The Death Penalty - What is your stance?

[Ultra Awesome]

The Death Penalty (also known as Capital Punishment) is one of the most controversial issues that the world faces to this day. Now, for those of you that aren’t aware of what the death penalty is, it is when a criminal is sentenced to death for a crime that he or she has committed. In other words, it is an execution.

In the issue over the Death Penalty, you have two sides. You have those that are against it, and you have those that are for it. Those that are against the Death Penalty usually give the common excuse that if we kill a criminal (said person) for a crime, then we are no better than them because we are doing the exact same thing that said criminal did---killing someone. Another common excuse is the “What if” statement. That being: What if the wrong person is executed by accident when it was really someone else who committed the crime?

However, those that are advocates of the Death Penalty also give their reasons as to why it is necessary. Common reasons include: saying that Death Penalty should be used as a “last resort” method of punishing a criminal. Meaning, it is the ultimate punishment for the most heinous of crimes. Other reasons include that those that do the worst of crimes deserve to die. They need to pay for the wrong that they have caused.

Obviously, there are many more reasons why people claim the Death Penalty should be advocated; and there are many more reasons why people state the Death penalty should be omitted entirely. So, thus brings me to the question(s) I have for you guys…

What is your opinion on the Death Penalty?

 Whatever your opinion may be​

Should the Death Penalty be permitted or should it be outlawed?

Basically, I’m asking for what is your stance on the Death Penalty. The Death Penalty is used commonly throughout the world; yet, there are places where the Death Penalty has been banned. But seeing as how the two sides to this issue are still on-going, I ask you guys, what is your opinion on the Death Penalty?

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

I'm ambivalent about it. While I think that there are some crimes heinous enough to warrant the death penalty (e.g., Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City bombings), I don't see it as a fit punishment for most of the crimes that it is deemed appropriate for. Also, I like looking at the death penalty from an economics rather than a moral perspective: it's been shown time and time again that it costs less to imprison someone for life than to send them to Death Row (court and legal costs are fucking outrageous).

 

[#hamler]

No, the Death Penalty is wrong.

I know most, if not everyone that replies to this thread, will disagree. But my stance on the Death Penalty is that is wrong for another human being to kill or harm another, no matter the cicumstance. I'm not religious in anyway, so that is not affecting my view on the subject. I get the argument for the Death Penalty. If your family is cut up in little pieces and killed I get that you want revenge. Well, take it. Go off and kill the son of a bitch. But prepare to suffer the consquenses. But to have the Government, which we trust to take care of us, to go out and basically kill an individual is wrong.

To my knowledge, there are five ways to be "put down" that all include electric chair, gas chamber, lethal injection, fire squad, or hanging. Yes New Hampshire and Washingston still allow the choice of hanging. All of these ways to be killed are all forms of cruel and unusual punishment in my book which is outlawed by the United States Constitution. It is mentally immoral to harm another human being. Would you rape a rapist, would you molest a child molester? Would you steal from a bank robber? No, because it doesn't seem right. That's because it isn't.

The Death Penalty should be outlawed for reasons explained above.

 

[HBK-aholic]

My stance on this changes. I'd have no problem with the death penalty being implemented because of the sham a 'life sentence' is. I realise that when a judge gives this it doesn't mean life imprisonment - but it should. If you commit a crime such as murder, or child molestation, you don't deserve to ever be released - yet how many people are? Today you can do almost anything, and in some point of your life be back living amongst the public. That's fair to who, exactly? Certainly not the victim, their family, or the general public.

In a perfect world I'd much rather see the perpetrator of such crimes locked up until they die, with the bare minimum diet, and nothing but their own thoughts to keep them company. I couldn't care less about their 'human rights' - with that should come human responsibilities. Not killing or abusing our most vulnerable should be one of them. I'd rather they suffer for a long time than be given the easy way out. However as that isn't the way the world goes, go ahead and kill the scum, it's not like they deserve more.

 

[Uncle Phatso]

I believe the death sentance should be allowed and used to the full extent. I'm not up for killing people who haven't killed. But in my book, three offences warrent the death sentance.

Disclamer :for thoes who might not like my view, I could give two shits less. Enough said this is a very rough topic for me.

