Whats your opinion on the death penalty?

El Guapo

Against.

I supported capital punishment for a long time, but the more I learned about it, the more I came to oppose it. In the end, several factors changed my mind:

1. By far the most compelling is this: Sometimes the legal system gets it wrong. In the last 30 years in the U.S., over 100 people have been released from death row because they were exonerated by DNA evidence. These are ALL people who were found guilty â€œbeyond a reasonable doubt.â€ Unfortunately, DNA evidence is not available in most cases. So, as long as the death penalty is in place, you are pretty much GUARANTEED to occasionally execute an innocent person.

Really, that should be reason enough for most people to oppose it. If you need more, read on:

2. Because of higher pre-trial expenses, longer trials, jury sequestration, extra expenses associated with prosecuting & defending 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 jurisdictions. This may seem counterintuitive, and there are many theories about why this is (Ted Bundy saw it as a challenge, so he chose Florida â€“ the most active execution state at the time â€“ to carry out his final murder spree). It could be that the high cost (see #2) drains resources from police departments, education, and other government programs that help prevent crime. Personally, I think it has to do with the hypocrisy of taking a stand against murderâ€¦by killing people. The government fosters a culture of violence by saying, â€˜do as I say, not as I do.â€™

4. Thereâ€™s also an argument to be made that death is too good for the worst criminals. Let them wake up and go to bed every day of their lives in a prison cell, and think about the freedom they DONâ€™T have, until they rot of old age. When Ted Bundy was finally arrested in 1978, he told the police officer, â€œI wish you had killed me.â€ Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (the architect of the 9/11 attacks) would love nothing better than to be put to death. In his words, "I have been looking to be a martyr [for a] long time."

5. Most governments are 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. The New Testament (starring Jesus) is primarily ANTI-death penalty. For example, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus praises mercy (Matthew 5:7) and rejects â€œan eye for an eyeâ€ (Matthew 5:38-39). James 4:12 says that GOD is the only one who can take a life in the name of justice. In John 8:7, Jesus himself says, "let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

RaBerT

Well to receive the death penalty you must have done something terrible!! I call that karma!!

Brittany

The penalty for death should be death.

If i knew would i bother to ask?

and eye for an eye the bible agrees and suggest it.

some really dont deserve to be in this world really!

too many crazy people lately!

i head of this guy who killed his ex girlfriend and ate parts until she was found in his fridge! sick i tell u!

McCain / Palin '08

I believe in eye for eye punishment. And now that we have DNA technology we can be much more sure we're punishing the guilty and not innocent people.

For it. If a person willfully takes the life of another person, they should get the death penalty.

Raspberry Spice Cakes

i am for it when people deserve it [ie: torture murder rape etc]

hawkguy

Completely for it. If someone commits a heinous crime they deserved to be put to death. They don't deserve to live even if it is in a prison.

â™¥

i think if the person did something terriblely horrible and many people died then they should be put to death

yowuzup

I am for it for murderers. I believe it is in our best interest for them to terminate people who kill people, its not fair that the honest citizens just get killed over and over by dangerouse monsters that have no value for human kind. I beleive in the bible and eye for an eye.

dani_roks

Eye for an Eye if you kill someone you deserve to die. also for people like rapists it should be used for them as well why leave them in jail where we have to pay for them to stay for the rest of their lives.

beth

I am 100% for death penalty. i would rather spend tax on killing murderers than paying to feed them

emnemz

i think in the case for loonatics like hitler and sadam husane, people like that should get the death penalty.

Sammy M

im for because if someone kills someone the killer has to feel what he has done

Joanna M

i like it
like, if someone killed my friend... i would want the murderer dead

west kuri

with people who kill do not have the right to live

Lefty

it depends on the crime, if a person is a murderer, and it is proved 100% that they are guilty, then I see no harm in ending their life as they have chosen to end the life of someone else, there are also other crimes and criminals that burden the relatives of the victims that would be better served if the perpetrators of these crimes were no longer about to constantly remind them of what has been taken from them, society spends millions of dollars each year in housing and attempting to rehabilitate hardened criminals, to no avail, maybe this would be a good deterrent as it was in earlier times, before we became so called civilized. So to answer your question I guess I am for the death penalty under strict control.

