What do u think about the death penalty? Is it wrong or rgiht?

Question

Its a matter of morals. I don't believe in killing, even if the person who is going to the death chamber has committed. Two wrongs don't make a right.

Answer 1

I think there are some people who do not deserve to live, and the death penalty should be imposed quickly.

But, I would not want to be the one doing it.  

Answer 2

millions of dollars are spent on felons everyday to sit in prison cells for life because they killed somebody.

it's hard to have a concrete answer because it's so expensive to keep them alive in jail but then again it's expensive to kill them.

sometimes i say to just let them rot and suffer in their cell.

but if they decided to just line all of the criminals up execution style and shoot them in the back i would be all for it!!!!!!!  it's cheaper!

Answer 3

i thinks its wrong i mean if you kill someone that killed someone else does it doesn't change anything.  

Answer 4

I believe it is not used enough or quickly enough.  That is why it is not an effective deterrent to crime.

Answer 5

It is a necessary evil, that keeps people from doing very serious crimes.  Without it, some people would have no fear of being caught.

Answer 6

Cindy B -

I feel the same way.  In cases of capital punishment why not let victim's family member perform the execution after cooling off period?  Chances are many would opt for life in prison which is ok too since it costs less than the appeals process.

Answer 7

all for it.  it may or may not not deter further crime but it sure as h**l will keep that individual from committing anymore crimes and keep him from sucking up taxpayer money with a life sentence.  

Answer 8

I do not believe in the death penalty.  Two main reasons.   The first and most profound reason being based in ethics;

In almost all cases the death penalty is imposed upon a person who willfully takes the life of another.   This without questions one of the most atrocious acts one can commit.   However, the sentencing of death is ultimately similar.   We are not repulsed by the loss of life, we are repulse by the taking of life.   The death penalty is taking of a life.   Although it may be a life that we as people deem is not worth living, ultimately that is not our decision.

Secondly the judicial system is not perfect.   The chance that a person can be executed without actually having committed a crime is not a pleasant thought.  

Likewise the mere thought of putting your life int he hands of an imperfect system is frightening.

I would have to argue the point that a death penalty saves 18 lifes.  You will actually find murder is statistically less common in places where there is no death penalty.

Answer 9

Agreed.  I live in Texas (THE death penalty state), and I supported capital punishment for a long time, but the more I learned about it, the more I came to oppose it. In the end, several factors changed my mind:

1. By far the most compelling is this: Sometimes the legal system gets it wrong. In the last 30 years in the U.S. alone, over 100 people have been released from death row because they were exonerated by DNA evidence. These are ALL people who were found guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt."  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 to oppose it. If you need more, read on:

2. Because of higher pre-trial expenses, longer trials, jury sequestration, extra expenses associated with prosecuting a DP case, separate sentencing trials, 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 jurisdictions. 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 fosters a culture of violence by saying, ‘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 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.” Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (the architect of the 9/11 attacks) would love nothing better than to be put to death. In his words, "I have been looking to be a martyr [for a] long time."

5. Most governments are 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 10

I agree. Morally I think it is very wrong.

Answer 11

Unwise.  When you look at the death penalty system in action, you realize that the only purpose it serves is retribution or revenge and that there is a serious and continuing risk of executing innocent people.

129 people on death rows have been released with proof that they were wrongfully convicted. DNA, available in less than 10% of all homicides, can’t guarantee we won’t execute innocent people.

The death penalty doesn't prevent others from committing murder. No reliable study shows the death penalty deters others. Homicide rates are higher in states and regions that have it than in those that don’t.

Life without parole, on the books in 48 states, also prevents  reoffending. It means what it says, and spending 23 of 24 hours a day locked in a tiny cell is not a picnic. Life without parole costs less than the death penalty.

The death penalty is much more expensive than life in prison, mostly because of the upfront costs of legal process which is supposed to prevent executions of innocent people. (upfront=before and during the initial trial)

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 have testified 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. Speed up the process and we will execute innocent people.

Sources:

Death Penalty Information Center, www.deathpenaltyinfo.org,  for stats on executions, reports on costs, deterrence studies, links to FBI crime stats and links to testimony (at state legislatures) of victims' family members.

FBI   http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/data/tab...  

The Innocence Project, www.innocenceproject.org

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/COcostte... page 3 and 4 on why the death penalty is so expensive

http://www.njadp.org/forms/signon-surviv... for statements of victims’ families

Answer 12

Well I think some people deserve it but I think others deserve to rot in jail instead of getting the easy way out (death penalty).

But what if you got the death penalty and you really wasn't guilty?

Answer 13

Studies show the deterrent effect of each execution amounts to something in the neighborhood of 18 prevented murders.  Are you willing to trade 18 innocents to save 1 murderer?

When anti-Death penalty folks are willing to walk up to victim's families and tell them "we could have prevented it, but I felt the life of the murderer was more important than the life of your family member" you'll have a credible position.  But until then...

Answer 14

I have no problem with the death penalty.  At least the criminal won't be killing any more innocent people.