Are you for or against the death penalty and why?

Answer 1

I support the death penalty because some crime commited by these sick bastard deserved to die a 100 times.

Answer 2

Here are some facts to consider:
Here are some reasons I oppose the death penalty. Those of us who oppose it do not condone vicious and depraved acts. We believe that murderers should be punished severely and swiftly. But we think that knowing the facts about the death penalty, rather than calling for vengeance makes good sense.

1. The death penalty is not a deterrent. In fact, states with the death penalty have higher murder rates than those that do not have it.

2. The system makes mistakes. Over 120 people have been released from death rows with evidence of their innocence. There are 4 cases where it is highly likely innocent people were executed. In one case, there may not even have been a murder, in another the local prosecutor has opened an investigation into the case, citing her doubts that the right person was charged. Once an execution takes place the case is closed. If an innocent person was executed that means the real killer is still out there.

3. The system is racist in the sense that it is the race of the victim which matters. A defendant is twice as likely to face the death penalty if the victim was white than if the victim was non white. (Baldus study, see testimony of Baldus at the Senate Judiciary Committee, www deathpenaltyinfo.org)

4. The cost of a system with capital punishment is many times greater than that of a system that does not have it. And a huge part of these costs has nothing to do with appeals. A death penalty trial is really two trials, the guilt phase and the sentencing phase. Death penalty trials are much more complicated and take much longer. Most non capital cases end in guilty pleas. Money saved by not resorting to capital punishment should be used for victims services, which are always underfunded.

5. People suffering from severe mental illness face the death penalty and have been executed, some after being forced to take anti psychotic medication to make them sane enough to understand what is happening.

6. More and more states have life without possibility of parole on the books and Americans are realizing that it is a better sentence than death and that it does not risk killing an innocent person. Life without parole means what it says, and being locked up 23 of 24 hours a day, in a tiny cell, is no picnic. Life without parole is swift and sure.

7. A death sentence can be very hard on the families of murder victims. As the appeals process goes on, necessarily, so we can be as sure as possible that the prisoner is truly guilty, the families are forced to relive their ordeal over and over again. Again, sentences of life without parole are swift and sure and allow the families to deal with their terrible loss with the people who love them, not in courts and in the media.

Answer 3

It was not too long ago I would have said I was for the death penalty, however, I have begun in recent years to question how much power the government has and whether they can be trusted w/this power.Our courts are no longer about finding the truth, rather they seek publicity and a high conviction rate in order to get re-elected. The case of the Duke lacrosse team is a great example of justice gone wild. Several states have declared a moratorium on executions because of the high number of people being exonerated by DNA, and more states have followed because there are questions about how humane lethal injection is. One of the drugs was commonly used to euthanize animals, but is no longer considered humane for use w/animals. I guess I feel like murder is murder and no one has the right to take an others life even if the state condones it.

Answer 4

Against for 3 reasons putting a person to death makes the courts no better than the person The death penalty is not a deterrent. I f it was the places that have it would not have any killings taking place at all. If you later find out that the wrong person was convicted and executed there is no way to right the wrong. There have been may cases in which a person was sentenced to death who have had their convictions overturned. and some that were wrongly executed. I would much rather see life at hard labor with no possible parole

Answer 5

I'm against the death penalty for a couple of reasons, but the most important one is that there are a lot of people convicted of crimes that they didn't commit. I hate to think of all the people who have been put to death that were as innocent as you or I. Just in recent years, since DNA, there have been many people who have been set free because of DNA testing. Imagine what those poor people went through, knowing that they were innocent and not being able to do anything about it. Not to mention the ones not lucky enough to have lasted until DNA testing was an option. And their poor families.....ahhhh. Don't even get me started on that.

Answer 6

Wow, I really struggle with this issue. I abhor some people for the crimes they commit, like violent sexual crimes against children and think that they deserve the death penalty. I also can see how it might be a deterrent.
BUT...
I also value life and think that there is always the possiblity someone can have a change of heart and somehow be a positive influence in someone else's life. And of course, there is the distinct possiblity of an erroneous conviction...

Answer 7

Personally I would find it more horrible to be locked in prison for life because you are confined to a small cell for years and are given hardly any privilages. I think if I had the choice of dying with the death penalty and rotting in jail for life with no chance of parole I'd choose death. I think that killing people with it makes killers out of the people wanting that offender dead too. How can you say one death is right and the other is wrong. Death is death. But in some cases it is right having someone die for what they have done. I feel it is wrong and right at the same time.

Answer 8

Mixed feelings regarding the death penalty. I believe there are certain crimes that warrant the death penalty when there is absolutely no doubt regarding guilt. My misgivings arise when you consider the number of prisoners who are convicted of crimes they are not guilty of. Discovering innocence a week, month or year after an execution is a mistake that can't be rectified.

Answer 9

I'm against the death penalty - I don't think it's our place to judge a person's soul and mete out the ultimate punishment. Let God do that. I think we should certainly lock murderers away for life because we do have an obligation to protect others. But deciding whether someone lives or dies is God's decision, not ours.

This is also why I'm against abortion and war.

Answer 10

Absolutley for the death penalty. Savage killers must be killed. Just look at that Richard Ramirez the night stalker. If you are too young to remember google it up. People in this country commit the most terrible crimes. I have no problem at all enforcing the death penalty. Not for every murder of course there must be strict guidlines. I hate the argument that the state that kills is just as bad as the killer-BS.

Answer 11

I'm against it. Not because I don't want them to pay for what they did. But I think they should spend the rest of their life in jail thinking about what they done and get no privileges like reading,watching TV or playing sports. They should have to spend all their time in their cells. That would be more painful than the easy way out by death.