What is your opinion on the death penalty?

Question

and why?

Answer 1

The more I learn about the death penalty, the more I oppose it.

I see two major arguments made for the death penalty: Revenge and deterrence. I’ll address each one separately and then add some additional points below.

Revenge:
The criminal justice system is supposed to be about justice, not revenge. If we execute a criminal out of revenge, we are no better than the criminal. As part of this, people often say that it will give the families of the victim relief or closure. I have seen nothing that leads me to believe this is the case. Conversely, I have seen in many instances where the families expressed remorse and sadness due to the execution.

Deterrence:
The fact is, the death penalty does not work as a deterrence to crime. The Death Penalty Information Center fact sheet located at http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/FactSheet.pdf states in part:

· "According to a survey of the former and present presidents of the country's top academic criminological societies, 84% of these experts rejected the notion that the death penalty acts as a deterrent to murder. (Radelet & Akers, 1996)”

· “Consistent with previous years, the 2004 FBI Uniform Crime Report showed that the South had the highest murder rate. The South accounts for over 80% of executions. The Northeast, which has less than 1% of all executions, again had the lowest murder rate.”

Other Issues:
Permanence – The death penalty once applied is permanent. This would not be a big deal I suppose if we could guarantee that an innocent person never would be executed. However this is just not the case. If you spend any time on the website http://www.innocenceproject.org/ you will see 205 people that were cleared because of DNA evidence. These people spent sometimes 20 years in jail, many on death row for a crime that it was later proved they did not commit. I have always believed “better that a guilt man goes free than to impression or execute an innocent man”. Some people fervently disagree with that statement. I expect the story would change if they were the innocent one.

Costs – Many people believe that executing criminals is less expensive than keeping them in prison for life. Again this is simply not the case. There are two factors that drive up the cost of death penalty cases, the mandatory and automatic appeal process that is built in to ensure the death penalty is fair and appropriate in the case and the additional cost of maintaining a “death row”. The Death Penalty Information Center fact sheet states in part:

· “The California death penalty system costs taxpayers $114 million per year beyond the costs of keeping convicts locked up for life.”

· “In Texas, a death penalty case costs an average of $2.3 million, about three times the cost of imprisoning someone in a single cell at the highest security level for 40 years. (Dallas Morning News, March 8, 1992).”

Racism – There is an imbalance in how and when the death penalty is sought. Additionally, it appears to me that the death penalty is used in a disproportionate number of cases involving minorities particularly blacks. The Death Penalty Information Center fact sheet contains a great analysis of race and the death penalty.

In conclusion, I feel it is time to end the death penalty as I believe it does not serve the interest of justice.

Answer 2

Death penalty for heinous crimes --- if tough law does not exist then there is no fear or respect, i would rather say for the government not unless it is hard life in prison forever. There will lawlessness on streets. People think it is ok to do it because no one get sentenced putting innocent lives at stake. However, those who deserve death penalty must be given also an explanation space to understand his why.

Answer 3

the death penalty was banned in the 70's i think in the uk and is only used for high treason, pircay and burning her royal highness's shipyard, but it was abolished for a trail period of 5 years and it worked the thing is no matter what the crime is the point in imprisonment is to rehabilite and punish them, its like putting a child on a naughty step, its to make them think about what they have done wrong, but by killing them they are getting away with it and never having to pay for the thing they have done, in prison they should have to live with the crime they commited for the rest of there lives, and that means when somebody gets life, it should not be 20 years or what ever it is, it should be life. only god has the right to take somebodys lifand by argeeing with the death penalty you should really rethink your ethics about murder

Answer 4

I'm against it because I don't think that we, as people, should decide someone's death. (even if they do something to "deserve" it. It almost seems like revenge, which I think is wrong. They should definitely be put in prison. What will they learn if they are dead? I don't see it doing them any good. They should have to live with the guilt of whatever they did. Death is not the consequences of this particular situation. It would be if someone decided to step out in the road while J-walking. The consequence could be getting hit by a car and dying.

Answer 5

I used to oppose it.

But now that I'm older, life comes with many responsibilities that I may want to avoid, but at the same time, life is wonderful for letting me have all these responsibilities and letting me act out on my desires.

I appreciate life, despite heartaches.

Although it depends on how a person's criminal activities have affected others, if one of my parents or someone that I love is intentionally murdered....

Well, I hope I won't be involved in crimes.

I really don't understand what roles criminals, prisoners and ex-convicts play in our society. Are they better off dead? Will my life be any better without them? Will I have a better life than I do now without them?

I don't think I'm competing for jobs with many criminals. Aren't they contributing something to the workforce, too? Will people live in fear with more number of people being executed in prisons?

Anyway, I have more questions than answers.

I wouldn't personally execute a person, but I'm pretty sure someone else who has no appreciation for criminals will gladly execute them...I would pass on that job.

I think if too many number of prisoners get executed on a daily basis, I would get really scared for my own life.

Answer 6

I'm glad you asked. I believe the death penalty makes the world safer by ridding society of dangerous predators, and it benefits humanity to rid the gene pool of homicidal traits.

Answer 7

If you had an 8 year old daughter raped and murdered or buried alive like that girl in the USA earlier this year you would want that devil to die! If you are against the death penalty you would change your mind if that was your daughter or little sister! I say execute every child rapist on planet earth without mercy. Execute identity thiefs who destroy your credit. Execute every murderer. I say kill them all...hang em high!

Answer 8

i believe a life of miserable hard labor without any
kind of nice things such as cable TV is a more suitable punishment and deterrent except in such cases like the murder or rape of an innocent child in which case i think they should be tortured to death.

Answer 9

Fry em'. Seriously though, most people on death row, if not all, really deserve to be there. Keeping them in jail just costs good people their hard earned money.

Answer 10

I like it...If you murder someone why shouldn't you be murder yourself...Just think of it this way...if some ******* prick kills one of your family members would you want that person to live....hell no...and the rapist and child molesters...THOSE ****** ARE SICK....death penalty all the way...