What do you find of good or bad in the death penalty?

Answer 1

I have to tell you....For many years I was neither for nor against the "Death Penalty"

Then an immediate family member was murdered ~

At that time until now I have strong belief in the "Death Penalty"

Now....I know what your thinking.....that wouldn't bring your family member back....and your right, but that is not why I have changed my mind....

Why it changed my mind is that I would NEVER want ANY other FAMILY to have to go through what our family did.....The case was all over the news ~ We were "NEWS at !!" The trial was long and drawn out over a year....After the conviction & time served for "Good Behavior" and over crowding....The person served less then 9yrs & is currently "FREE" to do as he will....

Its not about "revenge" by any means......

Answer 2

I totally oppose it. Here are some of the verifiable and sourced facts about it- since you asked this question on the philosophy board I am putting facts about victims families and wrongful convictions of innocent people at the top.

Re: Possibility of executing an innocent person
Over 120 people on death rows have been released with evidence of their innocence. Many had already served over 2 decades on death row. If we speed up the process we are bound to execute an innocent person. Once someone is executed the case is closed. If we execute an innocent person we are not likely to find that out and, also, the real criminal is still out there.

Re: DNA
DNA is available in no more than 10% of murder cases. It is not a miracle cure for sentencing innocent people to death. It’s human nature to make mistakes.

Re: Appeals
Our appeals system is designed to make sure that the trial was in accord with constitutional standards, not to second guess whether the defendant was actually innocent. It is very difficult to get evidence of innocence introduced before an appeals court.

Re: Victims families
The death penalty is very hard on victims’ families. They must relive their ordeal in the courts and the media. Life without parole is sure, swift and rarely appealed. Some victims families who support the death penalty in principal prefer life without parole because of how the death penalty affects families like theirs.

Re: Who gets the death penalty
The death penalty isn’t reserved for the “worst of the worst,” but rather for defendants with the worst lawyers. When is the last time a wealthy person was sentenced to death, let alone executed??

Re: Deterrence
The death penalty isn’t a deterrent. Murder rates are actually higher in states with the death penalty than in states without it. Moreover, people who kill or commit other serious crimes do not think they will be caught (if they think at all.) Many people confuse deterrence with incapacitation. Deterrence means that punishing one person will convince others not to commit the same crime, incapacitation means the person who is punished will not be able to commit the crime again. Life without parole is an effective way of incapacitating a criminal.

Re: cost
The death penalty costs far more than life in prison. The huge extra costs start to mount up even before the trial.

Re: Alternatives
48 states have life without parole on the books. It means what it says, is swift and sure and is rarely appealed. Being locked in a tiny cell for 23 hours a day, forever, is certainly no picnic.

Opposing the death penalty doesn’t mean you condone brutal crimes or excuse people who commit them. According to a Gallup Poll, in 2006, 47% of all Americans prefer capital punishment while 48% prefer life without parole. Americans are learning the facts and making up their minds using common sense, not revenge.

Answer 3

Well I guess the good is that you're putting an end to someone who has done so much wrong to society like Hussein. The bad of course would be that two wrongs don't make a right and by killing the criminal you're only causing more death and pain.

I think wheather the death penalty should be instigated depends on the severity of the crime. For example, Hussein, who killed millions of his own people deserved it, but for someone who just murdered one person, killing them too wouldn't do any good.

Answer 4

The death penalty is stupid. I would want someone to suffer for the things that they have done. It may bring justice to the family but in a murder case it is not gonna bring the loved on back. It is only gonna make them feel good that they got justice but at the end of the day it solved nothing. The only good thing is that it makes more room in the jail.

Answer 5

I think it is cruel and wasteful to keep people on death row for years and years before they are executed. If I were convicted and sentenced to death, I would try the appeal process, but failing that I would want to be taken out quickly. Being in jail isn't a life, it's just an existence.

Answer 6

GOOD- I think the death penalty is good because the victim suffered so they get to know how it felt.

BAD- I also think this bad because we could have these people help fight in wars and help clean the Earth.

Answer 7

-GOOD

-rids the world of evil
-prevents the criminal from possible being released and committing heinous crimes again
-prevents criminal from sitting in jail and wasting tax payers' money for a life sentence.

BAD
-what if criminal is actually inoccent......
-do two "wrongs" make a right?
-what if the criminal really can reform??

frankly...too many "if"s for me. however, i'd hate to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and be on trial for someone's murder....wow...scary.
i don't think things like that happen too often anymore with the advancement of forensic science, though.

take care.

Answer 8

i dont find any good in it.

bad if you made a mistake and convicted the wrong person. you could make a martyr out of someone like saddam or osama. you are putting an end to there misery. wouldn't it be more of a punishment to prolong the misery? we put animals down for their own good. should we put convicts down for that same reason?

Answer 9

Good - that it follows through with a promise (integrity)
Bad - needs to be more shocking violent (public hanging) to serve as a clear warning to the next criminal.

Answer 10

Good? Nothing... It serves nothing to murder a murderer, it merely indulges feelings of anger and vengeance, as well as self-righteousness. Society can be just as well served by removing incorrigible offenders permanently through imprisonment. It is the mark of civilized countries, as well as civilized individuals, not to sink to the level of the offender....