Do you believe in the death penalty? why or why not?

Here are some of the legal issues involved of why I am against it:
http://www.aclu.org/DeathPenalty/DeathPenaltyMain.cfm?ContentType=&ContentStyle=5&num=1000

But even if all of those reasons aren't there, I am against it on a spiritual level. It seems to be fighting fire with fire. Solely to quench our thrist for revenge. I am not sure it is a good thing to have state sanctioned indulgence in the acting on a desire to kill.

That said, there are probably some people that the world would be better off without. I don't particularly feel bad if they have some accident or if God were to just snuff them out in the night.

I guess I am with Ghandi- An eye for an eye leaves us all blind.

Just found this. Very interesting. People's last words before execution.
http://members.lycos.co.uk/robots/

Interesting, yet disturbing.

I am uncomfortable with the fact that there are innocent people on Death Row and that innocent people have been executed. There's simply too much room for error.

Well I voted yes. But since I live in Canada, it doesn't really matter, since the death penalty is not used here.

I guess I have just heard too many stories about rapists and murderers getting out of jail and doing the exact same crimes again. Some people can't be rehabilitated.

And yeah, I guess it is mostly about revenge. And maybe that is petty, but frankly, if someone raped and murdered my relative or friend, I would want them to die. I suppose that's why the family and friends don't get to decide the punishment.

I voted "in some cases" because I can't say that I'm opposed to the death penalty in all instances. While I agree that the use of the death penalty as some form of societally sanctioned retribution in and of itself may be morally questionable, I do think that a convicted premeditated murderer that displays a clear likelihood of being a continuing life threatening individual, even in prison, should run the risk of being exposed to, and even dealt with, in this fashion for the overall good of society. I harbor no illusion that it is a good answer, but rather a necessary evil in some egregious cases.

I'm 100% against it. I'd rather see a guilty person locked up for life rather than risk seeing an innocent person die. There are so many cases coming up now where DNA testing provides new evidence and leads to the release of prisoners.

I'm glad that it's not an issue in Canada.

I chose "In some cases." If there is no doubt whatsoever then I may be for it. And I know that's how it's supposed to be but that's not always the case. If someone is caught in the act or confesses then I'd be more inclined to say yes. Same for those who kill police officers.

And to expand on what Tsila mentioned, I know many people are against the death penalty but what if it were a relative or child that were raped and murdered? What if you saw them do it? What if they showed no signs of remorse? You'd still want the person to live? I'm sure most people who are anti-death penalty would say yes but I highly doubt they mean it.

Originally posted by Michael

And to expand on what Tsila mentioned, I know many people are against the death penalty but what if it were a relative or child that were raped and murdered? What if you saw them do it? What if they showed no signs of remorse? You'd still want the person to live? I'm sure most people who are anti-death penalty would say yes but I highly doubt they mean it.
I have no doubt I would want to see the murderer of my loved ones dead. I would probably fantasize about it at night. But that doesn't make it right to actually do it. And it doesn't mean acting on these violent desires would be good for me or our society. We have lots of strong emotions, and being rational beings who want to rise above our fear and hatred, we don't always act on those feelings.

I also wonder if following 20 years of court procedings and before finally watching a man killed is psychologically health for a family. No doubt it is hard knowing someone is still alive who killed your wife, son, etc. But even after the execution, they still have grieving to do. As far as I know, the death penalty has yet to bring any victims back from the dead. Instead, it may just create one more grieving family (the family of the person sentenced to death).

NOTE TO SELF- one more thing to add to will. Instruct that if I am murdered, I do not want anyone else killed "in my memory" or in the name of "justice". I don't want to be memorialized that way. I'd rather my family get therapy, remember the good times, and hopefully move on with their lives the best they can, hopefully finding some good in the situation, like helping other families effected by violence.

I would think that lifetime imprisonment after having raped a child would be much greater in terms of "revenge" than merely snuffing someone out. If you take someone's life, they're dead. They're gone and are out of sight and no longer have to deal with their actions, and if it's revenge per se that someone really wants, wouldn't it be preferable to have whoever committed the crime behind bars for life with no chance of parole and at the mercy of the "behind bars justice" that fellow inmates bestow upon those who have committed particularly heinous crimes?

I wouldn't wish death upon someone, and this is an honest answer. I do "mean it". I would think that removal of that person's freedom and giving that person a lifetime to be aware of that removal would be sufficient punishment. If there's any question of whether or not that person would be released early, than it becomes more an issue of prison / legal reform than it is one of capital punishment.

