Do you believe in the death penalty?
I'm not sure. My thing is, yes some people sould die for what they did, (they have all though out history) but do we as humans have the right to take away life? I don't think so.
Answers:
I was pro-death penalty for a long time, but I have changed my stance over the years, for several reasons:
1. By far the most compelling is this: Sometimes the legal system gets it wrong. Look at all the people who have been released after years of imprisonment because they were exonerated by DNA evidence. Unfortunately, DNA evidence is not available in most cases. No matter how rare it is, the government should not risk executing one single innocent person.
Really, that should be reason enough for most people. If you need more, read on:
2. Because of the extra expense of prosecuting a DP case and the appeals process (which is necessary - see reason #1), it costs taxpayers MUCH more to execute prisoners than to imprison them for life.
3. The deterrent effect is questionable at best. Violent crime rates are actually higher in death penalty states. This may seem counterintuitive, and there are many theories about why this is (Ted Bundy saw it as a challenge, so he chose Florida – the most active execution state at the time – to carry out his final murder spree). Personally, I think it has to do with the hypocrisy of taking a stand against murder…by killing people. The government becomes the bad parent who says, ‘do as I say, not as I do.’
4. There’s also an argument to be made that death is too good for the worst of our criminals. Let them wake up and go to bed every day of their lives in a prison cell, and think about the freedom they DON’T have, until they rot of old age. When Ted Bundy was finally arrested in 1978, he told the police officer, “I wish you had killed me.”
5. The U.S. government is supposed to be secular, but for those who invoke Christian law in this debate, you can find arguments both for AND against the death penalty in the Bible. For example, Matthew 5:38-39 insists that violence shall not beget violence. James 4:12 says that God is the only one who can take a life in the name of justice. Leviticus 19:18 warns against vengeance (which, really, is what the death penalty amounts to). In John 8:7, Jesus himself says, "let he who is without sin cast the first stone."
Yes, and it saves lives as a deterrent. There was a new study on that.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070610...
I believe in it. Their victims didn't have a choice either.
only if its murder or rape
NO NO NO!
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/...
id love to know which uninformed idiot thumbed me down
In certain cases yes
As bad as some people are, I still say no.
Fine then, cut off all their limbs, or Stab out their eyes... If a man abuses a child, castrate him... People should suffer who cares if they die, i know it sounds insensitive, but realistically, bad people shouldn't be permitted to take part in society, and should be punished accordingly to their wrongdoings!
Yes. If someone kills the one you love for no reason. You want that person to be dead so you can have peace.
The death penalty should not be used.
1. It is wrong to kill people.
2. It does not serve as a deterrent.
3. Recently DNA evidence has shown that it applied incorrectly in some cases. One is too many.
4. It is applied disproportionately to minorities. (stated by a white male)
Yes,rapists,terrorists,old people killers,paedophiles would be top of my list.Get rid of the scumbags and save society keeping them in prison,money saved could be spent on hospitals.
I am on the fence about this issue, also. I don't believe that we have the right to take away life, but then again, murderers take away innocent lives, molesters harm innocent children. Most cases call for the death penalty: i.e. murder, child molestation, etc. But honestly, I think death is too easy and too humane for these animals that commit these heinous acts. They get injected with a poison that kills them almost instantly. Doesn't really seem like justice, does it?
Only for paedophily
I say yes...
Although I don't think criminals normally reason this stuff out:
"Let's see, if I break x law, I get prison. If I break y law, I get the death penalty. I won't break law y, but I will break law x."
See...it's not really a deterrent for the criminally stupid...but it will get rid of them permanently.
My one problem is this: it seems difficult to warrant the death penalty if a person is convicted under questionable circumstances. In that case, why are they even in jail...people say don't use the death penalty because someone is innocent...well, they shouldn't be in jail in the first place. That, in itself, is a travesty.
two wrongs have never made a right. The death penalty is barbaric.
I wouldn't even be specific about who is executed for a crime. We as humans are all guilty to some extent If a crime has been committed. some random individual should pay.
you live longer if you get the death penalty...
also, every once in awhile you hear about someone who was wrongly convicted and got the death penalty... you know, where they find dna evidence that they didn't have before and stuff.
Without a single doubt !!
We, as a SOCIETY most definitely have that right
By alot of various laws -- as by way of Biblical standards as well !!
The death penalty should be reserved for the most heinous of crimes and should be carried out swiftly once handed down !! Although I do believe in an appeals process -- I am a firm believer that it should be limited to a three petition limit of appeals -- after that -- there should be swift and certain justice !!
