Do You Think There Should Be a Death Penalty For Some Crimes?

Question

Recently, in my state, a 20 year old male beat his girlfriends 4 MONTH old baby in the head so badly that the baby's skull was mush. They also found older fractures that were starting to heal. His excuse was that the baby wouldn't stop crying. The infant may survive, but with severe disabilities. Though I know we aren't suppose to play God, I can't see wasting tax payer dollars to keep this (man) piece of garbage alive.

Thank you all for your responses. I know that this is a controversial issue and I do repect everyones opinion, both sides. However, for the people that are opposed to the death penalty, let me pose it a little differently. If you happened upon someone trying to kill your infant child or grandchild, would you instinctively try to kill this person to save your child, or would you just stand back and say "it is Gods will "?

Answer 1

You are mistaken about the cost of the death penalty vs. life without parole. You don't have to sympathize with criminals like this or want them to avoid a terrible punishment to ask if the death penalty prevents or even reduces crime and to think about the risks of executing innocent people. Your question is much too important to settle without answers to these
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124 people on death rows have been released with proof that they were wrongfully convicted. 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

This is a Question with Many possible Answers. However, I feel that if a person can be justifiably killed (by police or a law abiding citizen) during the crime he/she is committing...then this crime should be have the 'Death Penalty' eligeability status. Example: The Rape of a Baby, in progress. If I were to come home, and my wife was knocked unconscious, & some sick pervert was raping my infant daughter, I would do anything I could to kill this Sick-O. And it would be totally justified! So this should apply as his penalty tomorrow as well. And don't think for 1 minute that these types of cases don't exist! God Bless

Answer 3

I'm sure I'll get a low rating for this answer, but I think the death penalty is too quick and painless. It also costs a lot more to go through the appeal process (the taxpayers foot the bill) than it does to keep them in prison for life. Child molesters are treated very poorly by other prisoners, I assume baby beaters are too. Let them have him. It's legal and off of our conscience. If he gets the death penalty, he'll be locked up on death row where no one can reach him until all of the appeals have been heard, etc.

Answer 4

I am pro death penalty. It costs the taxpaers 40 K per year to keep them alive for the approximate 10 year span they stay on death row. Many claim to have gotten "religion" by that time, what they actual got was plenty of time to think about there impending death . Did that baby have 10 years? Hell no! I got up to watch Ted Bundy be executed! Did those young women get representation or a reason for a reprieve from death ? Hell no!

Answer 5

The death penalty in general should be banned
What if the person is innocent of a crime and 20 years later we find out the truth Innocent people could be sentenced to death lol All anyones ever going to say is Ah well I didnt know thats just not good enough Now you have another family in mourning because of a stupid mistake and lol Let someone die because I dont want to pay taxes... were already paying taxes out the ***

Answer 6

FRY HIM!

We are MUCH to lenient on criminals in the USA and that is why our crime rates are so darn high.

We should execute child molesters, murderers and serial rapists. Give them 3 appeals and 3 years to appeal. Then a public execution so all the others can have a deterrent.

Also ALL jail time should be HARD time. No TV's, exercise equipment or anything. They should be made to work to pay their own way. Anyone caught smuggling in drugs or weapons should be executed whether it is a guard or a visitor. They can take courses and be trained for jobs in the outside world for when they get released but nothing else.

Make jail a place to avoid again and not the social clubs and training grounds they are now.

Until we get serious, there will just be more and more cases like this.

Answer 7

That is just so horrid.

I coudn't possibly defend keeping a sicko like that alive, but generally when governments have death penalties, they overuse them (look at Texas). I'd rather see sickos like that put away for life than see rampant abuse of the deathn penalty, as seems inevitable. Once it's commonly used, something like 1 in 10 or more are later found to have been actually innocent. If they're in jail, you could let them go. If they've been executed, you can't.

It also speaks volumes that a society feels justified in killing its own citizens.

Answer 8

I support the death penalty in cases like this and other brutal murder cases. Why should they live with free room and board when we have to work out butts off. An eye for an eye .

Answer 9

I used to believe and be all for the death penalty...but over the years I have seem countless stories of people being sentenced to death, and then having it overturned when DNA eveidence showed that they were not guilty....this is not a rare case, it happens every year in this country by over zealous D.A.'s that want to "get their man"...if you put even one innocent person to death, then your system of justice has failed, and we are then but one step away from being just like them. Sorry to say but the death penalty is not a detourant to real hardcore criminals, in fact our current system is so clogged up, that the only thing that we are doing is provding a few years of networking for the criminals to hone their skills.

Answer 10

I am with you totally but also if we put him in jail for his crime and let all the inmates know what he did to a young child I hear the inmates really don't get along well with people like that and give them what they deserve. Maybe we could put them in jail for a while just so they could get what the inmates what to give them and THEN give them the death penalty.