Punishments

Punishments

1. Regina v. Dudley and Stephens--Killing an innocent life to save one’s own does not justify murder even if it under extreme necessity of hunger.

   • Their defense. They were going to die if they didn't eat the kid. and they had a good reasons for believing so. Queen's court doesn't buy  the defense. Saying that the defendants are perverting self defense. Self defense-an individual using deadly force against a wrong doer posing an imminent  threat against  the person or 3rd person. Court says the kid they ate Parker wasn't an assailant . Court says good englishman  sacrifice themselves rather than sacrificing an innocent person. There are christian themes he. Court admits that this was a great temptation that most people would fail as well but what  they did was murder and the laws of murder must be taken seriously. Moral outrage played a big part as to punishing them. This was against the laws and mores  of society and the court must punish the defendants to show they are serious The queen ended up pardoning the defendants from the death sentence 
   • Therefore, the court imposed the death penalty for the D. The court said that this punishment would not be a general deterrent because people in the same position would probably have done the same thing. The reason for imposing the death penalty, however, was because of the moral outrage in England and they wanted to enforce that it is never justified to take an innocent person’s right to life.

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