TY - JOUR
T1 - The executive as executioner and the informed governance principle
AU - Skladany, Martin
PY - 2009
Y1 - 2009
N2 - An executive ought to be as informed as possible about the needs and preferences of her constituency and about the most important policy issues that her constituency confronts. This ethical duty, referred to as the 'informed governance principle,' requires that an executive who is not opposed to the death penalty personally carry out at least one execution of a death row inmate. Having an executive act as executioner, even if just once, could also help citizens reflect upon their personal ethical commitments, spur them to monitor the government's power, and prompt them to contemplate how best to distribute power so that the chance of injustice is minimized.
AB - An executive ought to be as informed as possible about the needs and preferences of her constituency and about the most important policy issues that her constituency confronts. This ethical duty, referred to as the 'informed governance principle,' requires that an executive who is not opposed to the death penalty personally carry out at least one execution of a death row inmate. Having an executive act as executioner, even if just once, could also help citizens reflect upon their personal ethical commitments, spur them to monitor the government's power, and prompt them to contemplate how best to distribute power so that the chance of injustice is minimized.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=70349301380&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=70349301380&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11572-009-9078-5
DO - 10.1007/s11572-009-9078-5
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:70349301380
SN - 1871-9791
VL - 3
SP - 289
EP - 300
JO - Criminal Law and Philosophy
JF - Criminal Law and Philosophy
IS - 3
ER -