What is the current public opinion for and against death penalty?

Question

Also, what do you think about the lack of it in the rest of the world?

Answer 1

I am for death penalty. One less person my tax money will go into.

Answer 2

Most people who are against the death penalty point to the number of convicted felons who have been exonerated through DNA evidence and say the death penalty is a bad thing if even one innocent person is put to death. Many people who are critical of the Religious Right oppose the death penalty and criticize Christians who support it, saying "What ever happened to the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill'?" The people who support it point to the billions of dollars that honest, hard-working American taxpayers spend every year having to incarcerate these people, and they also talk about how the death penalty is a deterrant and satisfies the public interest of justice. The Religious Right answers its critics by pointing out the fact that the same God who gave the commandment against murder prescribed the death penalty for those who did kill. Don't know the exact verse, but it's in Exodus somewhere.

P.S.: The United States is not the only country in the world that has the death penalty. Heck, in pretty much any Arab country you care to name they still chop off your right hand for stealing...

Answer 3

As for the lack of it in the rest of the world, you need to reevaluate that assumption. Many, many countries continue to administer the death penalty.† Most post industrial societies have banned the death penalty, with the United States and Japan being notable exceptions. Most poor and developing countries still allow the death penalty.

I am against the death penalty. I find it barbaric. I don't understand why one allow oneself to become that which he is trying to punish. Punish a murderer by becoming a murderer?!? (I don't care if it is sanctioned by the state, it is still an act of murder.) Humans need to rise above, not sink to, the level of the lowest common denominators of our societies.

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"An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth and the whole world would soon be blind and toothless." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Answer 4

I am for the death penalty as a deterrent method. I believe we should clean out our death rows by putting the executing device to its proper use. It would be political suicide, but I think murders would go down, too.

Black Americans are generally against the death penalty if a black person comes up for execution.

Answer 5

When there is no doubt. I'm for it, but I would put the money saved into a useful purpose, probably to help kids, and make sure it didn't go into admin. cost. If we don't help kids, we will continue to have more criminals coming into jails.

Answer 6

I'm for it with criminals being only on a two year appeal process.