Murder- Taking the life of someone, as simple as that. If you shoot, stab, burn or dismember a body thus killing them. You should be killed. This can go both ways, I have some tolerence for people who kill not on purpose. Ie: car accidents when they wern't drunk, or fighting off an attacker who has a weapon. Others apply, but in cold blood when you plan out the murder, bombings, home invasion, and others should be an auto death sentance in my book.

Rape- To me having 2 member in my family that have been raped this is one of the lowest forms of torture. Because if you've ever been raped or have a family member you know they are never the same after it. I seen my cousins go from productive memebers of the society to basketcases. They are afraid to go outside at times, they jump at small touches from even family members. This is a crime that goes beyond the bounds of a simple thing. Rape of a female is the second lowest thing a male can do, the same goes for male rape. I've never seen a case of "male" Rape by a female, but it can happen. If you forgoe the action of rape, you should automaticly be put infront of the gallows. Not fried, injected, or otherwise. You should be hung, that is my stance on it.

Child molestation- I'm not up to go into details about my full feelings for it. But this is to me is the lowest form of a human being. A child molestor as stated by many in the world is nothing, the lowest of the low. They should also face the death sentance.

I have my full reasons in my head, I'm not going out of my way to state them on the site. MY feelings have been stated, so let them be that stated and not quoted.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

There is, in my mind, crimes deemed unforgivable. Like Child Molestation. To take the innocence away from something so pure deserves the highest form of punishment in my opinion. It's inexcusable, and rehabilitation for the violators has in the past been ineffective.

Now I know that is only one example of a crime, but it's enough to make a decision on. I believe the Death Penalty is needed in today's society; jails are becoming overcrowded, and repeat offenders litter the streets. I look at this from a population's perspective- there are those who do not want to change for the better. They will keep doing what they do because people will keep throwing "rehab" at them. There are too many perpetrators in the world. I can't agree to letting an offender go free and call it therapy I'm sorry. Prison time does seem fair, but like I said they are overcrowding.

 

[Aeon Mathix]

I am very mixed on this issue to tell you the truth. Due to my morals (none having to do with my faith), if someone were to ask me "should this guy get the death penalty?" and the dude killed my family or something attrocious like that, I would probably say no. Just due to the fact that would my family really want that? Plus that would be too good for that person who commited the act. I would rather have them rot in jail for the rest of their lives and suffer rather than a quick painless death (well painless is arguable a lot of places do it differently).

So im extremely mixed on it. One side says nobody deserves death, and another says fuck it they had their chance and look what they did with it. I guess I would say im against it but just by a hair. In some cases I wouldn't mind in the slightest like with Bin laden or something like that.

 

[Minnesota Connection]

Does not matter what the capital crime is, I believe that no person should be killed purposely sanctioned or unsanctioned.

Certain crimes get your blood boiling but if you give in to that anger, that temptation, you are acting no differently then the person who committed the crime in the first place. Killing the killer, not out of self-defense, but after tying him down and methodically shutting down every organ in his body. (The needle...)

I believe once they commit a capital offense they should never see the light of day, that they have no rights... Their lives can be a living hell; they can wish they were dead all they want. Murdering someone for any reason is wrong; unless they are trying to apprehended.

 

[El Rev sXe]

Death penalty isn't justice, it is revenge. As simple as that, your child is raped, what are your first thoughts? "I want to kill this guy!". It is something understandable to feel that way but it is wrong to actually do it.

Some say that death penalty is a way to make an example out of it. However the whole point of jails and sentences is that the criminal is going to be punished for his actions but at the same time is going to be rehabilitated in the society (obviously in practice there are many things to question but this isn't the place to do it right now). So how are you going to make that if you kill every single criminal? What would be the point of laws if someone rapes or murder someone if at the end heis going to have the death penalty?

As the OP said, how does that makes you better? You kill the person that kills? There isn't any logic there, this isn't "an eye for an eye". Why this person would've been convicted to death for killing someone açbut not you, the one that kill him? It's a paradox of the system...

I insist, death penalty isn't justice, it is revenge.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

As a Corrections Officer, I've seen a lot of inmates pass through the system and there is simply no clear cut, 100% effective answer to this question, in my view.

The majority of inmates I've dealt with have been incarcerated for nonviolent offenses, most of which have involved drugs to one degree or another. Every now and then, someone convicted of violent felonies will pass through and there's one in particular that stands out.

