1. CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

2. JOURNAL QUESTION:
What do you know about the existing practice of Capital Punishment in our country? How often do we execute someone? Which state(s) do it the most? What methods are used? Etc.

3. “But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?" They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She replied, "No one, sir." Then Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go, (and) from now on do not sin any more.“ (John 8)

5. WHAT IS THE POINT OF PUNISHMENT?
REHABILITATION
The punishment will bring about a change in the offender.
DETERRENCE
The punishment will encourage others NOT TO commit the same crime.
RETRIBUTION
Order is restored by giving the criminal “what he deserves.”

6. Evolution of Church’s Teaching
In the Old Testament certain crimes warranted the death penalty. These were: blasphemy, sorcery, murder and adultery. See John 8:3-6.
Thomas Aquinas taught that for the sake of the common good, you can kill someone by capital punishment.
But recently, the Church, especially in the United States, has condemned capital punishment.

7. Why has it changed?
The constant, common truth that the Church has always held onto about capital punishment is:
It is only acceptable “if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor” (CCC #2267).
However…these situations are “practically non-existent” today.

8. FOUR REASONS AGAINST IT…
It violates the respect for life and human dignity
Killing a criminal in “our” name diminishes all of us
The use of the death penalty in our country is deeply flawed & full of mistakes
We have other ways to punish criminals

10. A Culture of Life and a Penalty of Death
The USCCB make it clear that all Catholics should be against Capital Punishment.
“It is time to turn away from a deeply flawed system of state-sponsored executions to a way of protecting society and holding accountable the truly guilty in a way that reflects our society’s best values.” (Section V) (November, 2005)