for his
burial suit?
Recinella article
1. What does the author have to say about whether the Church has changed its position on capital
punishment?
2. What does the author think about how the death penalty works?
3. What is "procedural bar?"
4. What is the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act? When was it passed?
5. According to the author, who is at greatest risk of being executed?
6. Who was Lionel Herrera?
7. What is the ultimate basis for the author's objection to the death penalty?
"The Death Penalty: 'Tinkering' to Good Effect"
1. What does the author say about the following issues: Declining Use; Supreme Court; The States; Lethal
Injection; Race; Legal Representation; Church Teaching?
2. Explain the rationale behind the subtitle of the article: 'Tinkering' to Good Effect.
3. What countries account for the majority of executions in the world?
“Parents of Murder victim offer forgiveness”
1. Be familiar with the story of Shannon Shieber.
2. Why did Vicki Schieber ask the judge to spare the life of Troy Graves?
3. What role did their Catholic faith play in the Shieber families ability to find closure after the death of
Shannon? Explain.
“The Death penalty is not what it used to be”
1. Be familiar with the case of Kirk Noble Bloodsworth.
2. For what crime was he convicted?
3. How long was he on death row?
4. What did he do with his time in prison?
5. What were some of the problems with his case, prosecution, and conviction?
6. How did he prove his innocence?
Death Penalty Fact Sheet
1. How many states have the death penalty?
2. State with the most executions?
3. State with the most death row inmates?
4. How many Death Row exonerations in the USA?
5. State with the most exonerations?
6. Be familiar with the information regarding recent studies on race.
7. What are the methods of execution used in the USA?
8. Be familiar with the financial facts about the death penalty.
9. Be familiar with the trend regarding public opinion on capital punishment.
10.How many states have abolished Capital Punishment? What is the trend?
11. Is the Death penalty an effective deterrent? BTSU
12. What three factors interfere most with effective law enforcement? Why?
13. What Supreme Court case ended Capital Punishment for juveniles? How many had been executed
before the decision?
14. What crimes are punishable by death in the USA?
“Why I Oppose the Death Penalty”
1. What two questions does Governor O’Malley pose regarding the death penalty?
2. What cases does he site in his argument?
3. What does he say about the deterrent value of the death penalty?
4. What facts does he site?
5. What does he say about Human Dignity?
Deadline
1. Who was the governor of Illinois featured in the film?
2. Why did the students from Northwestern become involved in the issue of capital punishment?
3. How many of Illinois death row inmates at the time were proven to be innocent?
4. What were the reasons behind the governor’s decision to commute all death row inmates in the state of
Illinois to life in prison?
5. How many inmates had their death sentence commuted to life in prison w/out parole?
6. What was the name of the famous Supreme Court case that abolished capital punishment in the United
States? What was the basis/logic of the decision?
7. When did the case occur? How long was capital punishment abolished in the United States?
8. What was the name of the Supreme Court case that reinstituted Capital punishment in the United States?
In what year did this occur? What was the logic/basis of the case?
9. Be able to explain the airplane analogy.