Why do countries still use capital punishment when it clearly does not work?

Wing Commander F

Well in my opinion it does work in some cases, for instance particularly dangerous individuals who are a burden to society.

ShannonW

How has it been proven that it does not work?

khia213

Humans are blood thirsty animals. They want someone to pay for a crime, even if it turns out that the person they execute isn't guilty. The victims family almost always want to see the defendant killed because they think it will give them closure.

sunflowers

Perhaps not as a deterrent, but at least it keeps them from doing it again or killing a guard or another prisoner in prison.

Alexander the Taint

It's not meant to detour crime, but rather punish those who commit it...jail doesn't work either, should we just let them out because of that?

Susan S

Good question. I think it may have something to do with the remnants of a frontier society when there were few ways to protect people. Another reason--a lot of people still have not looked at the death penalty system in action. Several answerers asked for information with sources- for their benefit:

When you look at the death penalty system in action, you realize that the only purpose it serves is retribution or revenge, it is seriously (and intrinsically) flawed in application and that there is a serious and continuing risk of executing innocent people. And, it costs much more than life in prison.

130 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. If someone is convicted and later found innocent you can release him from prison, but not from the grave.

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.

Life without parole, on the books in 48 states, also prevents reoffending. It means what it says, and spending 23 of 24 hours a day locked in a tiny cell is not a picnic. 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?

Families of murder victims are not unanimous about the death penalty. However, even families who have supported the death penalty in principal 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

El Guapo

Agreed. I live in the U.S., and I think the main reason capital punishment still exists in some states is because it is popular with voters.

I myself 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. 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 to oppose it. If you need more, read on:

2. As you mentioned, because of higher pre-trial expenses, longer trials, jury sequestration, extra expenses associated with 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. Also to your point, 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). 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. 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. 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."

surething

i hate to disagree but when you kill someone for killing someone else they usually dont do it again!

John

It's like kids playing with guns - useless but makes them feel powerful if they can knock someone..It's all about power and egos...dawg..

Noppe

People just love to blame it all on one guy and then kill him. It makes them think they've solved the problem.

You'd have to kill a damn lot of bees to destroy a beehive

wannabefree

they fear change

Call Me Bwana

Speed up the process and the legal costs will go way down.

And, it has been proven that it is 100% effective in preventing the recidivism of the executed felon.

Oh, you might want to challenge your own belief in the studies that "prove" it doesn't work.

Red

And your alternative is?

Also, sources? Or are you just going to spout statistics in the hope no one does fact checking? I find it hard to believe a bit of rope or a few bullets are more expensive than feeding a prisoner for even a week, much less his life.

Mr Teal 137

I did a college paper on this. It would work if we corrected the laws and we need it.
In my studies over a week i found 50 cases, were a guy was convicted within a shadow of doubt. Got out on parole and killed again. Some even multiple times. I feel if evidence proves one guilty to that degree they should get the bullet, if they get life an get out then at least the second time.

As for the cost the only reason why is costs more to get an execution is because the criminals have an endless amount of appeals.
If the law was change so that appeals could only be filed for a certain amount of time then it wouldn't cost so much.
Especially when it costs an average of 60 grand a year to keep someone in prison.

DiverDown77

It definitely works in some countries that are more strict with capital punishment. We are too lenient and the process is slow in the US.

wolfs_bone

you got sources on this? or is this just your opinion, don't get upset or anything but show me some data and i'm willing to listen
EDIT: look a thumbs down, guess you just can't question a liberal. what was I thinking

Kaz

If you believe it doesn't deter the next criminal - fine
However it gets rid of the original ***hole.
I rather pay the electric bill than pay for this person to have a confortable life.
They need a revolving door entry on the chamber room and start running them thru.

Andy G {Join The Resistance}

Some countries find that capital punishment is cheaper than rehabilitation. Rehab in the U.S. is not provided by the state, but rather by private companies on the defendant's dime. In countries such as Cuba or Venezuela, putting someone in prison and beating the hell out of them is cheaper than sending them to a state sponsored hospital for treatment.

Mawe :D is better than you.

Simply, pleasure seeing people suffer.

lauralyn

I asked a similar question last night...only I don't believe we should lock them up, giving them food and medical treatment and cable TV. "Reform and Rehabilitation" doesn't work either. How many child molesters and rapists are let out only to do it again??!

ShineonRickWright

Crime was among it's highest during the time capital punishment was not allowed by the supreme court in the US, there's something to think about.

Though that could just be a reflection of the economic and social troubles of the time.

or not

Call me MISTER PRESIDENT!

I think all countries should use CORPORAL PUNISHMENT. Whoop that butt. If you take a first time thief, thug, whatever and whip his naked behind in the neighborhood he committed the crime, I bet he'd remember the next time he went out in the streets. It would cost less too......belts are what? 7.99 or so? lol.

krys :]

people are stupid

L.G.

I have to disagree with you on all your so-called "proven" assertions.

dgetch

http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/thoughts.html

Read that.

Capital punishment has been shown to work.

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