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Well, I know the Death Penalty makes a lousy deterrent, but I couldn't care less. I know it will, at least, deter the person convicted from repeating their crime - EVER. These people did horrible acts against other human beings. How can one expect someone like that to be "rehabilitated" - especially when it's your own tax dollars that are doing it?

My only problem with Capital Punnishment is that it takes too long and isn't done enough...

....let's look at Iraq: when Sadam Hussein (and quite a few of his cronies) were tried by his own people it took them quite a while to try him, but once the sentence was in, it took them less than a week before he got the noose. Good for them! Perhaps, we could take a look at the people that we're trying so hard to help civilize. They seem to have some good ideas that we can learn from while we're teaching them ours...

-Ferret

Some people just look better dead...

For,
What ever happened to the good old days of hangings? At least most of the times you got the right guy.
So there's been a few casualties to the innocent in this department. But if the O.J. Simpson trial's taught us anything, it's that you can can get away with murder if you know the right people and have the right amount of cash, in front of public eyes.Getting back to the death penalty.
For the most part I'm Pro-Death Penalty. Why? Think about this, most of the people on death row have either killed someone raped and killed someone, robbed, rapped and, killed someone, or have committed other crimes of the same nature, and then we turn the other cheek and try to pretend there's sympathy for people like that?
Where's the Justice in that?

Murderers obviosly have no respect for the life of human beings. Why should we condone that? Why should we waste our money so that they can live, if they don't care a single bit if we live? In the case of proven guilty murderers, I am definately pro-death penalty.

In the case for rapists and sexual offenders, they are just sick, and they should either get the death penalty ((a cruel one!)) or should spent the rest of their life in 5x5 box with nothing but a hole to pee in. They should pay for their injustices. THese cases, where these perverts get out in like a couple of years or so, make me SICK!

I personally believe we have no right to judge another human being. God knows what was going through the persons mind. God knows why they did it. God knows what type of a person the "criminal" is. We have no idea. I'm not saying we should let the killers run around willy nilly as they please. I think life in prison is punishment enough. I understand that the victims of these people would want to see the person dead. But I'm just saying I don't think it's right. And when I say life in prison, I mean just that. Life in prison, no parole. I hate the idea of parole. I hate the fact that Mark Chapman and Charles Manson get offered parole every few years. I know they're always denied parole, but I think it's disgusting that they're even offered parole. I would say that certain people should be offered parole after 20 years or something, depending on their crime, but then it becomes unfair as to who judges the extent of the crime. It just becomes easier if Life in prison means life in prison with no parole.

Apologies Sanam, but I will have to totally disagree. Doesn't a person's rights need to be taken when they commit a crime? If a murderer has that much disrespect for God's creatures than I have less for that person. God created a race that's been perverted by our own ambitions, and the death penalty is one way to try to curb such problems.
Economically, the Death Penalty is cheaper than keeping someone in prison forever. If a 21 year-old goes to prison for life, than we are paying for his room-and-board, medical help, and even "CABLE!" If we kill them sooner than we don't have to pay for such amenities. Plus, by relieving the prisons of these terrible murderers, rapists, and others, we increase space in the prisons.
The only problem I have with the Death Penalty is the Appeals process. Most people who go onto Death Row have nothing to lose so they appeal the crap out of their decision. This also wastes valuabel court time and money. I think a limit should be imposed on such needless appeals.
But anyways, an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. They killed someone, they deserve likewise.

No problem stringbean.
I found a site, I don't know how legitimate it is, but it states that death penalty is not cheaper.
http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-murderersalive.htm
But that's not even my main argument. There are stories that I've read of people who were given life in prison. And after a few years new evidence comes up that proves the person was innocent. What if that person had been put to death?

Oh, I know that taking the time to execute person does take more time and money sometimes than putting them away for 25-life. This is a problem.

It's not necessarily a deterrent, because these days people that commit the crimes aren't afraid of death when they actually perform the acts.

As for us not being able to judge each other? I think I'll stick with my self-righteousness on this one. I'm not into killing/raping/child-molesting. I think that makes me better than those that do. Call me arogant, but that's just how I feel.

The problem with the Death Penalty is the actual execution of the sentence (pun intended). We need to change the appeals process and try to hurry up the process so that the friends and families of the victims might get a little closure so that they can get on with their life. Also, if it's done quicker (AND TELEVISED!) it might send a message that society is not going to put up with these acts.

To be honest, I couldn't care less about the "deterent" factor. I'm more concerned with the PUNNISHMENT factor. Remove these people from society before they prey on someone else.

-Ferret

Welcome to Crazy Tex's Gallows! Please take a number and wait over there...

televised? I'm thinking that will have no effect (affect? :) ) on anyone that it actually should. Like all these anti alcohol things that come to my school. I'm the one who ends up crying when i hear the lectures. I'm the one who ends up becoming paranoid when driving. I'm the one who panics when my mom goes driving at night becuase i'm scared of drunk drivers. I DONT EVEN DRINK! All the kids in my class who get drunk laugh during the lectures. It has no affect on them. I think televising won't help. But then again, if it helps change the mind of one person, that's a plus.
O no, am I responding to Ferret.....run! lol

I dont believe in Death penalty because doing so will have to make me also believe in murder.

