Do you support the death penalty?

The pros are: The punishment of death more often than not brings satisfaction to the families/loved ones of those who have been murdered. It insures those that are a danger to the public never get out of jail via some legal loophole to go on and kill again. If the death penalty acts as a deterrent to even one would-be homicide, it is all worth it (we can never know who many murders it deters, there are no statistics for that)

The cons: What if an innocent man is executed ? (this is more likely to happen in a undeveloped country in this day & age with DNA science and crime scene expertise the way it is in modern western countries) God said, "Thou shall not kill" would you like to be the one that flips the switch/presses the button? If not then how can it be right?

It is a great debate. Firstly I think if there is going to be capital punishment it can only be for Murder and murder with special circumstances (torture, muder of a minor, mass murder) Countries that execute for drugs should be ashamed of their primative dark ages legal system. To execute for anything other than the worst crime (to take a human life) is downright barbaric (Bali, Indonesia and most African/Middle-Eastern countries). If you oppose the death penalty put your self in the shoes of a grieving parent who has had their beautiful innocent child raped and murdered and thrown in a garbage bin. If you support the death penalty put your self in the shoes of an inmate who is wrongly sitting on death row for a crime he did not commit (truly innocent).

Please a penny for your thoughts!!







Answer :
To answer your question, yes I support the death penalty because some people that commit crimes that are heinous enough that they should be executed. However, your argument has many flaws.

First, the death penalty doesn't act as a deterrent. If it did, then nobody would commit crimes where the death penalty is an option. Secondly, there is no proof that families of murder victims find comfort or solace knowing that the offender that killed their loved one will be executed. Third, offenders convicted of murder or any other crime worthy of the death penalty can be sentenced to life without parole, which means they will never get out of prison.

Additionally, there is no proof to suggest that more technically advanced countries are more likely to execute innocent people. There are probably hundreds of offenders here in the U.S. that are innocent on death row.

Yes, the bible says: "Thou shalt not kill." However, Jesus also said "judge not lest thee be judged thy self, and "let he who is without sin cast the first stone. To counter your argument the bible also says an eye for an eye, which theoretically would justify the death penalty






Answer :
I know it has happened in the past but the chances of being sentenced the death penalty for something you absolutlety didnt do is small. I support the death penalty for people who murder or rape. I dont think I would have any problem being the one to carry out an execution. If only it wasnt so expensive to execute someone.






Answer :
I'd personally kill Osama bin Laden but I do not support the death penalty for anyone . . . unless someone like Hitler comes along or when Ahmadinejad nukes Israel then he'll deserve it.







Answer :
I'm against it and for some of the reasons you mentioned. The death penalty isn’t an effective way to prevent or reduce crime, it costs a whole lot more than life in prison, and worst of all, risks executions of innocent people.

The worst thing about it. Errors:
As of today, 139 wrongly convicted people who were sentenced to death have been exonerated. DNA, is rarely available in homicides and can’t guarantee we won’t execute innocent people. Obviously, if someone is convicted and later found innocent you can release him from prison, but not from the grave.

Crime reduction (deterrence):
The death penalty doesn't stop others from committing murder. Homicide rates are consistently higher in states and regions with the death penalty than in those without it. The most recent FBI data confirms this.

Keeping killers off the streets for good:
Life without parole, on the books in 49 states (all except Alaska), also prevents reoffending. It means what it says, and spending 23 of 24 hours a day locked in a tiny cell is no picnic. Two advantages:
-an innocent person serving life can be released from prison
-life without parole costs less than the death penalty

Costs, a surprise to many people:
The death penalty is much more expensive than life in prison. The high costs of the death penalty are for the complicated legal process, with the largest costs at the pre-trial and trial stages. The point is to avoid executing innocent people. There are tremendous expenses in a death penalty case whether or not the defendant is convicted, let alone sentenced to death.

Who gets it:
Contrary to popular belief, 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?

Victims:
People assume that families of murder victims certainly want the death penalty imposed. It just isn't so. Some are against it on moral grounds. But 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.

It comes down to whether we should keep a system for the sake of retribution or revenge even though it isn’t effective in reducing violent crime, costs much more than alternatives and, worst of all, can lead to the nightmare of executing someone for a crime he didn’t commit.






Answer :
I support it because then I don't have to pay for some *** to live out the rest of his life on my dime but they should bring back hangings as for putting myself in the shoes of the inmate, well I've had a good run, and murder isn't the worst crime, the worst crimes cause continued suffering to the victim such as rape, torture, hell they should probably have strung madoff up for the crap he pulled, now as for drugs the only way to fight that is by legalizing it then the need for dealers disappears. now it should be done in cases where there is no doubt that the person is guilty, but that's what I feel.






Answer :
I don't support the death penalty.

- There's no real proof that it's a deterrent. If it was a successful deterrent, people wouldn't sitll be out murdering people.

- Killing people to show that killing people is wrong doesn't make much sense. "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." "Do unto others as you would want done to you."

- No one has any right to take someones life, even if that person is a murderer. If you kill a murderer, you're a murderer too. It's never right to kill anybody, regardless of their crime.

- Innocent people may (and already have) died.

- It's cheaper to house a person for the rest of his/her life.






Answer :
I am definitely for the death penalty. Too many murderers have gotten out of jail to murder again, and without swift and sure punishment, potential murderers will act before thinking, and more people will be cruelly killed. IF there is some doubt, or extenuating circumstances, a life sentence can be imposed. However, many who escape the death penalty (and even get out of jail) do so on a technicality. Drug dealers, by the very nature of their business, kill people, albeit slowly, so the death penalty is not primative. Those countries are safer without drug users. The death penalty for stealing would be barbaric, but penning up a man for the rest of his life (under the 3 strikes and you are out law) because he stole something seems barbaric also. I think I would rather be executed than live in a cage for decades.

When God said "Thou shalt not kill" it was a person to person command. {There were also cities of refuge someone could flee to if they caused an accidental death, or justifiable homicide.} A nation has a right to protect its good citizens from criminals, including executing killers; and waging war in self defense. Murderers are a cancer in the body of society, and cancer must be cut out and destroyed.