Are you for the Death Penalty?

No, because I think it's wrong. For the very good reasons Vaughn stated and then some. When executing the death penalty we always take the chance that we are executing an innocent person. And too many, too many times we have done just that. And yet we continue. Folks can spout off all they want about the death penalty, but if it were them sitting on death row being the only person from here to God knowing in their innocence while the "system" turns a deaf ear and a blind eye toward justice, well I think they might see things a little differently. And it happens all the time. But of course, once is enough when it's your own head on the chopping block.

No. My dad worked for the Bureau of Prisons and the criminal justice system, and through him I learned these truths:

1) It costs more to put a prisoner to death than it does to give him life without parole.

2) The death penalty doesn't deter crime, which is why states (such as Texas) which have the death penalty do NOT have a lower crime rate than those which don't have a death penalty. (Although, to be fair to Dad, he would also say, "It deters *him* committing another crime).

3) We're one of very few countries left in the Western World that still has a death penalty. It's yet another example for people to point at as "proof" that the USA is barbaric.

Personally, I also think it's wrong. Life without parole works just fine.

I am a religious person, so the below advice may seem very contradictory.

First, there is no fear about consequences today.

Nowadays if arrested and found guilty, what's the worst that can happen to "one of the bad guys" ?? Free room and board, free food, free shelter, free medical -- all while decent people who are just down on their luck have to struggle from day-to-day.

So dear Lord forgive me. I am for the Death Penalty for 2 reasons:

1. It might make a potential murderer think

twice about committing a crime.

2. It would free up space in our prisons for

persons who are able to be rehabilitated.

Yes. Because, regardless of what detracters say, it IS a deterent. (well duh. thats one murderer who will not kill again). It would also be a deterent in the "classic" sense if it were applied in a timely manner. But the possibilty of being executed in some "far" off future actually works against it. It doesnt seem real to a person when they are commiting the crime. My wifes brother was murdered in 1985, received the death penality, and STILL is on death row in North Carolina. RIDICULOUS! Also, what a lot of people seem to ignore is: Its JUSTICE. So even if it was no deterent AT ALL, it is still the right thing to do. ALL ancient socities had some form of it. And they were NOT all barbaric. EXAMPLE: Greece in its Golden Period. It is highly arrogant of modern society to assume that THEY were all wrong and WE are automatically the ones in the right. All one has to do is to look at our high crime rate and know we are doing something wrong. NOBODY fears the LAW anymore. Of course, with all that being said, It should ONLY be applied to people that we KNOW are guilty of the most heinous crimes. Like cold-blooded murder and the brutaliizing of innocent children. We should all be assured of their actual guilt first. Lets face it, in MOST cases we KNOW when someone did it. But most people take "reseanable doubt" to mean ABSOLUTE proof. Also, we need to get rid of all the legal "mumbo jumbo". Anyone with common sense knows what that is when they see it. Just watch a real trial sometime and see what gets excluded as evidence on some legal technicallity. We are making lawyers rich and making a mockery out of JUSTICE. Wait until someone YOU know is murdered, and then you will see how our socity bends over backward to find an excuse not to stand up and actually represent the victim. -----theBerean

Yes, I am.

Give the criminals and prison population something to actually fear, instead of going through the revolving door. Our tax money is paying for people to have at least 3 meals a day, a place to sleep, television and free access to health care, libraries, computers, gyms and education. That's more than a lot of people who live crime-free lives get and they work for a living.

It's not a wonder crime is so desirable. Our prisons are turning into hotels for the poor. The states that do not carry out death sentences should at least take away luxuries and make it an actual prison, not a rehab center.

( AGAINST) It is primitive barbaric and makes our society no better than the murderer . All these people that have said yes .Should be on death row to be executed ,just for what they have done .(nothing ) Just like the 300 people that were wrongly convicted and have now been released because of DNA tests .How would they feel if they were snatched up going to be executed and haven't killed anyone ? No one cared if they were innocent and figured just execute them .They were convicted . Their family knew they were innocent ,and no one could do anything to stop it .I wonder what they would think about it then .Who's taking responsibility for all the innocent people just like that we executed before DNA tests . Maybe they (should be) executed for being part of a society that murdered all these people .They said themselves murderers should be executed .Humans make mistakes even with DNA there's a possibility of executing innocent people with our justice system .Police and prosecuters that want a conviction no matter what .Defendants who have no money and use an over worked public defender who could care less about them .All these people talking about prison life have obviously never been there .Have no idea what they are talking about what so ever .What a bunch of illiterate primitive morons .Their IQ is probably about the same as their age .

We were just talking about this in school the other day. I'm against it. No one and I mean NO ONE should be killed over such ridiculous crimes. Yeah it's unfair that they take away ones life, because no one has the right to determine when someone is going to die. I didn't like how Saddam Hussein was hung after all his years of torture to peoples families and what not. It's weird but I felt HORRIBLE when he got hung. It was because the fact that someone was getting hung, I could not stand it. I don't even think he deserved it. Life in prison would have satisfied me. Not taking ones life. Like I said..NO ONE has the right to determine when someone is going to die. NO ONE.

i wish jails were a whole lot less comfortable. that would solve some problems. I'm talking rats, damp beds, lice, cold stone walls, stale bread for dinner, and a bowl of water for lunch. Murders, rapist, drug-dealers, and all those other type of low-life animals shouldn't be able to live off my tax dollars in a lap of comfort. i'm saying we should treat treat the criminals who deserve it with something less the human rights. If they commit some should of horrible crime shouldn't they suffer? If they ruin the lives of others they should suffer. We should get rid of the death penalty but we should remake our jails to be as ugly and unfriendly as the old day.

yes, i do

by death penalty there will be a reducing of criminals, and people will live safely, that is until they found out the old lady next door is a psycho..... lol JK

yup. i don't want to pay for prisoners to sit in their cells, eat 3 meals a day, and excercise till they are big and strong, while their victims are in the ground, not enjoying the things the felons are. my tax dollars should go for better things, like feeding homeless people or helping the developmentally disabled people.