Because all murderers, thieves, rapists, and terrorists alike have plenty of energetic potential for free labor, they CAN be utilized. So I don't support the death penalty.
I support the death penalty when someone else has unjustly (which can be defined many ways) killed another. However, I only support it if it's only going to be enforced. If the system becomes a joke where there's thousands of inmates on death row yet only 1 gets executed a year, there's better ways to put them to good use as Facial mentioned. - N
I only came here because I thought we were voting on which forum members we wanted disposed of. For the record, I voted None of the Above. I am opposed to death penalty because of the significant probability of executing the wrong person. [As an example, one of the last persons executed in the UK was recently granted a full pardon for wrongful conviction. Just forty years too late.]
I agree! The way it the death penalty is carried out now (or not!) is a joke!! If we're going to reinstitue the death penalty, it should be carried out within one year to give the legal defense time for appeals. At that time, execute the bastard! Baron Max
Totally against the death penalty - The fact innocent people have been and will be executed is (in this day and age) incredible. Even if caught red handed, why put them to death? Does it help reduce crime levels? Lets have a bit of sense here, instead of this "may God have mercy on your soul" attitude...
People are killed in terrible accidents every single day by the thousands, not even mentioning criminal activity. The death of one more ain't gonna' be no big deal ...except perhaps their own family members and KennyJC. Do you mourn as much for those killed in accidents? Do you mourn as much for the victims of violent crime as you do for the criminals? If so, you must be in mourning every single minute of your life ...kinda' tough to have fun if you mourn that much, ain't it? Because many people (most?? ...the majority??) don't want to feed them and house them and pay for them in prisons forever! We, society, do not need people like that ...even if they're in a large cage somewhere ...we don't need them, so we shouldn't pay to keep them in a cage!! Perhaps you should teach that to the criminals who commit the violent crimes and murder??? But once they've shown that they don't give a shit about other people's lives, why should we care about their life? FRY 'EM! Baron Max
That's what I was gonna say. You're against the death penalty because of the possibility of an innocent being wrongly executed? Hell, man, how many people have been wrongly executed? Not many. So a person gets wrongly executed, oh no. That person could have been killed in a car crash or some other unfortunate event. This is just the same -- an unfortunate accident. This basically all comes down to the similar argument of "could you kill one innocent baby to cure cancer for everyone in the world". Sure, it's not as beneficial as curing cancer for everyone, but it still has the same problem of many people vs one innocent. I'd much rather all the killers on death row ceasing to exist. That's less space wasted in this world. For the innocent person, their life has already gone to hell and is changed forever. Having that innocent person in jail all those years has caused more harm to us taxpayers and that poor person than if they were dead. Sure, it sounds cold-hearted, but hey, I'm merely dealing with reality here. Keeping a person on death row for 40 years before finally being executed is a complete waste of time and is more harmful to that innocent person than death. We shouldn't be putting off thousands of killers for that long all for the sake of a few unlucky innocent people. We all make decisions that affect others in a bad way that we don't know. We don't know if a person is innocent or not. Killing that innocent person is no different than making a decision at work to fire some people that could result in them being homeless, which you wouldn't know what happened to that worker, or whatever else you can think of. Shit happens. Deal with it. Just be fortunate that you haven't been unlucky in those ways. And hey, if you truly care about those innocents behind bars, have the state take your life instead of theirs. That's having the power to save their life. If you don't do so, you're not better than the next person, even us cold-hearted folk, because the end result in the same; the innocent person died when you had the power to stop it. - N
I'm not debating the topic. I am not open to a change of view on this point. Nor, I suspect, are you. I posted my opinion to meet the request of the thread opener.
My wild guess is that about 10% of people covicted did not do the crime for which they were covicted. Reasonable doubt = a ratio between guilty people out free and innocent people in Jail. The death penalty makes mistakes unfixable.
Well, leaving them on death row for umpty-eleven years is "unfixable", too! Being killed crossing the street is "unfixable". So what's the big deal? Mistakes, accidents happen all the time ...and innocent people die. And it's "unfixable" ....so what? We send the family a Hallmark card expressing our sympathy for the mistake, and be done with it! Baron Max
Thank you, Ophiolite, I appreciate the compliment. Although, ya' know, I often wonder just what "compassion" means? I mean, if a person is "compassionate" for, say, the people that he knows, is he "compassionate"? Or is a person "compassionate" only when he CLAIMS to feel "compassion" for everyone on Earth? ...including the most vicious rapists and serial killers? Baron Max
Well Moan Barx, it was the innocent persons who are executed who I was feeling compassion for. My compassion does not extend those who murder, whether the act is committed in a back alley, or from the comfort of a governer's mansion.....with a pen.
My feeling is this. If there is unquestionable doubt that the person did the crime, ie: caught on tape, the guy admits to it, etc. then they should be put to death for murdering someone in a reasonable amount of time. Likes Baron said, none of this keeping them in prison for 20 years letting him leech off the system. Now, with that said, if there is any doubt as to whether or not the person did it, then those in charge of figuring out the evidence for or against him should be given the needed amount of time to figure it out so that the charge can be proved or disproved. This reminds me of the co founder of the Crips who is getting ready to be put to death. It was proven that he killed a FAMILY, father, wife/mother, daughter, should he be allowed to live the rest of his life? Fuck no. He deserves to be put down like a rabid dog. For those that don't know the Crips are a (pretty much) nation wide gang here in the states. Arch enemies of the Bloods.
So your compassion is selective, just like mine, huh? But what I want to know is, of the people who are convicted and sentenced to death, how can YOU know which ones to feel compassion for and which ones to NOT feel compassion for? I.e., they're all convicted in a court of law! Yet, here you are proclaiming to be against the death penalty, when THAT is not what you should be concerned about ...you should be concerned about the justice system and the courts and juries. So, see, your compassion AND your concern is misplaced. Baron Max
IMO, the idea that it is OK to deliberately kill any person is morally bankrupt. Therefore, I oppose the death penalty.
I was just listening to a dead man talking. Stanley Tookie Williams. Dies in a few hours, but gave a radio interview by phone.
Only for multimurder. Minimum of 10 victims. About Tookie Williams: We've been discussing it in school, and our humanities teacher and us students are pissed that they are killing him. Tookie really turned his life around, from killer to nobel peace prize-nominee. Day-amm. Plus, the Crips kick ass. East Side, bitch!
James R, your poll is missing 'treason'. I believe treason is a crime where the death penalty is deserved. Baron Max: Interesting point. I find it amusing how 'compassionate' liberals harp on about the starving children in Africa, or the bums in the slums, feigning compassion. Obviously they don't feel ENOUGH compassion to actually motivate them into getting off their asses and doing something about it. Far easier to bitch and whine, giving the illusion of 'caring'.