With that said I do believe in punishing this murderes, rapist,drug dealers,or even plunderers by cutting off their extremities. Yes, I believe that by doing these things and after letting this criminals back out in the society is a harsher punishment than by simply sitting them on a frying chair or injecting them with poison that could very well be put in a better use (with the rats population that are infesting new york city underground sewer system). I cant understand why the goverment is spending billions of dollars housing these criminals in jail houses with beds and feeding them 3 or 2 times a day with money they can use to pay for education of MANY CITIZENS that will someday be serving the society in the future. I believe this are money not spent wisely, with regards to paying for the rehabilitaion of these people espcially those repaet offenders. What makes our goverment thinks that throwing them to jail over and over would make them think and change for the better. It's about time to totally re-think our strategy on this thing, in my opinion.

Wow...this is such a good question!
I have recently been reading a book by John Grisham called The Innocent Man, which is a true story about *obviously* an innocent man on death row trying to prove that he was innocent. You really start to find out the truth about prison and death row...
I have ALWAYS been for the death penalty and never questioned it. You only get sentenced to death if you done something horrible obviously, and sure there is always the qeustion if there are people that slipped through that aren't guilty and are being punished for a crime they didn't commit. But for that I say the LAWYERS need to try and do a better job at proving their clients aren't guilty if they aren't...
but to make a long story short, I still believe in the Death Penalty. They treat the inmates horrible, don't get enough food, all around suffering, which they DESERVE for doing the HORRIBLE things they have done to put them there in the first place!!
If more people were for the death penalty, maybe there wouldn't be as many crazy things happening nowadays, cause they would KNOW what would happen to them if they did something that could get them in the electric chair (or w/e each state would pick)

i have mixed feelings. I used to be all for it, with the whole "you kill us we'll kill you back" kind of thing. In my head sometimes that works, but I think, thats just as good as letting them go, kind of easy way out. If they have to sit there in jail...for life...with no tv..or anything special like some prisons have granted prisoners have, then that is punishment. a cell by themselves. to me that would be more cruel. and make the food taste really really bad. seems like better punishment.

There are a lot of different things to consider with this subject... The short answer is that I agree with the death penalty but only under certain terms. If a man has been drinking which a lot of us do, get's in his car and hits someone it is man slaughter and that I agree with. Noone has any business to drink and drive. Do I think that person deserves to be considered a monster? Noway! He should be that guy that spends his life in prison. If someone is a true brutal killer. Kill the person! My opinion is that why should that guy waste my tax money? Lets work on lowering crime rates and putting our hard earned money towards other equally important matters. There are plenty that are neglected.

I think that perhaps the more appropriate question would be if we support the death penalty we have, or if we would support a reform in death penalty legislature. Use of DNA evidence before implementation of the death penalty (with some exceptions of course- such as technological evidence) would reduce the concern and the possiblities of executing the "innocent man."
What also needs to be considered is the level of defense that the accused is getting- any judge or individual should step in if a defendent is not getting a "fair trial", but as we have seen that is not always the case.

I totally disagree with the death penalty. I think its way worse for a criminal to be locked up in jail for the rest of his/her life then to be put to death, with is actually way more expensive to do then a life sentence. I would make them make license plates and have a long and pitiful life behind bars.

there can be innocent victims put to death when we have the death penalty. If they were just sentenced to life possibly in the future they have a chance to be free and found not-guilty.

I support the death penalty but only in cases where the convicted is guilty and there is no quiestion as to his conviction. If there is even the slightest sliver of a chance that they didn't do it then they should not receive capital punishment (or technically convicted).

I know that everyone reading this is thinking duh but if you have ever watched Paradise Lost then you would agree. Paradise Lost is about three teenagers that were covicted of killing and three young boys in West Memphis. The case has MANY flaws in it. Two of the teenagers were sentenced to life and one is on death row.

I think that it is better to let ten killers go free than kill one person who was wrongly convicted.

Every year, millions of people lose their lives due to natural disasters, war, hunger, disease and crime. The loss of these millions of lives often could not have been prevented. Yet the loss of thousands of lives due to murder could have been prevented. Murder is a voluntary action, and those who commit it are driven to murder again and again. These dangerous people cannot be tolerated in society, and neither do they deserve our tax dollars for their upkeep. For this reason, I support the death penalty. DNA technology has made the risk of putting an innocent person to death almost nonexistent.

Those against the death penalty often say that by taking the life of a murderer, we lower ourselves to their level. This is an outrageous comment. If we tolerate murder, we lower our expectations and values as a society. Those who take the life of another, forfeit up their own.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We as American’s are entitled to enjoy these rights. As American’s, it is our duty to stand against those who oppress and threaten our rights. Unless the life of a killer is considered worth more than the life of the victim, we cannot stand for the atrocities committed against our rights, and our citizens. Capital punishment provides deterrence against future murders, and brings those to justice who infringe upon the rights of others. I stand for capital punishment, not for violence, not for revenge, but for justice.