I am against the death penalty for all cases- simply because I don't think you can say it's ok to kill some people for their horrendus crimes and not others.

If someone was guilty of murdering or raping or torturing someone close to me of course I'd want them to suffer. But, like Thalia said, that doesn't mean it should be made a law or it doesn't mean it's right.

What message are we sending by saying "It's not ok for you to kill others, but it's ok for us to kill people, because we're the government"? I just don't think it's right.

Not to mention the fact that I think a quick death is too good for some of those criminals. And, I also think that although with DNA testing and everything we can be fairly certain, I still think there is too much of a chance for error.

Originally posted by Michael
And to expand on what Tsila mentioned, I know many people are against the death penalty but what if it were a relative or child that were raped and murdered? What if you saw them do it? What if they showed no signs of remorse? You'd still want the person to live? I'm sure most people who are anti-death penalty would say yes but I highly doubt they mean it.

I think sharing a cell with Big Bubba for life is allot greater punishment than death.

i don't think killing someone teaches them that what they did is wrong. and in my belief system, if a person doesn't fullfill their lessons required of them, they come back and repeat them later. so if you kill a murderer will it only make them destined to be reincarnated as another murderer? because they haven't been able to learn from their actions and move on.

but i don't like the way the prison system works right now. i think it needs to be changed drastically, the number of "rehabilitated" ex-cons who end up back in jail later for the same types of crimes really shows that the system doesn't work. and i have serious problems with the fact that prisoners can watch tv and get college educations. they're supposed to be getting punished, not given free education that innocent people have to work hard to pay for. and even children who disobey their parents don't get to watch tv!

Actually, I think that the reasons they're imprisoned are to protect the public and to reform them (hence some people getting released earlier for good behaviour once they've "proven" that they're no longer a threat to the general public and that they've come to show remorse).

LF, if convicts are not given education how will they better themselves and bring themselves out of the cycle that put them into a position inwhich they felt it necessary or ok to commit a crime in the first place? it is through education that convicts can be rehabilited, and in my mind education should be mandatory for those convicted of crimes who may eventually be released from prision, so that them may be of some use to society when they are released.

i agree they should get education. but i don't think they should have college and university degrees handed to them for free.

doing it through correspondance doesn't give them hands on experience anyways, they should work something out where if they want an education they can do a full program and work to pay it off in the future

I'm totally against it under normal circumstances. We have means of preventing criminals from harming others without taking their lives.

If you're stuck on a desert island with a homicidal maniac, that's a totally different story. But we have the option of locking people up for life if necessary, and that's what should be done.

Peace,
Maggie

I like this quote: I am a product of your creation. I responded as programmed....you seem to think that executing criminals is the answer, but an overhauling of our entire society is the real answer. No matter how sterilized and sanitized you make this execution, it is still murder.....you are as much guilty as I am and will be held accountable one day": William Boyd Tucker, Georgia, 5/29/87.

I forget what I was watching when I saw this but someone was being interviewed about their views on the death penalty (I almost seem to recall it was a corrections officer or something) and they said something to the effect of when a person commits murder, it is usually an irrational act. Crime of passion. Killing committed because of mental or emotional problems. (I'm not doing it justice but I'll continue.) But a jury decides to kill someone in a rational, well thought out, very pre-meditated manner by people who are supposedly of sound mind. And that was a much more frightening propect to him. Does that make sense? I wish I could remember the quote exactly. It really made me think.

As far as what prisons do... I've listened to what some ex-cons have to say, as well as what people in prison ministry have to say. In prison, the inmates have no more than 15 decisions to make every day. Pretty much everything is decided for them, what to wear, what to eat, etc. Once the inmates are let go out into the 'real world', they are stunned by the almost 'culture shock' of hundreds to thousands of decisions to make every day. I know of one prison chaplain who says that jail protects inmates from facing their problems. Once they get out into the real world, they have to readjust to governing their own lives in a way that was decided for them while they were in jail. He says that often, the ex-inmates turn right back to their old habits and ways because if they learned any good habits in jail, they weren't grounded in real-world application. I spose it's a lot easier to have 'good behavior' when so much is determined for you.

And I am for the death penalty in certain situations. The evidence has to be completely conclusive and contain at least two eye witnesses. Circumstantial evidence isn't enough, and I know plenty of psychologists who say that human testimony alone shouldn't be enough to convict someone of a capital crime: some other evidence must also be present.

I disagree with it completely. An eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind.

I think I'll just sit back and watch this one...get the popcorn.

MRB is gonna be a lurker. Uh oh.... ;)

I like blind people. :)