Do you support the death penalty why or why not?

Susan S

Some of the answers you have received are mistaken about the facts. This issue is too important not to get them straight. Here are some verifiable and sourced facts about the death penalty. Common sense can do the rest-

Re: Alternatives
48 states have life without parole on the books. It means what it says, is swift and sure and is rarely appealed. Being locked in a tiny cell for 23 hours a day, forever, is certainly no picnic. Life without parole incapacitates a killer (keeps him from re-offending) and costs considerably less than the death penalty.

Re: Possibility of executing an innocent person
Over 120 people on death rows have been released with evidence of their innocence. Many had already served over 2 decades on death row. If we speed up the process we are bound to execute an innocent person. Once someone is executed the case is closed. If we execute an innocent person we are not likely to find that out and, also, the real criminal is still out there.

Re: DNA
DNA is available in no more than 10% of murder cases. It is not a miracle cure for sentencing innocent people to death. Itâ€™s human nature to make mistakes.

Re: Appeals
Our appeals system is designed to make sure that the trial was in accord with constitutional standards, not to second guess whether the defendant was actually innocent. It is very difficult to get evidence of innocence introduced before an appeals court.

Re: Deterrence (You received glaring mistakes among answers about this.)
The death penalty isnâ€™t a deterrent. Murder rates are actually higher in states with the death penalty than in states without it. Moreover, people who kill or commit other serious crimes do not think they will be caught (if they think at all.)

Re: cost (You got mistakes on this as well, from some of your answerers.)
The death penalty costs far more than life in prison. The huge extra costs start to mount up even before the trial. There are more cost effective ways to prevent and control crime.

Re: Who gets the death penalty
The death penalty isnâ€™t reserved for the â€œworst of the worst,â€ but rather for defendants with the worst lawyers. When is the last time a wealthy person was sentenced to death, let alone executed??

Re: Victims families
The death penalty is very hard on victimsâ€™ families. They must relive their ordeal in the courts and the media. Life without parole is sure, swift and rarely appealed. Some victims families who support the death penalty in principal prefer life without parole because of how the death penalty affects families like theirs.

Opposing the death penalty doesnâ€™t mean you condone brutal crimes or excuse people who commit them. According to a Gallup Poll, in 2006, 47% of all Americans prefer capital punishment while 48% prefer life without parole. Americans are learning the facts and making up their minds using common sense, not revenge or an eye for an eye mentality.

Pedro S

no,,maybe...no Its almost impossible to be 100% sure of the perp.. Iv gone up to people in the supermarket and almost said hello or tapped them on the shoulder only to realize they only looked like someone i know...Suppose I saw a murder and had to pick a person from a line up...I might pick a person who looked like someone i saw... no.

P'quaint!

Yes, I definitely support death penalty.......The number of murders and the ruthless way these are done and that too of innocent ones need to be dealt with severely, without pity.......many of the killers turn into serial killers, that shows humans are basically animals and once the baser instincts are aroused there is no stopping them from commiting more murders and I suspect they begin to enjoy it too........so just like we kill maneaters we should kill such humans also.........

Ajax

It amazes me how many people talk about price when we are talking about a human life. I am against it because it is wrong and unnecesary. 22% of the prison population is there for drug offences, how about we let them go then we will have the space and money for those you would kill.

pjlisa13

Yes If you are 100% sure the killed some one. Because if it was my family i want an eye for an eye.

justdavesplace

yeah. only when its used on convicted felons.

shirubiah

i smell homework...hahaha

anyway, about ur question. theres a side of me where i disagree and the other agrees. i disagree because its not fair for the government to put the laws in their hands. only god has the right to put death to people. and u'll never know if the person who's about to be punished may be innocent.

on the other hand, i kinda agree because they have done a big, mortal sin and its only right for them to be punished. also, it decreases the population growth! hahah,

bruce m

certainly wish we had it here in the uk thats for sure

jbare999

And how many of you then turn around and support pro-life causes?

ranarenepr

I am against it. To be in a cell for 20+ years waiting to be executed is the worst kind of torture I can think off. Talk about 1st degree murder. And just because a man/woman commits a horrible crime doesn't mean we, as a society, have to become horrible executioners.

Also there is proof that the death penalty DOES NOT reduce crime. If it did, then Texas would be the safest place to live on earth. Is it?

DrB

Yes. A quick death penalty to avoid the expense of keeping the prisoner alive through an almost endless series of appeals and to decrease prison crowding. Also it is a good deterrent from future crime, at the very least for that individual..

rovelose1

I am pro life.
innocent babies....
Convicted killers.....
hummmm
yep... put them to deth!

rico3151

Dead criminals do not reoffend.

Cynthia E

It costs far less to put them to death than it does to keep them in the prison system. Why should we have to pay to keep murderers alive? Because its humane?? They weren't thinking about humane when they killed ppl.

DVP

Yes, I do support it, especially when people see you do the crime. Why should you waste our tax payers money on keeping someone alive for years in jail. When that money could be used for health care, homeless or education... Get with the program

2shay

I do and then again I don't

I think people should have done to them what they have done to others. Example:

If you steal...ther person should have their hands chopped off.
If you rape...that person should be rapped
If you kill ...that person should die the same way.

Question is, if you are the one who has to do the killing, are you now a murderer, if you are the one who has to do the rapping, are you now a rapest?

Death penalty does decrease the amount of people in our prisions and why should tax payers pay for criminals to have 3 meals a day and a place to live when there are people starving and homeless. Dealth would eliminate them, however, who pays for their funeral?

zaphodsclone

Yes

Make room for other inmates
Remove murderers from the land of the living
Save the taxpayers money (we also need to limit the number of appeals, what good is being on death row for 25 years?).

You notice I didn't say deterrent; cause it isn't one. Some criminals are so heinous that society has an obligation to remove them from circulation.

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