should the death penalty be banned?

Question

is it the right thing to do?

Answer 1

You don't have to condone brutal crimes or want the criminals who commit them to avoid a harsh punishment to ask whether the death penalty prevents or even reduces crime and whether it risks killing innocent people.

124 people on death rows have been released with evidence of their innocence. DNA is available in less than 10% of all homicides and isn’t a guarantee we won’t execute innocent people.

The death penalty doesn't 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 don’t.

We have a good alternative. 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.

The death penalty costs much more than life in prison, mostly because of the legal process which is supposed to prevent executions of innocent people.

The death penalty isn't reserved for the worst crimes, but for defendants with the worst lawyers. It doesn't apply to people with money. When is the last time a wealthy person was on death row, let alone executed?

The death penalty doesn't necessarily help families of murder victims. 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.

Problems with speeding 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 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. In the U.S. alone, over 100 people have been exonerated by DNA evidence in the last 30 years. 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

Hi Mojo, No it shouldn't be banned. There's to many evil people out there that get off from sexy abuse and murdering
young children. Rapes and killing and the list gos on. The Death Penalty Needs to stay. And eye for a eye REMEMBER!!!
A Friend,
poppy1

Answer 4

The Death Penalty is useful...It deters and weeds out the scum of society.

True story
A friend of mine befriended a guy, I said he was bad news and she was all "you are just down on him because he has been to jail." No I'm down on him because he has been to prison 5 TIMES!!!
Anyways, long tale short... This guy kills a lady. Not just kills her but chops her head off but before that rapes her, sets the body on fire to cover the rape and murder

So why keep this guy alive ?

He has been to prison 2 times for drugs
2 times for burglary
1 time for assault
And now actually does sit on death row for the murder and rape of this woman
They plugged his DNA into the FBI computer and matched him up to 7 rapes

So YES KILL HIM

Answer 5

IF there IS proof (DNA evidence) that the person IS GUILTY and the crime was like raping, murder, CHILD CRIME, then YES KILL the bum. Put him to death. I pulled the switch. OH wait now they do the injection thing. OK, I'll give him the injection.
OH for all who want to ban it. Think about this. LIFE in jail is at OUR expense. And now a days, LIFE in jail amounts to only a few years and he gets back out to do the CRIMES all over again.

Answer 6

no i think when a person is sent to death row they should be put to death because it is taking our tax money to take care of them. i am from Texans i support the death penalty

Answer 7

Kill someone, because they killed someone? It really doesn't make any sense, does it? To kill the accused makes us no better than them. Dying is the easy way out ... to rot in jail is a much harsher punishment ... IMO.

Answer 8

For those of you that answer this question in the affirmative, how would you feel if it was your wife, mother, sister, that was raped and killed? What say you now?

Answer 9

yes, or the world will be in danger and jails will be crowded.....no, all lives are precious.....but i prefer yes

Answer 10

Yes. It's barbaric and accomplishes nothing.