Does anyone know why prisoners are kept on `Death Row` for sometimes years? Why keep them, costing taxpayers?

Question

I just think it seems crazy that if someone is on death row, there are there to be killed. Why not just do it rather than feed and keep them and pay a-lot of guards to watch them etc. Men on death row are even getting married to women on the outside world who are somehow falling in love with these psychos!!

Answer 1

In many cases it is due to the fact that their conviction is up on appeal. Typically a death sentence comes with an automatic appeal (i.e. the prisoner gets his case heard almost automatically). If that appeal gets denied, appeals can be made all the way up the judicial ladder to the Supreme Court...the sentence cannot be carried out while the case is under appeal or an appeal has been filed...all appeals must be exhausted before the death sentence can be carried out. In my opinion, this is a good check and balance system since it is a sentence that cannot be undone and that you can't compensate the person for after the fact.

Answer 2

I think that if a prisoner is sentenced to death they should be allowed 1 week in which to make their peace with whatever God they happen to worship, say goodbyes to relatives & then thats it.
Tax payers should not be expected to keep these people for years on end. Also, my way it would cut down on overcrowding in prisons.
I appreciate that occassionally mistakes happen & innocent men are sentenced but it happens so rarely that it should not be allowed to alter the 1 week plan. Sad but necessary.

Answer 3

Because we allow death row prisoners the appeals process. They can appeal the conviction and its takes years to go through all the appeals. They are trying to reduce the number of appeals because criminals just tie up the courts with them.

Answer 4

Well, mainly because people don't complain to the right people.

Oh, and lawyers run this country. They make the laws and we just sit by and take their crap. They milk people for all they've got, they they require that the taxpayers pay for their appeals. And they milk it and milk it until they can't milk no more.

And most people just let this happen and let this happen until the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

Now is it clear?

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Answer 5

even though the prisoners have been handed the death sentence
they have a right to appeal against it so they wait there turn for there appeal to be heard and if that fails they are allowed to appeal again. i hope that this in someway answers you question

Answer 6

it's simple they need to suffer first for the crime they have committed, and then die. Getting rid of them is the thing they too wish for if they are caught, but then they are too horrible to let them have a peaceful death.they have to face humiliation, hatered of fellow prisoners, anger of the public, non-acceptance from once trusting family members, they need to pay for it in this world and hopefully,probably in the next world too

Answer 7

because they appeal and appeal and appeal and they cant be executed until appeals are exhausted

we need more people like sheriff joe arapaio (spelling?) in arizona. they guy gets a lot of sh!t but he treats prisoners like crap, freeding them for less than $2 a day, made them wear pink women's underwear, etc.

Answer 8

Cause they get like 5000 apeals.I agree, it should be 3 appeals then fry em

Answer 9

They have to have the opportunity for appeals, and sometimes they last years until their last appeal is denied, so until they exhaust their last appeal they remain alive. But as soon as the appeal is denied I think they should kill their asses!

Answer 10

Because they're given a lot of chances to plead their case, because the legal system is uneasy with sending them straight to the chair. (The lethal injection chair, that is.) Once they're dead, you don't want to suddenly find them innocent.