Who here is for/against the death penalty??

Question

I'm for it. I believe the punishment should fit the crime.

Answer 1

I agree. If a man raped a child or a woman, then they deserve death. People like that shouldn't be kept alive.

Answer 2

I don't know if you want facts or just opinions. In case you want facts, here are answers to some questions often asked about the death penalty system. The sources are listed below.

What about the risk of executing innocent people?
124 people on death rows have been released with evidence of their innocence.

Doesn't DNA keep new cases like these from happening?
DNA is available in less than 10% of all homicides. It is not a guarantee against the execution of innocent people.

Doesn't the death penalty prevent others from committing murder?
No reputable study shows the death penalty to be a deterrent. To be a deterrent a punishment must be sure and swift. The death penalty is neither. Homicide rates are higher in states that have it than in states that do not.

So, what are the alternatives?
Life without parole is now on the books in 48 states. It means what it says. It is sure and swift and rarely appealed. Life without parole is less expensive than the death penalty.

But isn't the death penalty cheaper than keeping criminals in prison?
The death penalty costs much more than life in prison, largely because of the legal process. Extra costs include those due to the 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 and subsequent appeals. There are more cost effective ways to prevent and control crime.

What about the very worst crimes?
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??

Doesn't the death penalty help families of murder victims?
Not necessarily. Murder victim family members across the country argue that the drawn-out death penalty process is painful for them and that life without parole is an appropriate alternative.

So, why don't we speed up the process?
Over 50 of the innocent people released from death row had already served over a decade. If the process is speeded up we are sure to execute an innocent person.

But don’t Americans prefer the death penalty as the most serious punishment?
Not any more. People are rethinking their views, given the facts and the records on innocent people sentenced to death. According to a Gallup Poll, in 2006, 47% of all Americans prefer capital punishment while 48% prefer life without parole.

Answer 3

im not sure... i think living out the rest of their days in a prison is punishment enough as long as they dont ever get parole.
death penalty is too easy for them.

Answer 4

I'm for it, but I do not trust the system to be honest enough or consistant enough to have that power, so until then I suppose I'm against it even though I do believe in it.

Answer 5

I'm totally against it. So what if that guy is a murderer? What if the woman stole a precious object? It's not worth their lives. Sure, they deserve it but don't you think that it may be a little unfair? No one really deserves to die. It's up to God to decide who lives and who goes to heaven and such.

Answer 6

I'm for it too. Why should we give them the luxury of staying alive to milk the tax payers dollars?

Answer 7

Please...an eye for an eye....a tooth for a tooth. Whatever happened to the Old Testament? Kill them all and let God sort them out.

Answer 8

I'm againts it...I think the best way they can pay for their crime is to live and suffer for the rest of their lifes instead of killing them and sending them to rest.

Answer 9

I am against it. I believe you shouldn't do a violent act to revenge a violent act. There is no such thing as justified murder.

Answer 10

I'm for it and I want to take their organs or do experiments on them.