Exploring dream therapy as an alternative to capital punishment: An ethical and psychological perspective
Presentation Type
Abstract
Faculty Advisor
Thomas Loikith
Access Type
Event
Start Date
25-4-2025 1:30 PM
End Date
25-4-2025 2:29 PM
Description
One justification for the death penalty is deterrence. However, the death penalty is barbaric. Innocent people have been wrongfully executed. A traditional alternative to capital punishment is a life sentence. A non-traditional alternative is dream therapy. Dream therapy can be used to help those convicted of capital offenses acknowledge and understand why they committed such crimes. With that understanding, a defendant may be deterred from criminal activity in the future. What can and should be done to eliminate or limit capital punishment and instead use dream therapy as a corrective measure? This is a complex problem implicating the disciplines of law and psychology. Using qualitative research methodology, I analyzed relevant sources including the Constitution, statutory and case law, and articles in scholarly journals from the disciplines of law and psychology, the latter specifically including articles regarding dream therapy. I identified conflicting insights from each discipline. I then found common ground between and integrated those insights to arrive at a more comprehensive understanding of the problem. That enables me to suggest resolutions to the problem. I conclude that the death penalty is ineffective as a deterrent. The federal government should fund a study of the effectiveness of dream therapy as an alternative to capital punishment. If the results of such study demonstrate that dream therapy can be an effective deterrent, it can be implemented on an experimental basis, and the results assessed before legislatures enact appropriate legislation permitting the use of dream therapy as an alternative to the death penalty.
Exploring dream therapy as an alternative to capital punishment: An ethical and psychological perspective
One justification for the death penalty is deterrence. However, the death penalty is barbaric. Innocent people have been wrongfully executed. A traditional alternative to capital punishment is a life sentence. A non-traditional alternative is dream therapy. Dream therapy can be used to help those convicted of capital offenses acknowledge and understand why they committed such crimes. With that understanding, a defendant may be deterred from criminal activity in the future. What can and should be done to eliminate or limit capital punishment and instead use dream therapy as a corrective measure? This is a complex problem implicating the disciplines of law and psychology. Using qualitative research methodology, I analyzed relevant sources including the Constitution, statutory and case law, and articles in scholarly journals from the disciplines of law and psychology, the latter specifically including articles regarding dream therapy. I identified conflicting insights from each discipline. I then found common ground between and integrated those insights to arrive at a more comprehensive understanding of the problem. That enables me to suggest resolutions to the problem. I conclude that the death penalty is ineffective as a deterrent. The federal government should fund a study of the effectiveness of dream therapy as an alternative to capital punishment. If the results of such study demonstrate that dream therapy can be an effective deterrent, it can be implemented on an experimental basis, and the results assessed before legislatures enact appropriate legislation permitting the use of dream therapy as an alternative to the death penalty.
Comments
Poster presentation at the 2025 Student Research Symposium.