Community > Politics, Current News & Events

Topic: The Death Penalty
Dragoness Joined Wed 10/17/07 Posts: 23320	Wed 01/23/08 01:05 PM
Correlation doesn't prove causation (or in this case, lack of causation). I've been roaming the planet free for 23 years and I've never killed anyone. That doesn't mean that everyone who is free for 23 years won't ever kill someone. Some criminals who have killed people and later been released from prison have never killed anyone again. Does this mean that it is an effective rehabilitation and guarantee that NO criminal will do it again? No, and that is shown by the fact that some released criminals do kill again. As for the inmates on death row...while they are incarcerated they obviously cannot kill civilians (besides potentially prison guards, but that's not the issue here). But the point is that incarceration is not a 100% failsafe system...sometimes prisoners escape, or errors cause them to be released early or put on probation, etc. Some people feel that this is an acceptable risk to take in order to abolish the death penalty, others feel that it is too big of a risk. I think that's where the difference of opinion lies. Not all people that kill get the death penalty anyway. That is an issue not related to the death penalty. Our judicial system fails. We cannot discuss the failures of the system in this situation as it is a long drawn out affair. The failures of our judicial system is the main reason to not deal out a sentence that cannot be reversed on determination of innocence. We now know, especially with all the recent DNA exonerations, how many are falsey incarcerated. How many of have been on death row? I hold my government to high standards and yes it falls down on the job but I will continue to hold it to standards higher than those of an average citizen. Mistakes are not allowed in death dealing. Period.

soxfan94 Joined Mon 05/28/07 Posts: 3384	Wed 01/23/08 01:16 PM
So there's the core of it...you think that the mistakes made by the system aren't worth the benefit which "may" come from having the death penalty. Others would say that they are worth it. At that point there is no debating left to do, since it's been reduced to an opinion position. It's just good to know what each side is basing their opinion on. And for the record, I am decidedly anti-death penalty.

mnhiker Joined Wed 02/14/07 Posts: 3771	Wed 01/23/08 08:25 PM
The main reason I think the death penalty might be justified is the deterrent effect it will have on someone who contemplates doing a serious crime. Granted, there are people out there who are stupid, have serious mental problems or are just psychopaths or sociopaths who will do it anyway. But it could prevent some people from going down that path, thus preventing some serious crimes from being committed.

Dragoness Joined Wed 10/17/07 Posts: 23320	Wed 01/23/08 08:33 PM
The main reason I think the death penalty might be justified is the deterrent effect it will have on someone who contemplates doing a serious crime. Granted, there are people out there who are stupid, have serious mental problems or are just psychopaths or sociopaths who will do it anyway. But it could prevent some people from going down that path, thus preventing some serious crimes from being committed. No offense here but the states that have it are the highest murder rates. I personally think the people who are death penalty advocates are more likely to believe revenge is allowable so they are more likely to perpetrate violence. They do seem to be more violent in thought from my experience.

Lordling Joined Mon 12/31/07 Posts: 536	Wed 01/23/08 08:33 PM
No insanity pleas, no redemption, no rehabilitation; perpetrators of heinous crimes should die. Then again, they should only be convicted by a heavy preponderance of evidence; none of this "circumstantial" rubbish.

isaac_dede Joined Sat 11/24/07 Posts: 10632	Wed 01/23/08 08:39 PM
The main reason I think the death penalty might be justified is the deterrent effect it will have on someone who contemplates doing a serious crime. Granted, there are people out there who are stupid, have serious mental problems or are just psychopaths or sociopaths who will do it anyway. But it could prevent some people from going down that path, thus preventing some serious crimes from being committed. I agree that we should have harsher laws...for example caning it works. Look at Singapore they still beleive in caning and they have one of the lowest crime reates anywhere(also one of the most densly populated cities in the worl) and yes i do believe in the death penalty as well only in cases where the evidence is overwhelming(dna, etc etc) for the main reason of why use our tax dollars to keep someone alive in prison for 93years? do you know how much it cost to keep the average prisoner alive every year? roughly about 90,000 a year(that was back in 2002) i'm sure it's higher now though. That's just my opinion

mnhiker Joined Wed 02/14/07 Posts: 3771	Wed 01/23/08 08:40 PM
I don't think death penalty advocates are necessarily more or less likely to commit violence that the society as a whole. Has anyone done a study on that? I just think society as a whole is tired of coddling criminals. They are tired of paying taxes to have some psycho sit in prison with cable TV, not being required to work or do anything useful for society (though I'm sure he's spending plenty of time in the prison library reading up on the law to find out new ways to screw the system). He gets to see his family once in awhile while the victim's family has lost him or her forever. People are also fed up with judges giving lenient sentences to these degenerates.

