How can capital punishment be considered moral or ethical when you consider the facts?

Question

I asked a question last night about the morals of capital punishment.

Many people said that I would change my mind if a member of my family were the victim.

Let me tell those people, My father was murdered in front of my mother when I was a young child for speaking up to a stranger in defence of my mother's honour.

No one in my family supports capital punishment because of this. Revenge doesn't give our father back, and having felt the pain of his death, why should we wish the same on the killer's family? They weren't holding the knife.

For those who suppor capital punishment, I'd like to point them to thebest answer to last night's question and then hear their opinions anew.

http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/?link=best&qid=20070429075728AASmfLV&r=w&pa=F5xxBXHpPmKSlmhy00sKliW7upUpiNfHOOnUg67QelS6El3pY1OX0A--&paid=choose_best

Answer 1

How about 'practical'?

And 'effective'?

There is not a single known recidivist after having the death penalty applied.

Answer 2

False rationale in your statement. Capital Punishment, in a personal sense, might not make your family feel better, but you have no right to speak for others who have suffered.
And saying that we should limit punishment because of the family of the felon! Compared to the victims's family and also the victim, why should they rate a mention? If they had been better at nurturing the felon in the first place maybe this incident would not have happened.
And to your good mate, Susan S
Susan, those seven executed may well have been innocent but the emphasis is definitely upon you or the law to prove it. An official pardon with financial compensation for the accused's family could be a requisite. If suits were brought I'm sure the legal institution does want to admit its mistakes.
Governor Dukakis pardoned two some time ago. It does happen. No offence, but we just can't take your word for it. Something like this needs official recognition.

Also prisons for those awaiting execution cost more, but that is because they hold cold blooded killers who might kill guards. If no C.P. these murderers will still be around and need expensive lockups.
Maybe we shouldn't execute within weeks after conviction, but the high cost of appeals often relates to issues of law rather than evidence. Allow all appeals relating to veracity of witnesses or truth of scientific evidence but we don't need to hear appeals about whether or not the search warrant was valid etc. Whether or not the evidence or confession was obtained legally or of if C.P. is really cruel and unusual or whether felons of a different colour get off easier, the cold hard fact of the matter is that the murdering bas..rd still killed for no legitimate reason and deserves to die.

Answer 3

I have a relative (twin brother) who is serving life without possibility of parole. He really enjoys his life. He is a leader, what they in prisons call a "shot-caller," and enjoys power and choice in a way those unfamiliar with criminals could never understand. He has told me that although there are things he misses about the outside world, he is aware that he would never have the respect of the public the way he is respected by the inmates. Watching a loved family member develop into a hard-core, institutionalized criminal through years of prison exposure is hard on the family of the criminal. Having a family member commit criminal acts is hard on the family of the criminal.
The difference between being the family of the criminal and being the family of the victim is this: the criminal, no matter how pathetic his circumstance, made the choice to commit the action. The victim is just that, the victim. Comparing the suffering of the two families is rediculous. My brother sends me mail, and I go visit him every now and again. He reads books, watches tv, and has an active social life. The family of his victim get no such respite from their grief.
And did my brother stop all criminal activity as a result of his incarceration? NO! He has killed or ordered others to kill since his arrest. The original crime was a teenage tragedy (he was 16 at the time of his crime) performed from an immature mind. He's matured (30 years old) and can now kill people with no involvement of passion or panic. The prison system has removed any good he once had. I visit him out of a sense of family obligation, and it is chilling.

I wish my twin brother had recieved the death penalty instead of life without. Let it be done and over with.

Answer 4

The "Best Answer" chosen by you was WRONG. There is not ONE documented case where an innocent was executed since the Supreme Court ruled Capital Punishment was Constitutional.

I challenge anyone to prove ONE proven case where the defendent was actually executed. I am not talking about where the system in place reveals possible errors in the case and the defendent was freed or the sentence reduced.

Show me ONE proven case where an innocent defendant was executed then you might get me to change my mind.

I agree the procedure is too complicated and expensive.

My plan would be that immediately after the defendant is found guilty and sentenced to death, another trial takes place with a different jury and if that jury also finds the defendant guilty and sentences him/her to death all appeals are null and void and the defendent is executed within 3 days.

The three days would give the governor, President, or court a chance to grant a new trial or pardon.

Answer 5

This is to correct some mistakes you have gotten. First of all, for Jeffrey C, in the last couple of years, 4 recent executions of very likely innocent people have come to light.

