Death Penalty, for or against?

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If all the pro-death penalty campaigners volunteer to die first at the hands of the executioner I'd be all for the death penalty - in their eyes the death penalty is a fine thing as long as someone else gets it.

We need to understand why people commit these crimes and learn from it....Show more

Against. I live in Texas, and I supported capital punishment for a long time, but the more I learned about it, the more I came to oppose it. In the end, several factors changed my mind:

- Mistakes happen. Since 1973 in the U.S., 139 people have been released from death row because they were exonerated by DNA and other new evidence (DNA is not available in most homicide cases). These are ALL people who were found guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt." A life sentence is reversible. A death sentence is not.

- Because of the legal apparatus designed to minimize wrongful executions, it costs taxpayers MUCH more to execute someone than to imprison them for life.

- It is not a deterrent - violent crime rates are consistently HIGHER in death penalty jurisdictions.

- It is inconsistently and arbitrarily applied.

- It fosters a culture of violence by asserting that killing is an acceptable solution to a problem.

- Many people argue “an eye for an eye,�� but those who claim to be Christian should already know that Jesus HIMSELF was against it (see Matthew 5:7 & 5:38-39, James 4:12, Romans 12:17-21, and John 8:7).

- Life without parole (LWOP) is on the books in most states now (all except Alaska), and it means what it says. People who get this sentence are taken off the streets. For good.

- Whether you’re a hardened criminal or a government representing the people, killing another human being is wrong. Period. “He did it first” is not a valid excuse....Show more

I’m against the death penalty but not out of sympathy for criminals. The death penalty isn’t an effective way to prevent or reduce crime, costs a whole lot more than life in prison, and, worst of all, risks executions of innocent people.

The worst thing about it. Errors:
The system can make tragic and irreversible mistakes. In 2004, Cameron Todd Willingham was executed in Texas for starting the fire that killed his children. Multiple forensic experts have since found that the arson "science" his conviction was based on was actually just junk science. As of today, 139 wrongly convicted people who were sentenced to death have been exonerated. DNA, is rarely available in homicides and can’t guarantee we won’t execute innocent people. Obviously, if someone is convicted and later found innocent you can release him from prison, but not from the grave.

Crime reduction (deterrence):
The death penalty doesn't stop others from committing murder. Homicide rates are consistently higher in states and regions with the death penalty than in those without it. The most recent FBI data confirms this.

Punishing and keeping killers off the streets for good:
Life without parole, on the books in 49 states (all except Alaska), also prevents reoffending. It means what it says, and spending 23 of 24 hours a day locked in a tiny cell is no picnic. Two advantages:
-an innocent person serving life can be released from prison
-life without parole costs less than the death penalty

Costs, a surprise to many people:
The death penalty is much more expensive than life in prison. The high costs of the death penalty are for the complicated legal process, with the largest costs at the pre-trial and trial stages. The point is to avoid executing innocent people. There are tremendous expenses in a death penalty case whether or not the defendant is convicted, let alone sentenced to death.

Who gets it:
Contrary to popular belief, the death penalty isn't reserved for the worst crimes, but for defendants with the worst lawyers. It doesn't apply to people with money. When is the last time a wealthy person was on death row, let alone executed?

Victims:
People assume that families of murder victims certainly want the death penalty imposed. It just isn't so. Some are against it on moral grounds. But even families who have supported the death penalty in principle have testified that the drawn-out death penalty process is painful for them and that life without parole is an appropriate alternative.

It comes down to whether we should keep a system for the sake of retribution or revenge even though it isn’t effective in reducing violent crime, costs much more than alternatives and, worst of all, can lead to the nightmare of executing someone for a crime he didn’t commit....Show more

Everyone do deserve a second chance, but you must keep in mind that many people have been given a second chance only to disappoint us more and more; they constantly offend. there is an old saying that relates to a situation like this and it goes, "the end justifies the means."

This means, that sometimes it is neccessary to do one morally wrong to get a morally right outcome. In other words, would you kill one man, who was about to blow up a tall building, to save the life of 10,000 people? if your son, daughter, or loved one suddenly got sick or was wounded severly, would you break the speed limit to get them to the hospital and save their life or would you go the sped limit and lat them die? You see, sometimes it is more important to think about the innocent. In that way, they suffer no risk if and when the system fails.

P.S.: I am for the death penalty.

Hope this answers your question!...Show more

The penalty should depend on how heinous the crime is.

Death Penalty ,..if deserved should be given. So i guess i am in favor of Death penalty....Show more