Do u believe on the death penalty?

Susan S

Against. You don't have to sympathize with criminals or want them to avoid terrible punishments for terrible crimes to ask if the death penalty prevents or even reduces crime, to look at alternatives and to think about the risks of executing innocent people. Your question deserves facts with credible sources, not sound bites.

128 people on death rows have been released with proof that they were wrongfully convicted. DNA, available in less than 10% of all homicides, canâ€™t guarantee we wonâ€™t execute innocent people.

The death penalty doesn't prevent others from committing murder. No reliable study shows the death penalty deters others. Homicide rates are higher in states and regions that have it than in those that donâ€™t.

We have a good alternative, life without parole, on the books in 48 states. It means what it says. Life without parole costs less than the death penalty.

The death penalty is much more expensive than life in prison, mostly because of the upfront costs of legal process which is supposed to prevent executions of innocent people. (upfront=before and during the initial trial)

The death penalty isn't reserved for the worst crimes, but for defendants with the worst lawyers. It doesn't apply to people with money. When is the last time a wealthy person was on death row, let alone executed?

The death penalty doesn't necessarily help families of murder victims. Murder victim family members have testified that the drawn-out death penalty process is painful for them and that life without parole is an appropriate alternative.

Problems with speeding up the process. Over 50 of the innocent people released from death row had already served over a decade. Speed up the process and we will execute innocent people.

Sources:
Death Penalty Information Center, www.deathpenaltyinfo.org, for stats on executions, reports on costs, deterrence studies, links to FBI crime stats and links to testimony (at state legislatures) of victims' family members.

FBI http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/data/table_04.html

The Innocence Project, www.innocenceproject.org

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/COcosttestimony.pdf page 3 and 4 on why the death penalty is so expensive

http://www.njadp.org/forms/signon-survivor.html for statements of victimsâ€™ families

Santiago

I think that they would be better in jail for their whole life instead of death penalty. Why? If the judge order that person sentenced to death, but they learned that this person (who is already dead by execution) is innocent. What do we with a innocent person? Think about it twice!

healing wings

Yes, there is no money to coddle convicts. Regular Americans are struggling for food and gas and work very hard and do the right things in life. Convicts should just be killed to save money and worry.... all convicts, not just killers should be killed.

~*~Bu113f1y K1ss3s~*~

Yup. Fry Their Asses. You Do The Crime. You Do The Time.

speranzacampbell

Yes I do. But I believe there has to be no doubt whatsoever that the person is guilty. If that means them sitting around for a few years, so be it. BUT they should not have many privilages, nor should they just stay there. Depending on the level of the crime they should be put to supervised hard labor to defray costs.
And if by some chance an innocent person is put to death, then the state should have to pay the immediate survivor (child or spouse or parent) two years of the dead person's wages before incarceration and cover the basic funeral costs. (This is more than what many insurance companies or employers do) No system is perfect, and a few will always fall through the cracks.

leezer27

Absolutely. People always want to say they don't believe in one human taking another humans life or no one can play god. The simple fact is, is the people that get the death penalty are generally people that murdered another person. So I believe that changes everything. If someone is willing to kill another person then they deserve to die too. They obviously have no concern for human life so they probably care very little about themselves as well. I believe in an eye for an eye. I think the death penalty is absolutey not harsh enough. I know that some people go to prison for a crime they didn't commit I understand that, but the reality is, that doesn't happen as often as people on the other side of this issue want us to believe. I do believe in order to get the death penalty there needs to absolute proof and if not sentence them to life. But if the facts are there, and they did the crime then they dont' deserve to breath. You have to put yourself in the situation that someone did something to a person you care about, do you really want that person to have a life even if it is in a cell? I sure don't.

par8hds unite

The fact seems to be that the death penalty does not deter criminals. That could be b/c it's not used enough or in a manner that would instill that deterrence. Remember way back when when hangings and be-headings -while ghastly events- were public events. That would have been a deterrent to most, I would assume.

I agree with the death penalty as a absolute final judgment. I think it should be used more often. People argue about the cost of money, the innocent person, etc. The cost of keeping a criminal in prison has to be more than the cost of a few bullets, length of rope, or a needle and poison. As far as an innocent-I'm sure it happens, but we have enough tech. now to make sure that is a minute possibility. I also think there should be limits to the number of appeals-say 1-2-one on death row gets. Also, once on death row one should expect to live about 6 mo to a year and then be executed, at the most, preferably just a few weeks. I mean why wait for 8 yrs to pull the switch on a fella that's suppose to be executed-did he wait 8yrs to kill whomever he killed?

joseph b

I do and here is why, if someone commits a crime and gets life without parole, it is the only punishment he can get, if he murders, let's say a corrections officer or a member of the public, on an escape. Otherwise, what's to stop them?

Next there are people that are so dangerous that the risk of them escaping is too great, no matter how slight.

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I believe that the death penalty should be given to those who they know, for a fact, have killed numerous people. Like serial killers who couldn't possibly be put back into society. So, rather than keep them locked up and waste our tax money on them, we give them the death penalty.

I don't believe we should give the death penalty to people who we don't know if they really actually killed numerous people or not. I also don't believe we should give the death penalty to people who have only killed once, but I believe that they do should be locked up if they have the objective or a high chance of killing again.

vantz

I do and I don't. It all depends upon the crime. If it is hanous then the murderer should be executed. If it isn't a terrible crime then the perpetrator should be given life. The problem here is who is to judge if a crime is bad enough for the death sentence? I could not do it.

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YES BECAUSE PEOPLE SOMETIMES DESERVE TO DIE!!

Jeffrey C

I do, only because a life sentence doesn't mean life. I'm not really big into execution, but as there is no option called "death in prison" which means the convicted will stay in prison until his or her natural death, it's the only option that insures the person stays behind bars unless pardoned, or an appeal is upheld.

I've read many true crime books, and even life w/o parole isn't perfect.

Avner Eliyahu R

Yes, it is a short and swift punishment. The execution should be short and not too painful.

cmac

No, I don't believe one human being has the right to take an others life.

scotty10

I think that it is the harshest penalty known to man. Back in the old days people did not commit crimes because the fear of death. Now that we have good ol' democracy the public fears punishment less.
So not only do I believe in it I think it should be made to actually work. Not having a death row inmate sitting there wasting tax dollars because of liberals who want to make even serial killers feel special.

thistle

It should be in and yes its on

Barbie V

yes - money wasted on keeping the scum alive - nowadays with all the DNA testing etc you can be sure you have the right person

owl

Death penalty is a must : there must be something which criminals dread. If somebody were to kill you & your family, would you like him to be set free after spending 10 years in prison?
We must not fall into any sentimental mash on this issue. God doesn't show lenity - He does JUSTICE.

shep6965

The death penalty in the UK was scrapped many years ago due to innocent people being hanged.

Now the forensics are so far advanced with DNA etc, I think it should be brought back. This, I'm sure would deter violence and there would be less murders.

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