Not too long back, a year ago maybe, we had an inmate convicted of 1st degree rape & murder housed in the facility until he could be transferred to a more secure facility. There was no doubt whatsoever that he'd done the crimes, forensic & DNA evidence was overwhelming but they never found her body. He refused to tell authorities or the woman's family where he buried her body so her family could give her a proper ceremony. He had no remorse for what he did and I actually heard him say that he hopes that they'll never have a moment's peace, not a moment's reprieve from their grief. That's why he refuses to tell them where he stashed her body. He says that he raped her both before and after she was dead and the forensics they found indicated that the woman had been gutted and dismembered.

There are truly evil people in the world, people that honestly have no regard whatsoever for the lives, safety, and general well being of other people. People like that inmate, in my opinion, do deserve the death penalty not only because of the severity of the crime but because there's also no doubt whatsoever that he committed the crimes he was convincted of.

I do believe that the death penalty is handed out far too much in some states and in cases in which there is still some degree of doubt regarding guilt. Over the course of this decade, there have been many men formally cleared of charges they'd been convicted of through DNA evidence. Men that've been in prison for decades, convicted of crimes that they didn't commit. That's awful, it really and truly is awful that happens sometimes. The only small consolation is that those that've been falsely convicted were eventually freed. Can't do that with someone six feet under.

The system is far from perfect and there are so many things that go on within the system that weigh upon a person's guilt or innocence. During trials, both defense attorneys and district attorneys are able to get evidence supressed all the time that could potentially convict someone or provide reasonable doubt among some jurors. Sometimes, you hear about police officers cutting corners here and there, maybe shaving the overall truth just a little bit in order to make things go perfectly in line. I can't tell you how many guys have passed through where I work that've been sent there based almost entirely on eyewitness testimony. Study after study has shown the unreliability of eyewitness testimony and it's scary to think how many people have been wrongly convicted because of those mistakes.

The system isn't perfect, nobody wishes that it were more so than me because I've seen people and entire families have their lives shattered. And sometimes I know deep down in my heart that there are people in here that don't deserve to be in here. In most cases, I'm against the death penalty because conviction is not a 100% certainty far too often. When it comes to strapping someone down and injecting them with poison, then 100% certainty is something I'd have to have. It's an incredibly high standard I know, but it should be an incredibly high standard, the highest in my view.

 

[MizFit]

In my opinion, yes the death penalty should be permitted. But only in extreme cases.

Now let's say someone commits a string of murders, or something along those lines. If you are proven to be guilty and it has been proven you comitted these crimes, then yes you should be executed. You took other people's lifes, so yours should be taken too. Now there are other terrible, hanous crimes such as child molestation and rape that warrant some serious punishment, but I feel the death penalty is a little too extreme for these cases. But these people definatly need prison for the rest of their lives.

So yes, the death penalty is a needed punishment in my opinion.

 

[LSN80]

Im thoroughly against it. I don't feel people who have committed such heinous crimes should get off so easy. I believe they should have to spend the rest of their lives behind bars with the bare minimum needed to maintain their existences. Of course, the evidence against the person would have to be so insurrmountable that there's no way they possibly could be innocent.

I always think of "The Life of David Gale" whenever I hear someone mention the death penalty. Kevin Spacey is brilliant in the way he manipulates the system in order to orchestrate his own "execution" based upon the insurrmountable amount of evidence against him. He was doing this to prove a point, and that the system is inherently flawed, and he made the ultimate point in how he did it. He was completely innocent.

That being said, those cases where people are set free due to wrongful conviction are few and far between in cases involving the death penalty. Those who are spend so much time on death row that they have every chance to be proven innocent. Im still against it, as i feel that it is too good and too easy of an out for someone whose committed such a heinous act. To allow someone the luxury of dying such a quick death after all of the pain and sufferring they have caused is too easy. I feel that they should spend the rest of their lives getting the bare minimum that is needed to survive. If someone in my family was brutally murdered, raped or sodomized, Id like nothing more then to know that they've had to spend the rest of their days rotting in prison, rather then getting an out through execution.

So based on the fact that there are inherent flaws in the legal system that DO have people executed who are later proven innocent, I am against the death penalty. My second argument against it, obviously, is that it is too easy an out for someone who has committed such a heinous act that is considered "worthy" of the death penalty.