What are your views on the death penalty...?

Question

I am from Texas where it is not even a second thought. Is it immoral to decide to put someone to death for even the most heinous of crimes?

Here is just another thing to think about before you answer. If someone murdered one of you family members would you want them put to death or would you rather them sit in solitary for the rest of their life in the worst of conditions?

Answer 1

I think it is possible to make an excellent point for both sides of the argument.
I guess only very few people can look at serial killers who are rather proud of themselves and just look like they'd like nothing more than to go on, without, nearly unwillingly, thinking that those people just need killing. On the other hand, even the most ardent of defenders of the death penalty don't want to execute innocents that might later be exonerated by DNA tests.
Unfortunately, most death penalty cases don't belong to either side. Most people that end up on death row aren't the worst of the worst, the kind of scum you'd absolutely like to see dead. They might be really nasty and deserving of a life in prison, but there are many more exactely as bad as them that don't get death. Not exactly justice.
I am not sure whether morality comes into the discussion at all. For most of human history death penalty was the perfectly right thing to do for a moral society. Nowadays many people consider it immoral. Morality is always a construct of society, and American society seems to largely consider death penalty perfectly acceptable.
I consider the death penalty to be too unevenly and unfairly applied to be a punishment with even a semblance of justice, and for that reason mainly I am against it.

Answer 2

If someone killed a member in my family I say give them the death penalty. I'm not paying taxes so they can sit in a prison cell the rest of their life and get free housing and food. Sure its not the best living conditions, but they're still alive aren't they? I say an eye for an eye. People adjust to the conditions. If the crime they committed doesn't bother them why whould a cell? If there is no doubt the person did the crime then yes they should get the death penalty and no not this we'll have you sit in a cell for 10 years or so then maybe we'll carry out the execution...If you get the death penalty in court you should get a chance to appeal it and if you're proven guilty again you get right in line for the injection table. However, I'm not saying that in every case the death penalty should be used. It depends on the situation and cause of death to the person. Like in a car accident..It was exactly that an accident. That's a different story. Or if its self defense. There are exceptions to every rule just like there are exceptions with everything else.

Answer 3

My biggest problem with the death penalty especially in Texas is how low the bar is to have it applied. You guys give out the death penalty like some states give out parking tickets even if the evidence is circumstantial. This can only lead to wrongful indictments and your prosecutors never admit when they screw up. This is a persons life your screwing with and these prosecutors are taking advantage of these useless defense attorneys like the one that slept thru the trial and the defendant was sentenced to death. If it wasn't for ALCU that guy wouldn't have got a real trial. I bet those people who are all Rah-Rah for the death penalty would sing a very different tune if they were on the receiving end of one of texas's bogus trials. If you can remove the possibility of error I'm for the death penalty until then they should stay in prison until they can be cleared. No innocent life should be sacrificed for the old tooth for a tooth religious nonsense! It's immoral and 2 faced if your a christian your supposed to hate the sin not the sinner. Yet killing someone is okay I don't think so he can't be saved isn't that a major goal of christianity . Southern culture i will never see at as anything but 2 faced hypocrisy in over drive.

Answer 4

The death penalty is merely a temporary solution. It is not so much to punish the person who did it, but to help the people that suffered the loss of a loved one, that's why they have the viewing area when the sentance is carried out.
Yet as I said, it is only a temporary solution. This is because the people left injured by the crime, never forgive the person for their actions, so they are forced to live with their hatred and loss, and the one that committed the crime no longer feels anything. So truly the people it is meant to heal, only leads to the continuation of the pain.
If you want a fairly objective view on the death penalty, watch the move Dead Man Walking, it is a bit anti-death penalty, but it pretty fairly argues both sides and lets people see what they want to see in the movie.

Answer 5

I believe that it is our job as a society to look out for each other and if that means putting someone to death who has shown that they have no regard for the life or well fare of others and has committed heinous crimes as proof of those feelings, then by all means. I don't think that it is immoral to look out for our fellow people and our future generations at all. I live in California where some of the scum of the earth sits on death row for 20 and 30 plus years. Just doddling along into old age, when they took many lives from children on up. It sickens me. Every time Texas follows through on one of the executions my husband and I cheer for you.

Answer 6

First of all, there is no practical difference between life imprisonment and being sentenced to death in the U.S.A. You will sit on death row until you die of old age. And they'll put you on suicide watch if you try to kill yourself.

I believe that a person who has no chance of being reintroduced into society should just be put to death, and promptly (without 20 years of appeals). Imprisoning someone for life is costly, impractical, and pointless.

If someone murdered someone I loved, the pain would never go away no matter what. It would make no difference to me emotionally whether the killer was put to death or sentenced to life (at least I don't think it would). Either way I would never get back the person I lost.

Answer 7

You forgot to mention that the ACLU insists that every death-penalty prisoner has to have a neat and clean cell with TV and computer and telephone privileges: first-class meals, an exercise program, the best of medical plans and everything except an opposite-sex bed-companion. Some of them get law degrees and then try to get themselves paroled. Jail today is luxury-living.

Remember the victim. A person has had EVERYTHING taken away by this culprit. What he/she deserves is to be skinned and salted over a period of a week or two, screaming all day long and begging to be shot. That is the least we can do to avenge the victim.

Answer 8

For example, does a serial killer have the right to function in society? or be supported by society? or should that person receive the death penalty? That is a question of opinion.

Since a law is not an opinion, then it must have a discipline. The discipline must deter the public from repeating that crime or lesson the volume.

The better question should be, does the death penalty deter the public from repeating that crime or lesson the volume of that particular crime?

Answer 9

There are some crimes so horrible that the only way to do justice is to remove the perpetrator from the face of the earth so he cannot inflict himself upon others ever again.

It shouldn't be done lightly and we should do everything reasonable to make sure the person is actually guilty. Whether or not he had a bad childhood, etc shouldn't enter into it. That's just an excuse.

Answer 10

I happen to support capital punishment! Some people just need to be removed from society! Let's say ie someone brutally raped tortured and murdered your loved one! Maybe your child! The anger will change your view. Relatives of victims want revenge! It's a fact. They don't want to take care of the murder and give him a free education with their hard earned tax dollars !
It is not a moral issue, but rather a peace of mind for relatives of victims! As crazy as that sounds!!