1. Cameron Willingham- executed for setting a fire that led to the deaths of several people. The techniques of investigating fires in criminal cases have greatly advanced. They now show that the fire was an accident, not arson. Texas.

2. Carlos DeLuna- executed in Texas for a fatal stabbing. Sloppy police work, a failure to pursue a more likely suspect (who bragged of being the actual killer and about getting another man to pay for it.

3. Gary Graham. Texas. details available at Death Penalty Information Center

4. Calvin Griffiths. Missouri. details available at Death Penalty Information Center. The local district attorney has actually reopened an investigation into this case, because she has strong doubts about it.

Second, a note for open4one, about costs and and an example. Added costs begin even before the initial trial.

Pre trial investigations are much more complicated. The prosecutor must do a separate investigation into the crime, into the suspect himself, that is, does the suspect have mental retardation (if so, he cannot face the death penalty) or mental illness (he can face the death penalty). Death penalty trials actually consist of two trials, with separate sets of witnessesm one to decide guilt, one to decide the penalty. The process of choosing jurors is much more complicated in death penalty cases. Many more pre-trial motions are filed by both sides and have to be answered. Prosecution teams use more lawyers, and where the money is available, by the defense as well. Death penalty cases take much longer to try. If the sentence is death, the prisoner will be locked up in a separate prison facility, which is much expensive to run and to maintain. It is only at this point that appeals begin and costs continue to mount up. It is also important to note that the overwhelming number of cases where the death penalty is not on the table end in plea bargains.

As an example, in New York State, the average annual cost to incarcerate someone not on death row is about $35,000 per year. On the other hand, in the years since 1995, when New York State brought back a death penalty law, 7 people were sentenced to death, none had more than one appeal and 3 had not even had their first appeal. New York shelled out well over $200,000,000 for its capital punishment system since 1995. Assuming each of the 7 men lives for 40 years the cost to incarcerate all of them for life would be under 10 million dollars.

If the process were speeded up, as Jeffrey suggests, we are sure to execute an innocent person. (Many of the 123 exonerees from death row had served a decade or more, before being freed when proved to be innocent.) Jeffrey, you should read about these men, at the Innocence Project.
Most Americans would be horrified to learn of the killing of an innocent person in our name.

Note for DAR about recidivism. Life without parole is on the books in 48 states. It means what it says and it also prevents criminals from reoffending.

I hope that some of the people who do hot yet have the facts will take a look at the sources, below.

Answer 6

fake objective on your fact. Capital Punishment, in a private experience, gained't make your household experience better perfect, yet you've not any more were given any precise to communicate for others who've suffered. And putting forward that lets favor to continually shrink punishment through using kinfolk contributors of the felon! even as in evaluation with the victims's kinfolk contributors and also the sufferer, why might want to favor to they fee a level out? if that they have been better perfect at nurturing the felon interior the first position per probability this incident does not have got here about. And on your solid mate, Susan S Susan, those seven performed might want to perchance were possibility free besides the indisputable fact that the emphasis is really upon you or the regulation to coach it. An solid pardon with economic repayment for the accused's kinfolk contributors might want to be a requisite. If suits were presented i'm particular the criminal employer does opt to admit its blunders. Governor Dukakis pardoned 2 a lengthy time period contained in the previous. It does happen. No offence, yet we actually can not take your be conscious for it. something like this needs solid acceptance. also prisons for those watching for execution fee better, yet it really is for this reason of the very reality they convey about chilly blooded killers who might want to kill guards. If no C.P. those murderers will though be round and favor expensive lockups. per probability lets favor to continually now not execute interior of weeks after conviction, besides the indisputable fact that the bright fee of appeals usually pertains to concerns of regulation fairly than records. enable all appeals concerning veracity of witnesses or reality of medical records yet we do not might want to favor to take heed to appeals about regardless of if or now not the search warrant grew to develop into into valid etc. regardless of if or now not the training or confession grew to develop into into received legally or of if C.P. interior of reason cruel and unusual or regardless of if felons of a particular shade get off better available, the chilly now not elementary reality of the problem is that the murdering bas..rd though killed for no valid reason and advantages to die.

Answer 7

If a person is going to spend the rest of their lives in prison, one called "a terrible place" by your previous best answer, what's the point in spending money to support them for decades?

The ONLY reason that executing someone costs more than keeping them in prison is because of people like you. That's an unetical argument to begin with, since you're the reason reason it costs so much.

Answer 8

An eye for an eye. This should be the universal law.