Will you help me with my survey?

Question

I am doing a survery for one of my classes. I dont make up the assigments so please dont accuse me of making generalizations etc. It's a simple class assignment that I need to conduct. Please answer yes or no and explain why you feel this way. Again, dont use my question as a venting tool. Simply answer yes or no and explain. If you dont like the question, dont bother responding. Thank you

Do you beleive in the death penalty? Yes or No...please explain your answer. Thanks

Answer 1

Yes, if you murder someone in the right mind, then you should die as well.

Answer 2

No...

1. easy way out for those who committed murder

2. waste of states money

3. "an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind" -Ghandi

Answer 3

i think yes

cuz if someone goes to jail for something really bad, he will escape or be set free only to do the same thing again. i know that it hurts people to see their loved ones get killed, but they did wrong. the only exeption is if u really believe the person has changed.

answer mine plz:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 4

No way! Two wrongs do not make a right!

Answer 5

Yes, for all pre-meditated murders and for all murderers of police officers and justice officials.

The death penalty acts as a deterrent to taking someone else's life.

With DNA forensics it is unlikely that an innocent person will die under the death penalty.

Answer 6

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., 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, 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 7

No. Death penalties are inhumane. It is a basic human right to live. You shouldn't abridge human rights.

Put it this way: if a person murdered, do you think that person should die too? If you answer yes, then that's precisely why we're human. We don't look at things in a "greater way". We just care about revenge. The age of Hammurabi's "an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth" is long gone.

Another, simply ending a convict's life would be pretty meaningless. Instead, if he were to work (community service), he can be made useful and who knows he might change for the better.

Answer 8

Yes...many people are against it until they have a love one taken away then their opinion changes. I think as long as you know right from wrong then its an eye for eye.

Answer 9

Yes

The Death penalty is in the Bible, it is a means of eternal imprisonment for people who don't repent, and is an economical benefit.

The Bible states that murder, rape, and a few other crimes are punishable by death.  This is not a guideline but real justice and should be followed.

When someone dies if they haven't repented then they goto h**l, this is what people deserve for something like rape.  However if someone repents then they are sorry for their crime and have turned away.  When the death penalty is served then, they goto heaven, a place much better than earth.  Meaning it's not punishment, it's grace.

Finally, it's possible that someone who murders or rapes can get out of jail.  If they do then what does that mean? no justice or half justice was served and that's wrong.

There is no reason to care if there is no death penalty, because jail is basically free food and a warm bed.

PS, I tried to use the "5 paragraph essay" rules that I'm learning to get my GED, so please don't think I'm venting, it's just my view in 5 paragraphs :-)

Answer 10

No. It provides an easy way for people who did horrible things to get out. I believe that they should have to do some form of labour or just stay in jail for life.

Answer 11

No.  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

Yes.  In this day in age, people come up with more and more vicious ways to commit crimes.  Truth be told many murderers, etc. commit their crimes in very torture some ways.  Their victims suffer to their deaths.  The constitution states that there can be no cruel or unusual punishment (and I strongly agree with that), so we can't torture them the way they tortured their victims.  Without it, all the criminals can do, is sit around, eat free meals and have a free place to stay at the tax payers expense.  Even if the death penalty does cost a little more money, I would (and I'm sure lots of others) would rather see the vicious criminals dead than living free on their expense.