An Inquiry into the Ethics of Capital Punishment

Philadelphia partner D. Alicia Hickok and associate J.J. Williamson co-authored an article titled, "An Inquiry into the Ethics of Capital Punishment," for the Syracuse Law & Civic Engagement Forum.

The article examines the ethics of capital punishment and addresses three questions: Is there an absolute position on the death penalty that renders it immoral in all circumstances? What does the law permit, command, or prohibit? Does the practice accord with these permissions, commands, and prohibitions – and is the perception that it does? The answer to those questions then prompts a fourth: how is a lawyer in today’s legal system to act ethically in a state that authorizes capital punishment?

Read "An Inquiry into the Ethics of Capital Punishment."