Death penalty?

[Lukeee]

Are you for or against capital punishment?
What offenses deserve it?

 

[LoveIsNow]

Being that life (whether it comes from nature or some deity) does not come from the government. I don't see how the government has the right to take it away, even as retribution.

P.S. Darkcap2008. I see you in the poll responses. You sure were gone a long time.

 

[cityboy-stl]

I voted "for" but it is way over used. I can only support it in cases of particularly violent, brutal, heinous crimes where guilt is not really in question.

 

[Drebin]

It should be applied selectively.

 

[andysayshi]

I would rather 10,000 violent evil murderers in prison for life than 1 innocent person put to death by mistake.

 

[Mendax]

I voted "for" but it is way over used. I can only support it in cases of particularly violent, brutal, heinous crimes where guilt is not really in question.

This. A life for a life, basically. If it were up to me, the families of the murdered victims would get to be the ones who kill the murderer.

 

[kevbo]

Against it, hands down.

 

[DiamondSkin]

Innocent people sometimes get put to death, and it costs more to put people to death in America, so I'm against it.

Agreed.

I've seen far too many tales of the all-too-familiar story of an African-American man who was exonerated after 35 years of prison due to DNA.

Far too many black men were unjustly prosecuted and given the death penalty with lack of evidence and solely on the testimony of unreliable witnesses.

 

[BrownBoi89]

I'm against it and I voted that way in the poll, my reasons for being against it are various and have been mentioned by some posters already. There's always the chance of putting an innocent person to death, death to me seems like an easier way out than living a miserable life in prison, and in my opinion if we sentence someone to death for a crime they've committed, we're no better than they are.

 

[Horschallen]

I have always been for it.

 

[TickTockMan]

My uncle I was around a bit growing up was murdered in a fairly famous incident a few years ago in the L.A. area. The person that killed him was his boyfriend.

Long story short I didn’t really know how I felt about the death penalty, which his boyfriend was up for. I decided to get one book arguing for and one against the death penalty. I started with the book against because that is how I was leaning to begin with. The book was so asinine I didn’t even bother to read the other book.

The death penalty is a great idea, but only in very limited circumstances. In cases where violent offenders are caught and there is no doubt or signs of mental issues; the death penalty should be executed as soon as all appeals have run out. In most cases though making them “live” will be much worse for them and better as a punishment. Of course the entire system should be reworked first.

 

[frankfrank]

I'm against it and I voted that way in the poll, my reasons for being against it are various and have been mentioned by some posters already. There's always the chance of putting an innocent person to death, death to me seems like an easier way out than living a miserable life in prison, and in my opinion if we sentence someone to death for a crime they've committed, we're no better than they are.

More than just a CHANCE - it happens!

I think the tide is slowly turning, especially as people see prisoners who are cleared (after years or decades on Death Row) because of DNA, or evidence that was withheld during discovery, etc.

I'm still convinced that somebody having their FREEDOM taken away unconditionally for the rest of their life, without any chance they'll ever be free again, may be a punishment worse than death. For those who believe in the worst punishment possible for some crimes, that could satisfy it...

 

[Edward Twinkletoes]

Against it...the reasons for life imprisonment are relatively obvious.

It IS quite profitable for those who make their living in the prison industrial complex. They get paid to keep people alive in prison. Good reasons. For them. I guess when you've got to pay your rent, the fact that you make your living keeping human beings caged up like animals forever fades into irrelevance.

 

[CumAlong]

I voted against, although I believe that in some cases, it is deserved, and necessary. However, it needs to be done more effectively. It costs too much to have the death penalty as it is now. Take him behind the watershed with a pistol and get it over with.

Other than extreme cases, it is unnecessary only because of the chance of lose of innocence, and also because it costs the taxpayers too much money to put someone to death. Were it cheaper...my opinion would be a little more lenient.

 

[Pushyourluck]

Against it.

It simply isn't much of a deterrent. When the death penalty was in pace in the UK crimes were still committed, people still killed people. It doesn't work.

I do think the victims of crime should get more of a say in how the perpetrator is punished though. Within reason obviously.

 

[CumAlong]

Against it.

It simply isn't much of a deterrent. When the death penalty was in pace in the UK crimes were still committed, people still killed people. It doesn't work.

I do think the victims of crime should get more of a say in how the perpetrator is punished though. Within reason obviously.

That's debatable. All the states in the USA that had the death penalty were reported as safest for law enforcement to work. Top 3 most dangerous at the time of the study were cali, texas and florida. California with the largest death row inmate population was the most dangerous, followed by Texas with the most executions since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, and Florida which is the third highest in death row population and executions.

 

[Pushyourluck]

Highest death row population. The clue is in the sentence! There's a lot of criminals on death row. It didn't put them off committing their crimes did it?! LOL

 

[youngnihilist]

For it, but with major fucking reform. The reason why it costs so much to put people to death is they... sit on death row and never end up getting executed! We should be hurrying it through. You kill and you rape, you should fry. Right now child molesters get like 5 years. People who ruin lives forever get the equivalent of a slap on the wrist. They get released and just do the same shit all over again.

You can be all high and mighty about the "ethics" of this but when it hits close to home attitudes change. DNA testing makes things pretty damn accurate now.

 

[nafhoosier]

It IS quite profitable for those who make their living in the prison industrial complex. They get paid to keep people alive in prison. Good reasons. For them. I guess when you've got to pay your rent, the fact that you make your living keeping human beings caged up like animals forever fades into irrelevance.

Yeah, those poor people caged up like animals.

Especially the ones who raped little kids or slaughtered people.

They deserve much better treatment.

 

[nafhoosier]

I want to say I'm against capital punishment but as soon as I do a news story comes across my TV screen; describing how some child was brutally raped and murdered by some ravenous psychopath the night before. Then I'm for it again.

*shrugs*

Yes, we are all well aware of the costs it takes to implement capital punishment and the room for error in judgement when it comes to reasonable doubt.

But in all seriousness, its really hard to look at someone like say, Scott Peterson, and not be for it.