The death penalty.

I'm for it.

 

I'm against it. There have been too many wrongful executions. A case in point is Cameron Todd Willingham. He was executed about 10 years ago for allegedly burning his house down and killing his family. Five years after his execution with new technology the investigators concluded that there was no evidence for arson - the fire likely started on its own. So here is an almost undeniable instance of an innocent man being executed. In my opinion, even if the majority of executions are performed on guilty criminals, the slightest chance of error makes the whole system wrong. Let them sit in prison the rest of their lives. Anyway, the taxpayer expense of a life sentence is not much different from that of a typical capital punishment case. So the people in favor of capital punishment can't really use cost-savings as a basis.

 

I voted against it, but generally, I'm for it ONLY in the cases of the most extreme, degrading, and disgustingly heinous crimes. Here's an example:

In 2007, in Cheshire, Connecticut, Steven Hayes and Josh Komisarjevsky decided they were going to rob Dr. William Petit and his family's home, tie up the occupants, steal things and leave the family unharmed. Well after stealing what they could, they decided to force the mother to drive to an ATM and clean out their bank account. They bought $10 worth of gas, and when the got home, they raped the 17 and 11-year-old girls and took pictures of the attack, raped and strangled the wife, tied the girls to their bedposts, doused them in gasoline and set them on fire, and eventually burned the house down. The father survived, though he'd taken a few blows to the head with a hammer.

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While I'd be in favor of getting rid of the death penalty in cases like California's, where it's costing the state $100 billion a year more than if everyone on death row were commuted to a life sentence, but there are certain cases where a murderer deserves to die.

 

I only believe in the death penalty when it applies to murderers. Eye for an eye I guess.

 

Which leaves us all blind and dead. Causing more pain and death doesn't make anything right.

 

But do you think there's ever a case where it's deserved?

 

^ Or necessary?

 

For it.

 

Well, let's say a family watches their daughter get murdered by some stranger, and that stranger is up for the death penalty, and the family also would like to see the stranger executed for his crime. Would you just say "Oh, the death penalty is wrong, so we shouldn't kill the man that brutally killed your daughter."

When and if someone ever says that to a sad and grieving family, it just seems like a huge destruction of justice and the personal wants of a family.

And another thing is that executions aren't usually painful and cause suffering to the prisoner. Today, mostly poison or gas is involved, so it's not like executing someone is spreading "pain and suffering".

 

but that's the thing. to find "Justice" by seeing someone die? i mean, its just revenge and its really sad people find pleasure in that. if the murderer find pleasure in killing people, that makes you no better

and to be quite honest here, The death penalty seems an easy way out and life in prison is just a worse way of suffering mentally

 

I just believe that the family of the victims should have a hand in the prisoner's fate, and if they want the prisoner to die because s/he murdered their loved ones, then so be it. Some families find it highly unfair and heartbreaking that their loved one is dead and gone forever while the murderer is still alive and still has the possibility of getting out of the prison.

Another thing to mention is that a life sentence may not be for life. I think Mississippi or Alabama or whatever had a minimum life sentence of only 10 years. I might be wrong, so please excuse me if I am. Anyway the point is is that a murderer may still get out of prison because of good behavior or a reduced sentence.

A final thing to mention is that a life sentence isn't always a mental nightmare, especially to murderers. They're still alive, and they still have the possibility of becoming more dangerous or murdering another prisoner.

 

okay well, When You go to prison and your in there for maybe a good 5 years, Please let me know how you turn out okay?

 

No one should decide whether someone has the right to live or not - that's no one's decision to make.

 

Okay I will. What crime could be committed that would land me 5 years? If only being good looking was a crime...

 

Sure, the death penalty has been used for revenge purposes. But that doesn't mean it shouldn't exist.

For those who never actually clicked on the video, here's the psychopath test, which is also the basis for my argument:

On a railway, there is a speeding train. For those in the Illinois/Metro area, a Metra express train is a perfect example. For those that aren't, the Amtrak. For others not in the US, let's go with a freight. Nevertheless, this train has to do its job wherever it is. And this train is FAST.

On the railroad itself, there are several people who are STUCK on the tracks. And the train is QUICKLY approaching.

BUT

There is a very large man in front of you, who's mass would be able to stop that train no matter how fast it was going (I know this isn't entirely physically possible, but there are better and more accurate versions of this test). It would instantly kill him and spew all his brains out and all that fun stuff that everyone loves to know and talk about because it's on the fucking HEADLINES.

HOWEVER

All those people stuck on the tracks? They are all saved thanks to the great mass of that man who "bravely gave up his life".

This is where the death penalty comes in. And it's relevant because there are people who are totally nuts and will commit crimes (yes, even murder) whether or not they are in jail, prison, an asylum, etc.

Their crime is the train, and they are the guy with the huge mass.

It's not always about revenge. More lives could be saved BECAUSE that one was taken.

Funny enough, this is also the reason every country (except maybe Sealand) has a military. But that's a different topic.

 

How about you do your research and maybe you would know, smart one.

Point is, stay in prison for a good amount time and tell me how you turn out since you just know so much about how being in prison affects people.

 

Do you have to suddenly be so goddamn aggressive? I wasn't behaving that way towards you, yet you suddenly have to have an attitude?

 

Statistics have shown, it has no deterrence. How do I know? I did a research paper on it. I'm not that stupid but Im going to have to agree to disagree with you here.

---------- Post added 3rd Aug 2013 at 04:52 PM ----------

Oh, someone's angry. talk about aggressive. your taking my amusement as anger. how lovely. Tell me more.

 

That's irrelevant. I never said it had anything to do with deterrence. In fact, I said my reason for it was NOT because of it being a scare tactic. It's not about whether or not it will stop murders. Murders will always happen, sadly. There ARE those kinds of people in the world who are born and/or raised like that, or they've gone mental, or whatever. They exist. And statistics show that it's mostly those kinds of people that are in prison, anyway.

My reason for it is that BECAUSE it's not going to deter murder, that's why it's the reason it should stay. If there were no murders, we wouldn't have the death penalty in the first place (at least not in the US). It's not about deterrence, it's about saving more lives than what could potentially happen.

But as I've said, the only reason it should ever be executed is that the murderer has been proven to be that much of a threat, AND with documented evidence. So if they're going around the prison and the guards killing with the intent to kill 9 people and they get to 7 and that's the number that they've got documented evidence that 7 people have been killed BY HIM, then that's where it should end. And yes, while these still are people who are killed, 7 deaths is better than 9 deaths.

 

Agree to Disagree respectfully