What do you think if this bill was to be passed?

Question

Capital Punishment for all 50 states in the United States. Also give reasons of why it should be passed.

Answer 1

I think it violates federalism and would be unconstitutional the first time it was challenged and sent to the supreme court. States make their own laws and they're given the right in the constitution's separation of power between the federal and states government.

I don't think Congress should make those decisions and I also don't think they'd be allowed to make the decision. If the people of my state do not think there should be capital punishment, the federal government should not override our decision... that's the point of the US government: rule by the people.

I guess it wouldn't matter much if it was passed. If it was a bill saying that states could do capital punishment, states could simply choose not to do capital punishment. But if it's a bill requiring states to do capital punishment, I think it's very wrong and unconstitutional.

I can't give reasons why it should be passed because it shouldn't be passed... except maybe it would give the lawyers a little more money for taking the case all the way to the supreme court to get the law ruled unconstitutional.

Answer 2

I do not think it should be passed. I think this is an issue you should decide based on solid facts, using common sense. Here are a few verifiable and sourced facts.

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. Life without parole incapacitates a killer (keeps him from re-offending) and costs considerably less than the death penalty.

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: 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.)

Re: cost
The death penalty costs far more than life in prison. The huge extra costs start to mount up even before the trial. There are more cost effective ways to prevent and control crime.

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: 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.

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 or an eye for an eye mentality.

Answer 3

I am for it 100%. In my state we have capital punishment but never use it. we have two young men in prison for a brutal murder. they both were under 18 at the time of the murders. They each were given 40 to life. While in prison One tried to kill his cell mate. He was moved to another cell Where he did team up with another inmate & stabed his cell mate. He got another 20 years He was charged 2 years later with killing a inmate & got another 30 years. The lady these two thugs killed was 74, owned a nieghbor hood store & was stabbed 47 times for $300, 3 cartoons of smokes & 3 cases of beer.That is 1 reason I am for capital punishment. A EYE FOR A EYE. Read the bible.

Answer 4

Have u forgotten we are in the start of 21st century? Capital punishment is a barbaric practice! It does no good , a country is judged by the way it treats its prison population! I believe man kind has risen a bit above the animalistic nature of its beginning , and there are other ways of punishment. Eye for an eye , etc, is over two thousand yrs old, lets settle in this 21st century and find other ways to deal with our most deprsed population, in a human and justifiable way. We are space travelers, not cave dwellers! Salute.

Answer 5

capitol punishment: wont happen. but heres my idea for solving the problem with overcrowding:

go to the Arizona desert. build a concrete wall thats about 40ft high and has an area of about 3 square miles. take all the prisoners on death row and put them in the "arena". when they enter, they get a selection of one weapon. then it turns into a t.v. show and you watch these guys try to kill each other. last man standing wins a steak and lobster dinner. the next day he gets painless leathal injection.

Answer 6

I think it would take care of a lot of prison overcrowding. And I support capital punishment ONLY if there is DNA proof that the crime was committed by the person being accused.

Answer 7

I personally agree with Capitol punishment, but I think it should be the choice of the state. We don't need the federal government regulating everything. To each (state) their own!

Answer 8

I think it would help deter people from committing crimes. The harsher the punishment, the lesser criminals would consider committing that act.

Answer 9

Its not gonna happen. There are too many church people out there that this would never happen. Stop wasting time.