The Death Penalty?

Question

Do you believe it is right to kill someone for a crime? It has been proven too many times that the wrong people die because the police arrested and tried the wrong person. Often this information comes too late.
What are your views?

Supergrumpers you assume too much. You do not know a thing about me yet make assumptions just on my beliefs...strange?


Hey Donna M... nice to see you honey. xxx

Simon N, if you insist on quoting from the bible then why not include the New Testament readings? Does it not also say to turn the other cheek?

Answer 1

Of course not. I dont even know why some religious people think that its okay. Killing someobdy for whatever they did isnt going to undo the misdeed. Nothing "good" comes out of it.

And the US penal system is supposed to be about rehabilation. The person regrets what they did and after comlpeting their sentece,return to their life(unless they have a life sentence of course).

I personally, would NEVER ever wish death upon someone for anything they did that affected me. Because their death wouldnt and couldnt help me at all.

Answer 2

Wow - good question, and can spark a good debate or heated argument.

I go back and forth over the fence on this - I have a little girl - so you can imagine what I would want should something ever happen to you. I also know that I would not hesitate to kill to protect my family - so killing someone who does not have the ability to be rehabilitated - that doesn't sound so bad.

However, there are so many problems with the system - for one thing, the trial is more of a show, and swaying the emotions of the jurors no matter how they want to stick to the facts - so it is difficult to say - absolutely - that everyone on death row deserves to be there. Several times it has been proven that they shouldn't be.

So - I go back and forth - I know not a good answer - but there it is anyway :-)

Answer 3

I feel an "eye for an eye" is perfectly acceptable in a perfect world. However, this isn't a perfect world, and innocent people do get convicted. That is the ONLY reason I object to the death penalty.

What's really shocking is that recently, I called in to talk about this topic with the local radio pundit, who is a supporter of the death penalty, and all he could say was "a few innocent people executed is okay." I cannot begin to understand that statement. I'm sure if it was his mother in the electric chair, of course THEN he'd feel differently.

People are nutty.

Answer 4

It isn't right to kill anyone for anything. Period.

Even if there's absolutely no possibility of a mistake in convicting a murderer, he or she should not be put to death.

It won't bring the victim back to life. It just adds one murder to another.

The United States is one of the few industrialized countries to use the death penalty -- 87 countries have abolished the penalty, another 29 haven't used it for at least the last 10 years.

In 2005, nearly 2,150 people were executed in 22 countries -- 94 per cent of the executions took place in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the U.S. (http://web.amnesty.org/pages/deathpenalty-sentences-eng. Accessed August 25, 2006)

Is that the kind of company we want to be in?

Answer 5

It no doubt has happened, but I think you would be hard pressed to find a current case of an innocent person being executed by the government.

You make it sound like its not big deal - a crime - you say. Well its a huge deal; its usually murder and with extenuating circumstances that project great evil; and why should be house that on this planet any longer then necessary?

Personally I'm all for life in prison, but the left in America ruined that when a series of courts ruled "life" was too imposing of a sentence....now that we can't trust "life" meaning anything for serious criminals we have to resort to "death" instead.

Answer 6

I do believe in capital punishment,but I also agree that there are probably a lot of people sitting on death row who are innocent,and all of these cases must have been proven beyond any shadow of doubt,or they wouldn't be there,which goes to show that our justice system isn't working the way it should be,at least not in all cases. That's what makes this question so debatable. I believe the best solution is to give them life WITHOUT the possibility of parole. That way,if they really are guilty,they will be punished every day of their lives for the crime committed.(lethal injection is too quick and painless for those who deserve it) And ,the ones who may not be guilty still have a chance to prove their innocence. True,it may take years out of their lives to do so,but at least they are still alive to enjoy the rest of their lives if proven not guilty at some point.
There is no full proof answer,but there definitely has to be more steps taken in the justice system to guard against putting innocent people to death.
The criminals I believe should get the death penalty are cold-blooded murderers, child sex offenders,definitely serial murderers.These people go to jail for a few years and are parolled,let out of jail just to do it again.And they will do it again. I DO NOT believe in rehabilitation for these people. They like the pain and fear they inflict on their victims,and they can't wait to do it again. The only way to insure that they can't hurt anyone ever again is to put them to death.

Answer 7

Hi Ms. Mayhem,

Always a difficult question
to answer.

If the murder can be pr oven
beyond a reasonable doubt,
which now a days can be
done with accuracy, then
I say yes to the death penalty.

Furthermore, I believe that all
those in death row now, who
are in 'doubt' should be revised
with the new techniques available.

Again, if proven guilty, yes to the death
penalty.

Good question, lots of food for thought,
and one never feels the correct answer
has been reached, no?

Answer 8

Hi. I believe that countries that have the death penalty are backward and barbaric. In my country we abolished the death penalty 50 years ago. Personally if I felt like anybody should be killed I'd do it myself, but I would have had to see them doing something that warranted that action because I would only act in self defence or in the defence of children/defenceless people. I'd also much rather incapacitate them and deliver them to the police however, although I'd probably go too far if it was a paedophile. They deserve a good lynching! No exceptions.

Answer 9

Hammurabi Code, it's 4000 years' old. In some countries death penalty is easier than staying in the jail, example of those countries are Syria, Libya, Egypt, old Iraqi regime... I read a report about the Syrian jails, it's unbelievable how bad it is. Even the people outside the Jail in Syria don't have freedom...

Answer 10

There are some crimes you just can't turn your back on. They, however are in the minority. Most other violent crimes seem to always have some small amount of doubt no matter how convincing the evidence may be. For that reason alone I would be very hesitant to pull the switch on anyone. Good question!