Morality Question, part 3 for Yahoo Answers Religion and Spirituality Category?

Question

First - generally where do you stand with the death penalty . .


now the scenario . .


If you are a woman . . . you are raped. The police find the man. The man is found guilty. You are sure its the man. The judge asks you . . . "Do you want me to give this man the death penalty."


If you are a man . . Your wife (only wife in this scenario) is raped. The police find the man. The man is found guilty. Your wife is sure its the man. The judge asks you, and not your wife, "Do you want me to give this man the death penalty"

Answer 1

Yes, I've always supported the death penalty. I think they should make rape and child molestation punishable by death because in my mind those are worse crimes than murder.

But in all likelihood if that scenario happened, I'd be me on trial for practicing a little vigilante justice.

Answer 2

It is easy to understand that the victim and family might want revenge. By the way, there have been several recent cases where the victim of the rape believed she was sure the police had the right person. That person was later exonerated by DNA evidence. (Visit www.innocenceproject.org for the cases.) The real question is about the rest of society.
Should our criminal justice system be based on revenge?
I don't think so. Here are some facts about the death penalty -all verifiable and sourced. Common sense should do the rest.

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. If we execute an innocent person the real criminal is still out there and will have successfully avoided being charged.

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: 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 3

I agree with the death penalty for certain crimes.

If I was raped, part of me would want to see this guy get the death penalty...but then again I'd rather have him in jail so he could learn what the other side of rape was all about...and I'd keep my fingers crossed that he ended up in a prison where I knew at least one CO because then he'd then wish he got the death penalty.

Answer 4

When a family member has been hurt of murdered. It is a natural instinct that you have to stop this person from possible inflicting more harm onto you or anyone else. This natural instinct can be found in many intelligent animals (elephants, wolves, dear, etc)

The death penalty for rape is too harsh. First
its hard to actually prove rape 100%. And i have seen people lie about being raped for attention or to hide that they cheated. Evidence usually comes down to he said she said.

Rape usually is a violation of privacy and bodily harm. The raper doesn't mean to kill the victim, so it doesn't deserve a harsher punishment then the crime committed. Unless of course the raper knows he/she has a deadly disease.

You should watch the movie "Gossip" it explores the idea of "he said she said" "where you raped or not."

Answer 5

The death penalty is only valid when a person is found guilty of killing someone. The Bible does not support the death penalty for any other reason.

Answer 6

I am a woman born and raised in Canada where the death penalty was tossed in the trash in 1976. I am glad of that event and would not want to go back to life prior to 1976. No matter the reason; no matter the cause. Why?

Since 1976 there have been three cases in Canada where it was proven after the fact that the alleged perpetrator was in fact innocent. This was due to advancements in DNA testing. In two of the three cases, the men in question would have been given the death penalty. That would have resulted in two innocent men killed due to prosecutor and jury error.

No matter the crime, we have seen, up close and personal, that it is far better to err on the side of caution.

Death is permanent. There is no going back.

Answer 7

No.

I will not require the man to die for raping me.

For raping a child, I would want him to be punished in a systematic way by lashing him until he faints and blood come sprouting out of his body. Thats first time around.

If he repeats the hideous crime, throw him to the lions and give him a stick to defend himself.

Ahem ^^ no one should be given the death penalty unless:
1. theyve murdered on purpose without remorse

2. theyve hurt so many people that theyve become a constant pain on societys side.

Answer 8

No thank you. No death penalty. No exceptions.

That isn't to say I don't believe in punishment but I also believe in rehabilitation. And the death penalty is more like retribution than justice to me.
.

Answer 9

My stand on capital punishment is very simple~it should be abolished. No one has the right to take the life of another. I don't care what crime that person has committed, life in prison without parole is punishment enough.

Now I haven't always felt this way. Once I became a mother, I realized that everyone on death row is loved by someone. They have parents, siblings, children, family and friends. I cannot be the one to impose such heartache on another person.

Also, our justice system and means of investigation are not infallible. There is always the slight possibility that the condemned is innocent.

Answer 10

It's almost impossible to predict how someone would react in that situation. It's the ultimate violation, and I can't imagine what a woman goes through during and afterward.

If I had to guess, though, I would say that I would not want him killed. I don't know if there is a way to make him suffer as I did and will, but I would be willing to look for ways to do that.