And you are for the death penalty?

Question

US ordered to pay $101.7m in false murder convictions
(By Shelley Murphy and Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff)
A federal judge held the FBI "responsible for the framing of four innocent men" in a 1965 gangland murder in a landmark ruling yesterday and ordered the government to pay the men $101.7 million for the decades they spent in prison. The award is believed to be the largest of its kind nationally.

Boston Glove.co Todays edition

Answer 1

I was pro-death penalty for a long time, but I have changed my stance over the years, for several reasons:

1. By far the most compelling is this: Sometimes the legal system gets it wrong. Look at all the criminals who are being released after years of imprisonment because they were exonerated by DNA evidence. Unfortunately, DNA evidence is not available in most cases. No matter how rare it is, the government should not risk executing one single innocent person.

Really, that should be reason enough for most people. If you need more, read on:

2. Because of the extra expense of prosecuting a DP case and the appeals process (which is necessary - see reason #1), it costs taxpayers MUCH more to execute prisoners than to imprison them for life.

3. The deterrent effect is questionable at best. Violent crime rates are actually higher in death penalty states. This may seem counterintuitive, and there are many theories about why this is (Ted Bundy saw it as a challenge, so he chose Florida – the most active execution state at the time – to carry out his final murder spree). Personally, I think it has to do with the hypocrisy of taking a stand against murder…by killing people. The government becomes the bad parent who says, ‘do as I say, not as I do.’

4. There’s also an argument to be made that death is too good for the worst of our criminals. Let them wake up and go to bed every day of their lives in a prison cell, and think about the freedom they DON’T have, until they rot of old age. When Ted Bundy was finally arrested in 1978, he told the police officer, “I wish you had killed me.”

5. The U.S. government is supposed to be secular, but for those who invoke Christian law in this debate, you can find arguments both for AND against the death penalty in the Bible. For example, Matthew 5:38-39 insists that violence shall not beget violence. James 4:12 says that God is the only one who can take a life in the name of justice. Leviticus 19:18 warns against vengeance (which, really, is what the death penalty amounts to). In John 8:7, Jesus himself says, "let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

Answer 2

sometimes I think yes. But the cases are very few and far between. I think they absolutely have to have the basics like the murder weapon and some DNA. Usually the murder/rape/torture of a child would get it for me. The rest of the time put them in supermax till dead. I think its possibly a fate worse than death. Complete isolation from any human contact for life.
This is one of the main reasons I am so against Gitmo and renditions there is often no evidence against these people just a bunch of people saying the guys a terrorist.

Answer 3

That is one of the reason I'm against the death penalty. There is always the possibility of executing innocent people. As a matter of fact about 1% of all death row inmates have been wrongly convicted so know knows how many hundreds of people have been put to death by mistake.

Answer 4

I am totally against the death penalty for two major reasons: innocent people can be and have been put to death (how tragic and unjust is that?) and I believe God is the only one who should prevent or decide when each of us dies. It's hard to believe this country even still sentences death...we haven't come very far in that sense.

Answer 5

I am against the death penalty for 2 reasons:
1.Mistakes happen and are so awful,nobody should ever be executed.
2. Life imprisonment at hard labor is a better punishment, and would benefit society.

Answer 6

What does 4 innocent men held in prison have to do with the death penalty. From your elaboration it appears those men are free. With 100 million to share or was that each. More money than you and I will ever have. They will laugh the rest of their lives, do whatever they want whenever they want.

I think anyone who fradulently brought a case against them, should be immediately incarcerated for an equal amount of time, only of course after due process.

But only after this decision goes to the Supreme Court.

After hearing what a Federal Judge recently did in Pennsylvania, stating that a local or regional or State had no legal rights to pass laws against illegals and this idiot judge ruled in an illegal immigrants favor, giving him or them we don't know, because he allowed them secrecy, rights even U.S. Citizens do not have. That will be appealed.

Or what about this one....which is to be determined.
I am sure the liberal press will somehow blame it on their
upbringing, or some other sorry *** excuse, except in many
cases there are just pure evil people and

YES THEY NEED TO BE DEALT WITH, NOT CABLE TV AND INTERNET THE REST OF THEIR LIVES FREE MEDICAL AND DENTAL, DRUGS, SEX, etc.........

What about the most recent home invasion, the Father a doctor, beaten hurrendously, tied up, only to become concious later in time to hear his 11 and 17 year old DaughterS being raped repeatedly for approximately 6 hours, then lighter fluid was poured on them and they were torched, I think his wife was raped in the process after she was driven to a bank to withdraw several thousands of dollars, she somehow conveyed her situation and thus the authorities came to there rescue, but too late. The Father survived but has lost his whole family.

I say hang them on Main street, let them gag and twitch, and choke until they are dead.

I say round up all gangbangers, if they are illegal deport them ASAP. If they are citizens photograph, fingerprint, i.d. them.
I am sick of gangs preying on the weak, usually women and children. No one should go to bed at night in fear, or live in fear day to day.

I don't trust just because you say a Federal Judge, there are some real losers, like the case in Maryland, a 7 year old girl being raped over a 1 year period the judge lets him go.
Because of no interpreter, when its obvious there were.

I recently remember hearing about a lady who was awarded 76 million dollars for spilling her coffee on hershelf. That was a jury decision that was overturned Thank God.

My whole meaning is, our judicial system has gone haywire.
Do you realize illegals have sued and taken away U.S. Citizens property in some cases at the southern border.

Since when should an illegal be able to sue for anything. I do not believe our founding Fathers intended for our Constitution to apply to illegals.

When there is no doubt like the case of the Doctor's family, that these two scum bags did the killing, I say, fry them.
They should be on the fast track, one appeal and that's to the Supreme Court. I don't trust liberal Federal Judges.

I will freely admit, had I been a Police Officer, responding that day, knowing what happened to a 11 and 17 year old girl along with there Mother, it would have taken the hand of God to keep me from taking care of business.

I am in favor of the Death Penalty when without a doubt that person is guilty. With DNA today and our forensic science
we have the ability.

But none of this if the glove doenst fit you must acquit. BS......

I am sorry but there is such a thing as Pure Evil. It should not be allowed to exist.

Answer 7

No, too many innocents have been "mistakenly" murdered as a result. Especially since the investigation and appeals period before execution has been shortened under Clinton. That's a crime in itself. You can't deal with the murder of innocents by murdering more innocents.

Answer 8

It's sad to see so many people being put to death who are seriously mentally ill, or who have honestly reformed (and there have been a fair few) or who have not had a fair trial - and of those there are a hell of a lot.

I'm against it even when they are guilty but it's the continual miscarriages of justice that should make everyone agree to oppose it's use.

Answer 9

The punishment meted out wasn't the problem in that case. What is worse: death or 40 years in prison? Should we outlaw prison sentences also because these men were innocent? We still can't give them their time back.

I'm for the death penalty.

Answer 10

Yes, if we wouldn't have the death penalty then we would have thousands more prisoners which cost money to feed cloth and pay for. I WILL NOT pay for a murderer to live. Plain and simple