Why does the United States retain its death penalty, and cede human righs leadership?

Question

Why has the United States opted to keep its death penalty (even in light of its ridiculousness in punishing suicidal terrorists), as the world is turning against the archaic and barbaric sanction? Human rights leadership now comes not from the most developed and "influential" (read "leading") country in the world, the U.S., but from the European Union. Why has the U.S. invited the scorn of enlightened, progressive, civilization-oriented elements worldwide, in the errant effort to retain premeditated killing? People don't respect the U.S. anymore. Now the U.S. has been booted off the U.N. Human Rights Council (since 2001). Why invite the distrust and disrespect of educated, enlightened people all over the world?

Answer 1

Good question. I have always thought this issue is a contradiction which should embarrass us in terms of government policy.

People get very emotional on this topic, and that's why it's hard to talk about this subject. BUT I don't think this is the sole reason other nations have issues with the USA.

Answer 2

At one point, all of modern western countries supported the death penalty. Britain use to display body parts of traitors on parapets, France was popular for their public use of the guillotine. It's really only been the last 100-150 years that Europe has abolished the death penalty. Many other countries still support the death penalty today (see link below).

That said, I think it's really only a matter of time before the U.S. follows in the footsteps of the rest of modern western civilization, and abolishes the death penalty. In fact, Illinois recently put an indefinite hold on all death penalty cases. This change is probably due to the whole problem of unwittingly convicting the innocent and sentencing them to death. At the core, this is a problem with the U.S. legal system's fallibility that won't go away any time soon. The issue is difficult to bring up in the U.S. because it suggests a larger problem with the legal system itself.

It's hard to bring the issue up to the American public because we don't like to talk about guys that we've already written off as guilty. That includes people that are sentenced to death. As a country that's driven by fear, the U.S. is in love with it's prison system, and is often more likely to fund a new prison than build a new school. We love to dump the bad guys in prison and forget about them. Until the American public admits that its' legal system is not perfect, it will be difficult to change.

The problem in our country is letting fear overcome enlightenment. It's a cultural issue, and changing cultural ideals takes time. Britain, France, Germany, and Spain all had the death penalty 30 years ago. It's only recently that these western countries have become "enlightened". Give it time, and the U.S will follow, and hopefully, within our lifetime.

Answer 3

The loss of life Penalty is, continually, no longer a sturdy ingredient. particular, as some clever git stated, the fee of recidivism among those receiving the loss of life penalty in nil, even though it rather is not even remotely a deterrent as others have stated. If it replaced right into a deterrent those places in united states of america of america which nevertheless prepare it would have a decrease fee of crime than different places which do no longer. And do they? No, they do no longer. No justice equipment is so infallible that it may thoroughly say each and all of the human beings it executes have been responsible. no longer interior the US, no longer in Britain, no longer everywhere. Police are from time to time corrupt and fabricate data (distinctive severe profile circumstances interior the united kingdom, especially touching directly to IRA terrorism) or perhaps elementary blunders recommend the incorrect guy gets convicted. i'm particular all you people who think of the loss of life penalty is enormous does not innovations being injected/ electrocuted or perhaps though it rather is carried out over there for somebody else's crime. And, specially for Gordon Gecko... particular, we undesirable Euro varieties totally understand that human beings regularly do no longer care what we predict of. i've got observed that in basic terms very not often does your government pay a blind little bit of be conscious the two. All we'd ask, hence, is that your government stops enjoying God with the the remainder of the international, via fact no person else cares what you think of. in basic terms being a US citizen does not immediately make you remarkable.

Answer 4

You should've figured out by now the US Government and almost half its citizens don't give a crap what the rest of the world thinks.
Pro-death penalty people think it saves money in that you don't have to feed and clothe an inmate. The reverse is true, in that a death penalty case costs millions more just because of the time in court.
Pro-death penalty people's mantra is "it works" I suppose this means a dead person won't escape to hassle the populace again.

The irony is that most people who are pro death penalty are also anti-abortion. Go fig.

With several million americans in prison, there's an overcrowding problem as well.

The US justice system has more issues than National Geographic. I don't think it will change until a universally beloved and innocent person is executed in error.

Answer 5

Obviously you've never been to Europe. You call them educated and enlightened. They have modern plumbing yet you will still find them 'going' on the side of the road. Also in certain countries it's okay to drink beer before getting a school bus loaded with children and driving over icy winding roads. A bunch of guys got on a boat and broke free of Europe's opinions a few hundred years ago so why turn back now. Especially when it comes to our justice system. We're too easy on murderers as it is and our tax dollars pay for their brand new tennis shoes and weight rooms. Why not feel more compassion for the victims of the criminal and worry less about the snobbery of some fat head in some foreign country.

Answer 6

Here's a possible reason. A majority of people in the US still believe that there are certain crimes for which the best response is to wipe the perpetrator off the face of the earth. While I believe that the death penalty system in many states is in serious need of reform, I do not believe it should be completely abolished. For instance, if the Karr dude is convicted for what was done to JonBenet Ramsey, he needs to be eradicated as soon as legally possible. Your Tim McVeighs, your John Wayne Gacys, your Jeff Dahmers.. kill 'em. If it were possible to completely erase them from existence I'd say do it. Such persons are a cancer within humanity and are to be removed and destroyed. Enough voting people in the US feel this way, and so the death penalty remains. If you disagree, gather up enough of your friends who disagree, and the means exists to change the policy. Good luck to you.

Answer 7

The U.N. Human Rights Council is a joke.

While I don't agree with the death penalty personally, I think it's ridiculous to assert that we should give it up because more "progressive" countries have given it up. If you want people to agree with you, find a better agrument than "we should blindly ape the Europeans."

And the EU is by no means the leading voice for human rights treatment. Look at the way the EU countries treat their immigrant populations...

Answer 8

For the umpteenth time, there is a difference between a guilty murderer who will always be a risk to society and an innocent baby that never even saw the light of day!

As to your 'enlightened' comment, remember - Man's wisdom is foolishness before God.

Answer 9

Wake up fool.

Perhaps a dozen EU countries feel enlightened in their appeasement of everyone, no matter how heinous their crimes.

Please move to Saudi Arabia and question the government. See how long before your head is chopped off.

Europeans are such idiots for believing that their view of justice and the value of life translates across the globe. They are fools to believe that, because in 80% of the world, the appeasement they recommend is seen as weak.

If someone wants to kill you, and God forbid succeeds, how do you want us to "reform" and "rehabilitate" them?

Answer 10

Do killers worry about the rights of those that they kill? I am not worried about the U.S. being booted off a counsel that has Syria as a member. Why do people like you worry about the rest of the world thinks? I remember a poster in my 5th grade science class, "What is popular is not always right and what is right is not always popular." I stand for what I think is right not what others think is right.