who agrees with the american death penalty and do normal voting americans want it abolished?

Question

I disagree with the death penalty and want to know if the majority or minority agree or disagree

Answer 1

A May 2003 poll 74% of Americans are for the death penalty.
I'm British and completely against it.
Napoleon Beazley was 17 in 2003 when he was executed in texas for murder. That was before it was legal to be executed at that age. He pleaded guilty to it, so he had shown honesty. He didn't really know why he did it. But he had, had so much life to look forward to. Before he was executed he said this, "tonight, we tell our childen that in some instances, killing is right". And thats what the death penalty says.
George Bush made his views clear on death penalty as governor of Texas as Texas still leads the US with the most amount of executions. George Bush says that he thinks capital punishment "sends a chilling message that there is a consequence to your actions". In the same speech he spoke about his belief in the "sacredness of human life"
But at what cost! How can a human deny another human's right to live. How can we tell someone that they murdered someone so must die themselves. It makes us hipocrites. I don't believe it does teach people to be more responsible for their actions. In my opinion being locked away for 25 years is worse than death in some ways. (In the UK murders usually get 25 years)
All of Europe has banned executions except Belarus, which has a dodgy President. But even there I don't think they've had many. Even the country of Rwanda where there was the terrible Genocide in 1994 is thinking of banning execution. So why should the great USA which is supposed to be founders in human rights, agree with capital punishment?

Answer 2

A nationwide Gallup telephone poll in 2006 found Americans almost evenly divided when asked whether a death sentence or life without the possibility of parole was a preferable punishment for murder, after years of previous polls in which a majority supported the death penalty.

How about the states- one example is Kentucky . Kentuckians favor a long prison sentence over the death penalty for prisoners convicted of aggravated murder, a university poll found. More than two-thirds of those surveyed said the lengthy prison sentence is the "most appropriate" punishment, while less than a third chose the death penalty, the poll said. Polls in other states show similar stats.

We are not there yet, but Americans are learning the facts. I wish that people with an eye for an eye mentality will take the time to find these out.

The death penalty is not a deterrent. Homicide rates are much higher in states that have the death penalty than in states that do not.

The death penalty system costs much more than a system that does not have the death penalty. Much of these extra costs come way before the appeals begin. (In my opinion, some of the extra money should be spent on victims' services, which are underfunded.)

The death penalty is racially biased, but not in the way you may think. A defendent is twice as likely to face the death penalty if the victim was white than if the victim was non white.

More and more states have life without parole on the books. It means what it says and is no picnic to be locked up for 23 of 24 hours a day, with no hope of anything else.

Over 120 people on death rows have been released with evidence of their innocence. In the majority of these cases, the evidence was not DNA, which is not often available. More often, the problem is one of mistaken eyewitnesses. After an execution, the case is closed. If the wrong person was executed the real killer is still out there. It is human nature to make mistakes and executing an innocent person, killing an innocent person in our name should be unacceptable in a civilized society.

Speeding up the process will certainly result in the execution of innocent people, some people just like you, your families and friends. Ordinary, law abiding people have been sentenced to death, spent years on death rows, and, thankfully, were saved in time.

The death penalty can be very hard on the families of murder victims. As the process goes on they are forced to relive their ordeal in the courts and in the media. The death penalty revictimizes families of murder victims. Life without parole is sure and swift and rarely appealed.


Last of all, opposing the death penalty does not mean you excuse brutal crimes or the people who commit them. This is a matter of common sense based on the facts.

Answer 3

The primary system we have is not in the constitution so we should reform that first. I would like to see a 3 - 4 stage process. Step 1 would be a closed primary allowing parties to pick candidates. Step 2 would be an open primary where all but the top two candidates would be eliminated.There would have to be a debate featuring the top 4 candidates. If a politician dose not show up to a debate they have officially dropped out of the race. step 3 would be a general election which would feature the electoral college as I believe it would be easier to get passed. The issue with the electoral collage is to many states are winner takes all and the problem with getting rid of it is the fact the smaller states loose their voice.

Answer 4

I agree with it, though disagree with the California appeals process... it's too darned long. Scott Peterson will sit on Death Row for 10 to 15 years before they execute him.

And YES, I also agree that certain child abduction, molestation, and rape convicts should also be executed.

I'm a 42 yr old Californian, ex military.

The polls show that 73 percent of registered voters support the death penalty

Answer 5

First of all, the death penalty only exists in some states. And in the states that have it, it is only used for those who commit the most serious murders. Yes I do agree with it for gruesome, cold-blooded murders. Why should society pay to keep them alive, then free them after 30 years so they can kill again?

Answer 6

I agree with the death penalty and I am a normal American. If we wanted it gone it would be gone already.

Answer 7

The fact that thirty+ states have the death penalty shows that most Americans favor it, no matter what the bleeding hearts want to think.

Answer 8

Well Amy P, here is the thing.....If a man breaks into your grandmothers house, brutally rapes her repeatedly, beats her to death and then urinates on her lifeless body; like he has done at least 3 other times in the past, do you ....
A.) Sentence him to 6 months probation and let him out to continue to do it.
B.) Sentence him to life in prison where he will have the chance for parole in 20 years while living with 3 hot meals (better than you receive at home) watching cable TV (including Movie Channels) receive a college degree at no cost to him because we the tax payers take care of all fore-said expenses.
C.)Sentence him to DIE! (Within 6 months ) If the DNA is there along with the rest of the evidence, get rid of em'
Quickly so we don't have to support them in prison.

Answer 9

I agree with the death penalty if you know the person is guilty. If you have DNA evidence or a confession or multiple eye witnesses that the person is guilty of what they did then yes they deserve to die.

Answer 10

Well, I disagree with the death penalty whole-heartedly, but I'm English, and we don't have it anymore, thank God.