andrewzooms Joined Fri 10/26/07 Posts: 2842	Wed 01/23/08 08:41 PM
I think the Death penalty should only apply to the ones in jail that have raped or killed multiple victims. I also believe the electric chair and lethal injection are cruel and unusual. The easiest way would just take a shotgun and shoot the guilty criminal in the head.

isaac_dede Joined Sat 11/24/07 Posts: 10632	Wed 01/23/08 08:43 PM
I think the Death penalty should only apply to the ones in jail that have raped or killed multiple victims. I also believe the electric chair and lethal injection are cruel and unusual. The easiest way would just take a shotgun and shoot the guilty criminal in the head. while i have to agree with you on the electric chair....i don't see anything cruel and unusual about lethal injection. the shotgun seems a bit gorish though

andrewzooms Joined Fri 10/26/07 Posts: 2842	Wed 01/23/08 08:48 PM
Injecting a person with poison defintly sounds like a slow and painful death.

footloose08 Joined Wed 01/02/08 Posts: 94	Wed 01/23/08 08:50 PM
Injecting a person with poison defintly sounds like a slow and painful death. So it should be hope they feel the pain they have caused greving families

mnhiker Joined Wed 02/14/07 Posts: 3771	Wed 01/23/08 08:51 PM
There have been mistakes made with the electric chair and lethal injection. The Governor of my home state of South Dakota stayed the execution of the first inmate to be executed since 1947 because of concern about the state's lethal injection process. Once that was straightened out, the state executed the man last year per his own request.

andrewzooms Joined Fri 10/26/07 Posts: 2842	Wed 01/23/08 08:52 PM
Bring back the guitine. Fast and efficient.

mnhiker Joined Wed 02/14/07 Posts: 3771	Wed 01/23/08 08:53 PM
The State of South Dakota used lethal injection, probably considered a lot more humane than electrocution.

andrewzooms Joined Fri 10/26/07 Posts: 2842	Wed 01/23/08 08:55 PM
Yeah but still how long does it take for the poison to work? I dont know

mnhiker Joined Wed 02/14/07 Posts: 3771	Wed 01/23/08 08:59 PM
Some people will take longer to die, some less. I believe this should clear it up some: http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/38325

footloose08 Joined Wed 01/02/08 Posts: 94	Wed 01/23/08 09:01 PM
i am all for the death penalty as long as the eveidence is 100% without a doubt that they are guilty. not like ron williamson (the innocent man by john grisham)that was just wrong. if you guilty may the devil live on ur soul forever. As for rape bring back the electric chair and fry their balls or string up from their balls. Paedophiles deserve none of this except concrete boots and send them fishing

andrewzooms Joined Fri 10/26/07 Posts: 2842	Wed 01/23/08 09:02 PM
2-10 minutes seems to long. just bring back the guitine.

mnhiker Joined Wed 02/14/07 Posts: 3771	Wed 01/23/08 09:12 PM
I read The Innocent Man. Good book. That's why there should be no doubt when someone is executed. There are a lot of cases where there is no doubt whatsoever as to who was the perpetrator of the crime.

isaac_dede Joined Sat 11/24/07 Posts: 10632	Wed 01/23/08 09:17 PM
i am all for the death penalty as long as the eveidence is 100% without a doubt that they are guilty. not like ron williamson (the innocent man by john grisham)that was just wrong. if you guilty may the devil live on ur soul forever. As for rape bring back the electric chair and fry their balls or string up from their balls. Paedophiles deserve none of this except concrete boots and send them fishing bring back castratation for first rape offense, second offence the rest of the genitals, third offense...death. IMHO