If people were to simply be able to witness some of the absolute horrors left by these rabid dogs -- there would be considerably more people who would be in favor of doing the absolute best by the victums and society in eliminating these animals as soon as is humanly possible !
I oppose any penalty in which the punishment cannot be reversed or stopped should the person prove to have been convicted in error. The justice system is just too fallible.
In some cases (child molesters) .YES
I used to support death but now I think life in prison is much more effective. For example if a person rapes or kills a women or child they are truly the scum of the earth even in prison. These kind of criminals are beaten and raped themselves by other inmates. To me going through that everyday they probably wish they were dead. I'm sure that having to look over your shoulder everyday not knowing if someone is coming for you and laying in a cell every night with nothing but thoughts of what you did to be there has to much worse than being put to death where you are free of any thought.
If they can perfect resurrection then I can go along with it but until then, there have been too many wrongful killings. It would be far better that killers were made to stay in jail for life.
It is truly ridiculous that someone like Ronnie Biggs has the key thrown away for being essentially a thief but a killer can be out in a matter of a few years.
I know that in the commission of his crime it shortened the life of the train guard but it was not intentional and anyway I think any discerning person will get my point
no, let them suffer, but have tougher conditions so they would think twice about killing
..and how would we deal with the murderous and tyrannical despots all over the world who routinely murder, torture and starve their people or who cynically export terrorism? Have we enough good people to hang all those knaves as WS might have said?
There have been too many cases where the person was found to have been innocent after the death sentence has been carried out. I resent having to pay more per night to keep someone in prison than in the Ritz hotel, but at least if alive they can be released if later found to have been innocent!
yes and i believe our world would still be a lovely place to live in if they didnt abolish the death penalty years ago. BRING IT BACK !
No. What if you put the wrong person to death? It's a bit hard to go back on a mistake like that.
The death penalty no longer exists anywhere in the EU. UK abolished it decades ago.
When we had a death penalty here in UK, far too many people got hanged who should not have been hanged.
I would draw your attention to the hanging of one Ruth Ellis, the last women ever to be hanged in UK. She was found guilty murder, in that she shot her boyfriend dead. She did this after a long period of time during which he had intimidated her and gone off with other women etc.
Ruth Ellis was driven to it and in the minds of the British public her death was an act of brutality by an uncaring state. The people then fought a long and hard campaign to abolish the death penalty.
There is also the case of Timothy Evens hanged for murders he did not commit. An absolute disgrace.
No. Having the death penalty solves nothing. It does not reduce crime and certainly will not bring an end to murder.
BBC ON THIS DAY | 13 | 1955: Ruth Ellis hanged for killing lover Convicted murderer Ruth Ellis is hanged at Holloway Prison, London.
http://www.news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/d...
Timothy Evans - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaOn 16 November 2004, Timothy Evans's half-sister, Mary Westlake, started a case to overturn a decision by the Criminal Cases Review Commission not to refer ...
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/timothy...
Timonthy Evans and John Christie Case details and links to information on Timothy John Evans, Christie's killer neighbor.
http://www.stephen-stratford.co.uk/evans...
Some people do deserve death for the things they do, however there is always the problem of killing the wrong man (or woman). However, this is greatly reduced in these times with DNA evidence etc. Also, I think that if people are going to have the death penalty, it should be quickly carried out. They should not spend years on death row, wasting the publics tax money.
However, as you say, do we really have the right to take away life. Some of these criminals do murder, and that is wrong, but in some cases killing them would not be seen as a punishment by the criminal, more an escape. In these cases they should spend life in prison.
I think that each case should be judged seperately, rather than saying "all murderers have the death penalty" or something. In this way, the punishment will 1. reflect what the person has done, but 2. reflect the person. If they want to die, don't let them, as the death penalty may be seen as a reward, rather than a punishment.
IF we could be absolutely sure of someone's guilt then there might be a case for it sometimes but that is very rarely the case.
There have been quite a lot of miscarriage of justice cases in recent years and many of those now either proved or presumed to be innocent would have been executed had the death penalty been available at the time they were convicted.
I know a lot of those clamouring for the death penalty will say "but I could never be suspected of something like that". The problem of course is that if you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, or you say the wrong thing you quite easily COULD be suspected of a crime and might well be convicted of it.
The death penalty is reather final and it's not much use being pardoned after you've been executed.
That's why I'm against it's re-introduction.
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