Would like to get opinions about capital punishment.?

Question

If you could tell me why you are either for or against capital punishment . Also if you could give me your opinion about lethal injection. Doing research for a paper all answers and views will be greatly appreciated.

I am looking for facts.

Answer 1

I oppose it. I hope that you are looking for the facts, not just opinions. Here are answers to questions often asked about it. 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.

As for lethal injection, the method prescribed by many states is banned for euthanizing animals because of the unneccesary suffering it causes. The first drug renders the victim unconscious, the second paralizes him and the third stops the heart. If the first drug is not properly administered the victim will experience death by suffocation and, because of the second drug, no one will see this. The death penalty is not supposed to be a "torture penalty."

Answer 2

There is no statistical evidence that capital punishment deters crime, or stops anyone from committing a crime. In fact, we have had capital punishment in most states for some time now, and crime is up, according to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics. Yet, there is no more crime in states without capital punishment than in states where this law is in effect.

We have a terrible record of convicting people who are proven to be innocent. Despite this, getting permission for DNA testing is difficult to receive. Our court system is on an adversary system, which means that it is like a ball game. Everyone wants to win and the more wins a prosecutor gets, the more convictions, the more he stands in line for a better political position.

The same is true for the lawyers, who jump to defend notorious cases, where they will get Press attention and further their careers. The Wealthy client can afford investigators, medical experts, psychiatrists, etc., and put together a "Dream Team." The poorer client....who is in the majority...often has to make do with a lawyer supplied by the court, some of whom have been known to fall asleep during the court proceedings or defend their clients while under the influence of drugs or liquor.

Thus, prosecutors often suppress evidence that might help clear a defendant, despite discovery laws, or sometimes they wait until the last possible minute to reveal this evidence. Once convicted, the defendant can only depend upon the Appeals process and now, there is only so much time granted for new evidence. If your Appeals are exhausted and new evidence is found, it is too late. The courts often refuse to rule on the new evidence.

Add all of this to the fact that capital punishment is just plain wrong. It lowers the state to the status of killer and, because the public finances this, it lowers the average citizen in the same way. It is a painful and gruesome process and provides death to a criminal who might just suffer more if left alive. Men and women are killed before a gallery of viewers, many of whom are reporters who write about facial expressions and eye contact in hideous detail for the enjoyment of their readers. And the family of the victim, seeking "closure," might better contribute to charitable causes that keep people from going down the wrong path.

Often, we execute people who are of diminished mental capacity, either retarded or crazy, and while there might be some satisfaction in retaliating for their cruelty to their victims, it is a sadistic feeling that does no one any good and certainly does not erase the tragedy that occurred.

Answer 3

Mixed:
In argument for capital punishment: I see no logical reason to maintain a persons life in prison if they may never be returned to society. Prison should be to rehabilitate criminals not to store them. If a person cannot be rehabilitated then they should be killed because keeping them cost to much for no return.
But I do not support capital punishment. My reasons against are that we make mistakes too often to end someones life lightly. We also have an obvious and open double standard where prosecution for crimes is concerned. There is no denying that a persons wealth is a factor in their chances to be found innocent in a trial as well as the sentence that is imposed if they are found guilty. We have no right to kill someone if their income was part of the reason for their sentence.

Answer 4

First, punishment is treatment to cause a criminal to mend their ways. "Capital punishment" does not do that. It does, however, eliminate the offense by eliminating the offender. So, let's call it, "taking out the garbage," which is what it does.

If there were more "capital punishment" it would deter others from committing similar crimes. Many criminals commit crimes because they know they can get away with it. For example, many criminals give it up when they become adults because they can now be punished.

So, it will not correct the offender. Most major criminals can't be "fixed". But, it fixes many that are not yet broken.
____________________________
KrazyKyngeKorny (Krazy, not stupid)
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Answer 5

The only way I can see approving capital punishment is if the prosecution, the jury, the judge, and the executioner agreed to themselves be put to death if it were ever demonstrated that an innocent had been executed as a result of their decisions.

Until that happens, I have little faith that people view the taking of another's life as seriously as they should.

Answer 6

My father always said "An eye for an eye", ie: whatever they do to a person should be done to them. So yes to Capital Punishment and stop wasting our tax dollars keeping these worthless asswipes in jail with 3 squares and the luxury of breathing air.

Answer 7

Okay I am all for capital punishment for child molesters ,rapists and murderers . I am not for lethal injection because it is too quick and humane . what choice did their victim get ? none they did not have a choice of how they died ,why should a murderer get their choice of punishment . I am for capital punishment . I mean think about it ,what do you do with a mad dog ? you put it out of its misery . that is my view . good luck with your paper .

Answer 8

Capital punishment should be reserved for premediated murder. Life in prison would be for all other capital crimes. As for method, there is probably no good one. Lethal injection is arguably the least painful, though.

Answer 9

I am a staunch conservative, but I cannot support the death penalty, UNLESS the person is so dangerous that there mere existence is a threat to society, i.e. Saddam Hussein. BTW, its not any cheaper to execute someone, than to keep them in prison for life. And another side note, killers are invaluable resources for scientific research. State ordained homicide is bad. Now a potential rape victim blowing the head off of her attacker, that's perfect justice.

Answer 10

I believe in rehabilitation: through reincarnation!