Defend the Death Penalty!?

Question

I am Catholic and I would consider myself a very low-key conservative. Doesn't the death penalty say that two wrongs make a right? Why cant we just put someone in jail for life, instead of saying if you kill me, we will kill you. What kind of mindset is that? It is an act that should be condemned and ended, along with abortion. Especially since people have been executed who have been innocent and our legal system isnt PERFECT because we arent PERFECT. So why should we risk someone's life?

Answer 1

One of the answerers wonders why the death penalty costs so much more than life without parole. Here are some of the reasons:

Pre trial costs are much greater because, once a suspect is caught, the prosecutor must do a separate investigation into the crime, into the suspect himself, that is, does the suspect have mental retardation (if so, he cannot face the death penalty) or mental illness (he can face the death penalty). If the prosecutor decides to seek the death penalty, the trial will have two separate phases, one to decide guilt, one to decide the penalty. The process of choosing jurors is much more complicated in death penalty cases. Many more pre-trial motions are introduced. Prosecution teams use more lawyers, and where the money is available, by the defense as well. Death penalty cases take much longer to try. If the sentence is death, the prisoner will be locked up in a separate prison facility, which is generally much expensive to run and to maintain. It is only at this point that appeals begin and costs continue to mount up. It is also important to note that the overwhelming number of cases where the death penalty is not on the table end in plea bargains.

As an example, in New York State, the average annual cost to incarcerate someone not on death row is about $35,000 per year. On the other hand, in the years since 1995, when New York State brought back a death penalty law, 7 people were sentenced to death, 3 had not even had their first appeal. New York shelled out well over $200,000,000 for its capital punishment system since 1995. Assuming each of the 7 men lives for 40 years the cost to incarcerate all of them for life would be under 10 million dollars.

If the death penalty process were speeded up, the costs would still be much higher than with life sentences and many innocent men who were on death row for years would have been killed in our names.

Here are a few other things to know about the death penalty: Over 120 people have been released from death rows with evidence of their innocence. DNA has been in the headlines, but relatively few of these cases involved DNA. More and more states now have life without parole on the books. It is cheaper than the death penalty and we do not risk killing innocent people. There are 4 cases where an innocent person is likely to have been executed. In one of these, there may not even have been a crime (Calvin Willingham’s case.) In another, that of Larry Griffith, executed in 1995, the local prosecutor has opened an investigation citing her own serious doubts about whether the right person was prosecuted. This is unique; in other cases, once an execution is carried out, the case is closed. If the person executed was innocent, the real murderer is on the loose.

The death penalty is not a deterrent. States with the death penalty have higher murder rates than states that do not have it. No reputable study shows that the death penalty is a deterrent.

The death penalty is twice as likely to be sought if the victim was white than if the victim was non-white. (Baldus) That is, when we consider the race of the victim, not of the defendant, we see clear evidence of bias in the capital punishment system.

Many people who call for revenge don’t consider the toll on the system on murder victims’ family members. Each time a court revisits a death penalty case, the families are forced to relive their ordeal, while the media can turn their lives into a circus. Life without parole is sure and swift.

Why not spend the money we now waste on a flawed (intrinsically flawed, because, as humans, we are flawed) capital punishment system for assistance to victims’ family members.

Answer 2

I have read your question and seen some of your answers and would like to comment. First, no it is not cheaper to kill someone than to feed them for the rest of there life. Actually it is much more expense here is a fact as soon as a person is sentenced to death an appeal is automatically filed. Second, two wrongs do not make a right. Third, there has been to many cases of mistaken identity case in point here in NC a man was just recently released and awarded $800,000 for raping a child back in 1987 DNA evidence cleared the man if the death penalty had been in place for such a crime a life would have been unjustly lost. If the wrong person is put to death for the wrong crime that is to many deaths. Lastly, why should a person who is justly convicted get the easy way out I quote "Dying is easy living is hard".

Answer 3

I'll be honest, I had the EXACT same mindset as you for many years of my life. I'm not Catholic, I'm Mormon, but everything else you say is exactly how I felt.

What changed my mind and made me a whole-hearted supporter of the death penalty? I became a mom. And when I hear about people who abuse and then kill innocent children, it makes my blood boil. And when I think about the mothers of those children.....my eyes are watering now just typing this. It infuriates and disgusts me. Do I think two wrongs make a right? No. But do I think those crazy maniacs deserve what they get? Absolutely.

And I certainly don't want my tax money wasted on supporting them while they get to live in prison for life. And if I'm ill-informed and executing them really does cost more than life in prison, I don't care, I'll pay the extra money. No mother deserves to live knowing that the horrible person who destroyed her child is getting to live.

Answer 4

Thank you for asking this question,and I am not a Catholic but, I am against death Penalty.I believe that the state can not take anyone 's life and we only pay 1 million dollar to feed a jail for life but, the taxes payers will pay 3 million dollar for a death penalty. Think about it.I also agree with you about it takes two to tangle. I hear so many stories about our imperfect system and we should not risk someones life.

Answer 5

There's a much better arguement against the death penalty:

1. Statistically speaking, the death penalty does NOT deter crime
2. It costs more money to execute someone than let them rot in prison.
3. Remember "Thou shalt not kill?"
4. Executing an innocent person is the worst possible injustice that can hapen.

Answer 6

I support the death penalty because it costs the government and the US tax payers more money to keep a murdurous, child molester felon in prison for life than to just kill him, "an eye for an eye", you want to kill, then be killed, i would rather spend my taxes on something useful, like improving roads i have to drive on everyday other than a convict's next meal, the death penalty kicks *** and everyone should stop being so soft hearted, i don't want murderers and child molesters, etc. contaminating my air and hogging all the oxygen for us good model citizens.

Navy MASN

Answer 7

If the death penalty was fair then it would be a good mean of detering crime. But, if you have money the death penalty does not apply to you. I hate the system sometimes!

Have fun in the New Year!!!

Answer 8

im in favor of the death penalty...but i admit i dont have too much knowledge on the topic.

why does the death penalty cost more than keeping a person in jail for 50 years? whats the money going too?

Answer 9

No human being has the right to kill another one!! Plus it has been proven over and over that many people on death row have been innocent! The system does not work! Plus is it not better to confine them in solitude for the rest of their lives - not that's a punishment!!! Killing them is giving them an easy way out of all misery on this earth and the misery of jail...

Answer 10

can't defend it.

it doesn't deter crime
it costs twice as much money
I am a pro life liberal - life is life.
our system of justice is not always perfect - innocent people can and do die.....