Ethical Decision Making

A member of your family was brutally murdered. The inmate is currently on death row, awaiting execution. A member of a victims’ rights group contacts your family to discuss the possibility of meeting with your family and the convicted murderer. The inmate wants to seek forgiveness before he is executed. The members of your family are outraged that this group dared to even contact your family. Members of your family express their concern regarding the invasion of their privacy. No matter what the inmate will say, it will not bring the family member back, and your family is not concerned with the inmate’s feelings or his desire to make amends for the crime he committed. Most your family members are opposed to meeting the convicted murderer, but you have some unanswered questions, and this would help you deal with the death of your loved one.

You are going to have a family meeting on this matter to decide what action your family should take. You are preparing some information and performing research on whether or not meeting the convicted murderer would benefit your family and bring closure to this tragedy. In your discussion, include theories of morality, values, and consequences. You must also include the following information for the family to ensure that everyone is fully informed:

• In terms of ethics, describe the concepts and purposes of restorative justice and restitution.
• Address some ethical issues related to the concepts of restorative justice and restitution.
• Include some implications of restorative justice and how you would approach the decision to allow or refuse a meeting with a convicted murderer.
• Compose a description of the ethical decision-making process, including the steps on how to approach the situations, a list of questions if a meeting is granted, or a list of possible reasons for rejecting the meeting.