why does america have the death penalty?

Question

i've been living in america since the day i was born and i still don't understand the death penalty. many of the laws that america has are inspired from the ten commandments. for example, 'thou shalt not kil'. what i'm getting at is why is it justified to murder murderers, when 2 wrongs don't make a right? murdering the murderer will not bring back the victim that person killed.

Answer 1

You don't remember the Bible saying, 'those who live by the sword shall die by the sword?
It is there.

Also, the Bible commanded the Jews to kill certain people that were rebellous.

There is a justified killing if you believe that a person may kill again if given the opportunity.

grace2u

Answer 2

Here are some of the facts, apart from moral arguments or calls for revenge:

Costs: The death penalty costs more than life without parole. Much more. And a huge amount of this extra expense comes before the appeals begin.

DNA: Of the more than 120 people released from death rows, DNA evidence applied in very few of the cases. Most of the time DNA is not available. The greatest cause of most wrongful convictions for murder is mistaken eyewitnesses.

If the process of execution were speeded up many wrongfully convicted people would have been killed, in our name.

Other alternatives: Life without parole is on the books in more and more states. It means what it says. Spending 23 of 24 hours locked in a tiny cell is no picnic. It may be harsher than the death penalty, but, as human beings, we make mistakes and an execution is irreversible.

Many families of murder victims oppose the death penalty knowing that as the cases go on and on, they have to relive their ordeal in the courts and in the media. Life without parole is sure and swift. There are rarely any appeals.

The death penalty is not a deterrent. States that have the death penalty have higher murder rates than states that do not.

Race: The point here is that the race of the victims makes the difference. Prosecutors are twice as likely to seek the death penalty if the victim was white than if the victim was non white. (Baldus study, testimony before the US Senate Judiciary Committee, Federal Death Penalty Study-Justice Dept- see http://www.usdoj.gov/dag/pubdoc/dpsurvey.html, or for a summary, see http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=29&did=196 at the Death Penalty Information Center.)

I think people need to know the facts about the death penalty. Common sense, not revenge, should help us decide how to deal with brutal crimes and depraved individuals. Applying common sense does not mean we excuse these.

Answer 3

Actually what the Ten Commandments says is Thou Shalt not Commit Murder. Murder is a legal term which means to kill in violation of the law.

The reason for the death penalty is that Human Life is so precious that no other penalty can make up for the crime that has been commited.

The idea that any instance of one human being killing another is murder is a modern one.

Until the late 19th century, if someone put themselves in a situation where they may be killed by someone else than they would not have been considered to have been a victim of murder.

The best example of this is the duels that often took place in southern states in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The duelers known today were Aaron Burr who killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel and President Andrew Jackson.

People who commit crimes aware that they may face the death penalty also fit into this category. Just in case you're wondering, no one who has been executed for murder has been found to have been innocent after the fact.

Answer 4

Because there's a difference between allowing wicked people to oppress others. It's called righteous judgment. Also, I suppose you would persecute Jesus, all the ignorant animal rights groups because He sent demons into swine which then committed suicide but the man delivered from the legion of devils was sure glad to be alive even if the hog farmer was furious and his neighbors concerned for their animals! Sometimes that's the only way to rid society of a completely evil demon possessed person. I would prefer someone were close enough to God to deliver them and I'm not saying murderers can't be saved and delivered in this day but how many times have you heard of serial killers or rapists or pedophiles being converted to Christ? Few and far between. David, a man after God's own heart was a man of war. He did not shed innocent blood. Even when Saul was after his life he spared it several times. He killed those who killed God's annointed and said let their blood be upon their own heads. Their is a way that we can escape being blood-guilty as well in modern times and I think the guilty who is put to death, their own blood is upon their heads and required of them for righteous judgment.
Since our roots are Judeo-Christian, going back to many of their civil/moral laws as a nation which many nations copied largely in many ways to maintain civilization, that is the idea behind it. Most of our laws are no longer moral such as abortion and now Dr. Kevorkian's behavior to assisted suicide/euthanasia will probably be legalized amongst other evils. Really, a society will decay quickly if moral civil laws are not upheld. I'm really not sure if we should still put them to death today as it is no longer an eye for an eye but it is not murder to do so either. Most of law enforcement and court officials recognize there is no other carnal cure for the problem and call these people evil animals. (Bible calls them brute beasts or brutish men) The best thing is to teach our children Godly principles again with prayer, Bible reading, and the Pledge of Allegiance and national pride and sovereignty reinstated would go a long ways towards prevention of our social ills.

Answer 5

This is the point underwhich people often differ toward the point of the death penalty, the reason is mostly because it is the greatest thing that they can do, also it makes sure that they can't kill again (in jail or outside the walls) and it is more of a threat that hey if you do that you are going to die, (you are more safe on death row than dealing drugs) the wait is like 30 years or something

Answer 6

The reason we have the penalty is because many people believe that some crimes are so terrible that the only suitable punishment is death.

The goal is to punish the criminal.
The goal is not to prevent other criminals or deter future crime.
The goal is not to bring back the victim.

If you believe that "two wrongs don't make a right", then you can't believe in any sort of punishment. It is a "wrong" to put a man in prison for no reason, but we do it because the man committed a crime (a "wrong"). We do it to punish him. We use the death penalty for the same reason. That is why it is called a "penalty".

Answer 7

fear not my dear. with so many jailhouse lawyers on the public payroll, the death penalty in America is slowly disappearing....there are over two MILLION prisoners in the USA at an average cost of $30,000 per prisoner per year...so during economic bad times, the states will let out prisoners on a early basis....the phyotic will kill you and your family in a NY minute...and that's the fear in the future.....you can walk in some Asian countries big cities like Bangkok, which i have, without fear at night....bad guys know you do crime you will be executed within 30 days....parts of the USA are a very dangerous places and there goes your freedom...besides the political end of it...prison guards in CA make $80-to over $100,000 year and that's 28,000 prison guards!....prison life is getting easy too... cable TV. three meals aday and visits from the girlfriends etc...kill a member of your family...not a big deal in the prison culture...the future is for you to decide......

Answer 8

This is the great indecency of America in the 21st century. And I am ashamed of the support given for this barbaric practice both in the responses to your question and at the ballot box and in legislative bodies.

There is no reason that a state should endorse murder of any kind, including its own supposed "justice." Any time murder by the state is seen as just, it will be take as justifiable by individuals.

Killing anyone for any reason is without justification, and to do so robs everyone in society of the reassurance that every human life is precious. If we believe that, it makes no difference what the prisoner did to get themselves into prison. Inflicting the death penalty ENDS their life, but as its perpetrators, it changes us forever. I, for one, refuse to support any law that says someone can kill someone else on my behalf.

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Answer 9

Not all States has the death penalty in the first place. If someone brutally kills your baby, would you care if he got the death penalty? Not me, eye for an eye.

Answer 10

I want you to do a little research on the death penalty.
look at both sides of the issue. Read some of the stories on why these people are on death row and then you'll see why.

Answer 11

I agree with you. I think it is a barbaric practice and should be done away with. The murderer has a mother too and murdering the murderer causes tremendous grief to the murderer's family. It's bad enough that their son/daughter has gone so wrong and committed murder and has to spend his life in jail. Why cause the family more grief?
And if you believe in repentance, why take away the murderer's chance to repent and change his ways?