Death Penalty???

Question

Do you believe in the death penalty if the crime calls for it???

Answer 1

I know this is a poll, but I believe that people ought to answer this question when they know the pragmatic facts about the death penalty system, using common sense. Here are some of those facts, verifiable and sourced . (A few answers you have already received are mistaken on them)

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. (I hope that tsull73 and Moon will think about this.) 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 about the consequences or even that they will be caught (if they think at all.)

Re: cost (Krypton and others are misinformed about this.)
The death penalty costs far more than life in prison. The huge extra costs start to mount up even before the trial. Much of these result from the unusually complicated nature of both the pre trial investigation and of the trials (involving 2 separate stages, mandated by the Supreme Court) in death penalty cases. There are more cost effective ways to prevent and control crime.

Re: Alternatives (Many people don't know about this.)
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 eye for an eye slogans or partisanship.

Answer 2

Yes , but with a lot of depends . This is not an easy topic. Many a time a murderer gets out and kills again. The other side of the coin , is the innocent that were put to death.. We must remember that the rights of civilians should out weigh the rights of a criminal. Serial killers should all be put to death. Crimes of passions where a guy/girl catches wife/husband cheating and shoots him as long as it was not premeditated should be a jail sentence. We must admit that there are some in which there is no redemption and the only way where men can be safe is to eliminate the danger.

There is a cost factor of keeping an inmate imprisoned . So many years ago, it was $50,000. per year. I'm sure it's more now. This encourages prison boards to let people out.

Answer 3

Your question is a tautology, it begs the question.
If the crime calls for the death penalty then obviously the death penalty must be applied.
Abolitionists declare that no crime (genocide, you name it) calls for the death penalty; that all life is sacred and that punishment should never be that absolute irrevocable action.

Perhaps everyone could register their opinion. Then if a non Death Penalty proponent (NPD) murders another he would just get life; if a Death Penalty proponent (DP) murders another he would get the chair; and if a mismatch then it would depend on the registered choice of the victim.

Answer 4

Not only do I believe in the death penalty if the crime calls for it, but I believe that more crimes ought to call for the death penalty.

The death penalty doesn't get used nearly enough.

Answer 5

YES I Believe in the Death Penalty! But it is not necessarily the crime warranting it, but the proof should warrant it. I do have reservations about using circumstantial evidence to convict someone and impose the Death penalty. If he is found guilty by circumstantial evidence he should not be sentenced to death without more physical evidence. That's my 2 cents.

Answer 6

Yes, I believe in the death penalty. I think that there should be more crimes that are punished that way also. There wouldn't be such a problem of crowded jails if all the sicko's were put to death for all the psycho crap that they do!!!

Answer 7

YES, Needs to be more of it! After three times give them death! Crime will go down.

Answer 8

Living in a country where the death penalty doesn't exist I would say no.

This "eye for an eye" belief is the reason for all the crap going on in the Israel and Palestine. Killing someone because they killed someone else does not make amends.

By the way: my uncle was beaten into a coma by a bunch of idiots who decided to pound on an innocent man outside of a bar. He eventually died due to complications from the beating. So I know what it is like to lose someone in a way that makes no sense.

Answer 9

Good question... for multiple murders of the young and innocent yes i guess i do.. but death is just an easy way out . people didn't really pay any time ,,, it's a touchy and sensitive discussion.... and should be based on an individual Case per case basis

Answer 10

Of course. There are just too many terrible people running around today, who deserve no less than death. However, it saddens me that the system for death is so backed up. If you are put on death sentence, you should not even be allowed to keep your case going for years, you should get one chance to prove your innocence, otherwise, die buddy.