*LuvintheLife08*

I think it depends on what happened --
as far as the crime.

but obviously if they got the death penalty it's pretty bad.

and yes I agree w/ it-

I think what was done to the victim there should be JUSTICE.

It's a good thing-

they are lucky they get off that easy-

Ãœ Smexy Smiley Ãœ

I think that if someone does something totally anus death penalty is okay. now, if someone robs a convenient store than obviously I think they should just go to jail but i am for it.

Bri

Thou shalt not kill.....Vengence is mine saith the Lord.

I'm puzzled.

Let's have a hypothetical situation. A 40-year-old man has just raped your daughter who is only 9 years of age, and then he cut her into a hundred pieces, and finally disposed of them. After this, the same person repeats his action on some 30 other kids, and shows no remorse for his brutal actions.

Let's think of a real case now - the persons who caused the fall of the twin towers of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York City. Some 3,000 innocent individuals lost their lives in an ugly way (they were burned alive, basically). Obviously, they (the people who crashed the planes) died too, but if they were alive, how would you feel if they were allowed to live? How you you feel when you pay your taxes and know that some of that money is going to these people - food, space, etc.? I guess it just wouldn't feel right, would it?

That being said, I think it would valid to mention that not every ugly murderer gets the death penalty. In fact, some states have outlawed it, while some other states rarely (if ever) apply it. Also, you must commit a very hideous crime to be considered for the death penalty, and even so, most people get away. The only thing one has to do is apologize. However, there have been some of these criminals who have said that they didn't regret their crimes right in front of the jury, so they were the ones to get the capital punishment.

One last thing, when they are in prison, there's always a chance they can escape and restart their previous lifestyle, therefore death penalty can prevent that from happening.

Regardless of all I said, I am very pro-life, so I'm really confused if it should be illgal or not!

Raven Z

Depends on the case and the severity of the case. For example, if somebody killed many people then for sure death penalty is right.

LDS Mom

Why do people forget the victims and their last, horrific moments.

I think the victim's family should decide. Maybe if killers were killed the same way they killed their victims, well maybe the crime rate would drop.

RomeyM

I am for it. I personally don't want my tax monies used to take care of some murderer in a penitentiary for the rest of his life when he chose to take someones elses life in vain.

S P

It's a necessary evil. It should not be applied liberally however.

J. W

All of these people who are saying "No" and using The Bible as support have never read The Bible... at least not cover to cover. In The Old Testament, God directs His people to kill perpetrators of many crimes, in fact parents are told to take their child to the elders and have him stoned if he is not properly respectful of his parents. God does not change.

Yes, Christians are supposed to forgive those who wrong us, even God forgives us of our sins against Him, if we ask for it. BUT, you still must pay the consequences of your actions. Society has decided that the consequence for committing certain crimes is your life is forfeited. I believe that is the right thing to do.

matt

it depends on the crime. i say that if some crazy man or woman
rapes, beats, or neglects a child then yes they should be put to death. but i also feel the death penalty is used to often and should only be used when it is really important.

monsteroflockness77

i'm for the death penalty because i'd rather not pay to feed them.

Kris

I think it helps keep crime level low (ex: Saudi Arabia) but the way I think about it is;
They are killers(usually) so why should be stoop down that low and be killers also?
Plus it's God's job to take care of it and we(christians and other religions) are suppose to forgive.

ArmouredSaint

An age old question. I am for it to a degree. There are a lot of factors that would have to justify the crime like severity. Should someone that's killed one person have to die for it. People make mistakes. Some learn from them and some do not. Maybe the person was defending themselves and the death was accidental. but there are many scenarios one could look at. Serial Killers should have no choice. They thought about what they have done and in their own twisted way justified the crimes they have committed. This world is getting more and more screwed up as time goes on and there are a lot of people out there that wouldn't think twice about killing another person. They have no conscience and don't care about their own lives why would they care about anyone else. People like that can get it too. You don't care so you committed a crime, we can help you with that. I am all for rehabilitation but its just like alcoholism you cant make a drinker quit unless he wants to. Some people get stuck in he rut of what they do and are incorrigible. They will do their time and come out more bitter at society. If they had the death penalty and people knew they would die for the things they do wrong they would think twice about their actions unless they flat just don't care then yes they deserve what they get.

Mark C

god

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