How do you personally feel about death penalty?

Question

Do you think it's right or wrong? Do you think the state (California) should have the right to put people to death for a crime they commit?

Answer 1

I say put the creeps in jail for the rest of their lives...have them do hard labour 15 hours a day,, with just enough food for them to live... take away all perks such as television, computers and the such... (it's just sleep, work a lot, and eat a little).. and throw away the key for those whom commit horrendous crimes...

We do NOT have the right to kill anyone...
regardless of the crimes which they have committed..

ONE DAY, THESE PEOPLE WILL MEET THEIR MAKER.

Answer 2

I certainly do think it's right. It's the will of the people. I live in Ca. and personally I think to much time is spent between being sentenced to death and actually carrying out the penalty. I think Ca. should have 2 appeals and those two appeals should happen within a set time frame. Theres people on death row that have been there for years and years. And we, the people pay for it. If you have the death penalty, then use it. Otherwise, take it off the books and quit wasting everyones time. In otherwords, why have a law if you don't enforce it. I am so sick and tired of people saying things like, "lethal injection" is cruel and inhumane. Gassing a person is cruel punishment. Or making a person face a firing squad is cruel.. Let's face it. Theres no un-cruel way. But, the person facing the death sentence probably didn't give a hoot about the person or persons they killed and some of those killings were a hell of alot worse than putting someone to sleep and then stopping the heart. I say, if its the will of the people and we make it a law, enforce it or take it off the books.

Answer 3

Some of the answers you have received are mistaken about the facts, and some just ignore them. I believe that people should make up their minds when they have the facts, using common sense, not revenge. Here are a few verifiable and sourced facts about the death penalty system. (Sorry about the length but this is a very important subject.)

Re: Possibility of executing an innocent person
Over 120 people on death rows have been released with evidence of their innocence, many having 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. When an innocent person is executed, the real criminal is still out there and has successfully avoided being charged. And we will never know this.

Re: DNA
DNA is available in less than 10% of murder cases. It’s 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 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: 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: 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 4

I believe America stopped using the death penalty a long time ago. Sure the sentence is still handed out but punishment works best as a deterrent (which the death penalty is) when done swiftly. A criminal that spends 20 years on death row is basically serving a life sentence and NOT the death penalty.

Oh, by the way I am for the death penalty.

Answer 5

It would depend on the crime. Biblicaly, there are some crimes that are punishable by death. In many cases, there are people that are so screwed up that they will never be reformed. They are pure evil, they know nothing else. In thoses cases, the only answer is the death penalty, because they are just too dangerous.

Answer 6

I think that in order for the death penalty to be okay, the following should be considered:

1.) Has the person been proven guilty of a capital crime?
2.) If yes, has scientific evidence (DNA testing, etc.) substantiated the guilty verdict?
3.) Was the capital crime grotesque and/or very outrageous?
4.) Has the defendant exhausted all of his/her appeal options?

Answer 7

The death penalty should be expanded. Because it is the absolute best deterrant possible.

Like the CEO's in charge of stealing pension plans and purposly bankrupting companies by theft. They need to be executed to show that there is a difference between right and wrong and its not just a slap on the hand if its done on a large scale.

Answer 8

I really think it depends on the crime and amount of remorse. If it's a serial killer yeah, he should be put to death. But if it was "sudden passion" or self defense, then no. People like Charles Manson, Richard Rameriz, and others should be put to death.

Answer 9

I appreciate the way you phrase the question. Personally, I don't support the death penalty, although my convictions have not been tested. However, I do believe that it is a state issue and states should have the power to democratically uphold it or forbid it, as many do.

Answer 10

I'm for capital punishment. I feel it would be more effective if it were carried out within 90 days of the sentencing, however.

These guys on death row for 20 years does nothing.