I live in Texas and I was just wondering how do people feel about the death penalty??

Question

I personally think the Texas law wants the death penalty to continue, because the court system unsually kill black men...

Answer 1

Americans have been rethinking their opinions of the death penalty, mostly as a result of the growing number of wrongfully convicted people released from death row. Here is some info about the practical aspects of the system and a good altenative, with sources listed below in q and a form.

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 and can’t guarantee we won’g execute 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 and regions 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, mostly because of the legal process. When the death penalty is a possible sentence, extra costs mount up even before trial, continuing through the uniquely complicated trial (actually 2 separate stages, mandated by the Supreme Court) in death penalty cases, and appeals.

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.

Answer 2

I live in Texas, too, and 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 people who have been 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 3

Howdy! I love Texas, but I'm against the death penalty.

Answer 4

I live in California and am all for the death penalty. People complain about overcrowding in the prisons, well I think this is the best solutions. Also lifers can still mastermind plans while behind bars.

Answer 5

okay the death penalty doesnt
target blacks..
it just so happens that a lot of blacks
get into trouble.
and i live in tx as well and im
all for the death penatly.
if a guy murdered someone i think
he should have the same punishment, not
30yrs in prison and then parole.

Answer 6

I'm all for the death penalty. If black men weren't committing the crimes then they wouldn't be the ones being killed right? It's not about race it's about criminals.

You have some serious issues and I find it funny you talk about black men "I love Asian guys"

Answer 7

favor of the death penalty

Answer 8

i live in texas as well and consider that a lot of black men do get executed most of the time unfairly.......however in my opinion if you take somebody's life intentionally your life should be taken as well and that goes for any race

Answer 9

im cool widit as long as its not me or my son

Answer 10

don't bother me