whats with capital punishment???

Question

i hate capital punishment,i am strongly against it,but,i have a debate on it coming up,and i want to hear other peoples opinions!! (it always helps to have a survey or two completed!) so,shoot :)

my opinion of it is that,yes,it is morally wrong,but,there are NO good assasins.killing the murderer will not bring back the victim,it will not heal the permanent scars on the victims family members.voltaire once said,`it is better to risk saving a guilty person,than to condemn an innocent one`and i totally agree with him. i hope that explains it :)

Answer 1

I'm actually against capital punishment, but I will pretend like I'm not.

If someone commits a crime so terrible like torturing many people to death, we can either lock them up for the rest of their live, or we can kill them. Which one will absolutely ensure that they never do it again? What would happen if they escaped, or tortured people in prison?

New Testament - Romans 13:1-4 says that capital punishment is OK. "For he (speaking of rules, aka government) beareth not the sword in vain: for he is a minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil."
There are several places in the Old Testament where God tells that people should be killed for various crimes.

And if you are going to quote Matthew 26:52 you should know that scripture is referring to a vigilante, which is a lot different than the government enforcing laws.

Because of our extensive appeals process, on average, it costs more tax payer money to keep people in prison for the rest of their lives than it does to kill them.

Do you think we should do what other countries are doing? What if they are wrong. Perhaps we should act stupidly like they do? Those countries aren't going to hate us any worse than they already do.

Do you think it violates the "cruel and unusual punishment" amendment? The people that made that amendment didn't think so. Besides, what's worse to rot in prison for the rest of your live or to get killed? I think it's better to just die quick.

Why are you against it? Moral reason, even through the Bible makes it clear that it's ok? For economic reason, even through it's cheaper? Because you think its cruel even through it isn't? What's your problem with it?

Answer 2

The death penalty, like it or not is extremely effective. I'm not an expert but I'd almost bet there hasn't been a case of repeat offending after the criminal has been executed. As far as its affect on others? The US is way to nice about it. I'm currently in Afghanistan where capitol punishment is conducted in public immediately after the trial. Much like in the United States with public hanging (back in the day). A milder example is corporal punishment. The people who are against it probably never experienced it. In my school it was the rule of the day. And to see a teacher lead another student out into the hallway or send him to the principle's office for a dose of corporal punishment was one thing. Hearing the swats and seeing the offender come back into the classroom hurting impacted the rest of the class. You can say it wouldn't affect you but you would probably be lying to yourself. Same with capital punishment. If you watched someone hanged or beheaded you would think twice.

Answer 3

I am against it as well. I believe in what Mahatma Gandhi once said "An eye for an eye, leaves the whole world blind" - so also in this case, you can say, taking one life will not bring the loved ones back.

I would rather the offender spends a lifetime in maximum isolation - that is a bigger punishment. Death seems like an escape. Also heard of cases where the families who watch the sentence being carried out have had to deal with depression and nightmares later on.

Answer 4

I am for capital punishment, in many more cases than it is applied to now. There is a lack of deterrent effect now, because a death sentence is not carried out promptly. Those being put to death now mostly are people who were sentenced in the 80's and early 90's and have appealed the sentences over and over again.

We need swift and sure justice. In some cases, the only way to protect society is to remove someone from it. Prison does not do that, because the criminal is still able to commit crimes behind bars. Correctional Officers (jail guards) are killed by convicts who are already serving a life sentence, and they receive no additional punishment for their additional crimes.

We spend our tax dollars providing the convicts with free food, health care, and cable TV. We need to make prison a very unhappy place to be, and we need to make capital punishment swift , sure, and public. An execution for a crime 20 years ago is not going to have the deterrent effect of an execution for a crime that was committed recently!

Answer 5

When I was younger I was strongly for captial punishment; I absolutely believed in the "eye for an eye" and hang 'em "hang 'em high" theory. But as I have aged I have found it more and more distateful. The obvious reason for being against it is that it is irreversible. If it later turns out that the accused is innocent, there is no way of undoing what has been done (and numerous people serving life sentences have been freed recently due to DNA proving their innocence). Also it is an easy way out for someone truly guilty. It is done humanely, when often those being put to death have made their vicitims suffer unspeakable acts. I feel that sitting someone in a cell and making them think about what they have done for the rest of their life is a much more effective punishment. As a society when you stoop to the level of the criminal in punishing them you have lowered yourself to the same status. And for those who quote from the bible, remember, it is up to God to make that decision. Not a mere mortal.

Answer 6

It is wrong it is murder. It is like murdering a man in cold blood on teh street or a horse or a mouse. You see murder is wrong. Before I woke up to BE VEGAN, I did not realize how wrong the death penalty is.... I did not think RIGHT. I mean how could I think correctly with "slaughtered and raped" products coming into my body? I mean it is logical to realize what I am saying once you realize it....

With the death penalty...you are "stooping" to the same lows as a murderer.... but consider further that there is the possibility that you have the wrong guy..... and what do you want that on your head?

I believe that people who believe in the death penalty are in for a ROUGH ROAD... I think they do not even understand the horror which they will be bringing upon themselves.....there best bet is to make ammends and say they are sorry and teach the children so that we NEVER go down this horrible road again

Answer 7

i agree with you...but the other side will bring up crimes so heinous that it will force you to agree that a person like "Ted Bundy", "Jeffrey Dahmer" or Timothy McVeigh" all deserved death. My personal problem is not with the death penalty as much as it is with the system that operates it. It has a history of being racist, biased towards men, and down right wrong!! The truth is, that people think they are doing the right thing because a religious text may tell them to do so. But this is not the way to run a country. You can not be selective of the way you choose to operate a country based on a objective faith!!

good luck on your debate...stay strong!!

GB

Answer 8

Well, I'm rather undecided on this one. For one thing, I have to wonder how much it deters murder, because the gangsters most likely to kill are also the least likely to fear capital punishment. I mean, they are probably more likely to be killed on the streets.

If anything, use capital punishment for people that it will scare the crap out of, like white-collar embezzlers and other such folk who bilk people out of millions.

Can anyone say "Enron"?

Answer 9

While capital punishment hasn't proven to be much of a deterent for crime, it does eliminate the recurring problem of that particular offender.

I, for one, don't think I should have to work to pay taxes and maintain a prison system to keep these repeat offenders eating three squares and watching cable alive.

Answer 10

Capital punishment is the only way to justify some crimes. I think that murder of a henius nature, and rape, should both be punishable by death, especially if it is someone who has been convicted multiple times.