In this paper I argue that Immanuel Kant’s positions on the death penalty as a justified form of punishment and on universally owed respect are incompatible, both in practice during Kant’s lifetime, and conceptually. This contradiction is identified between concepts presented in two parts of Kant’s The Metaphysics of Morals, and while both sections have different focus areas within the broader field of ethics, their respective subject matter is intended to occur within the same universal system of philosophy. As such, identifying this incongruency in Kant’s system suggests that his concepts of either punishment or respect may not be adequately justified.