What do you think about abolishing the death penalty?
338059
If use of the death penalty kills even one innocent person, it is a great evil, and the state has committed cold-blooded murder.  There are groups doing research who claim we kill at least one innocent every year.  There is also the point that the United States was created as a Christian nation.  Read your history.  If you are a Christian, you follow the teachings of Christ.  He demonstrated His feelings about the death penalty when He saved Mary from the charge of adultery.  Just some thoughts.
222060
I am against the death penalty as it does not make any solution. When we are giving a person death penalty, we are doing the same bad thing that we can't. Nobody has any right to murder other, the final judgement is in hand of God. That we can do maximum against a criminal is to give him/her an imprisonment for several years.
579630
I believe in life in prison without parole for those criminals that have proven to be an ongoing threat to society.  I think it costs us far more to execute them than it would for us to keep them locked up forever.  However, the death sentence does not bother me.  I believe there are people who cannot be changed and that they are evil.  The sex of the person does not enter into it for me.  Would I carry out the execution?  I would not take the job.  If I were forced to do it, or the person would go free?  I would execute them.  My fear in letting them go would be that they would kill again or harm a child.  I couldn't live with that on my conscience.  Anyway I didn't sentence them to die.  I just carried out the sentence of the court.  Of course this answer is based on what I know of the courts of the U.S.A.  I would not carry out a death sentence in another country.  In some cases the sentence may have been handed out simply for being a Christian.
640939
I personally don't agree with capital punishment for the following reasons:\n\n1. Most countries which employ it have flawed legal systems (USA included). This can be seen by the disproportionate rate of poor and/or black people on death row in America.\nYour "punishment" should be relative to your crime, not the lawyers you can afford.\n\n2. I would think the prospect of finding yourself in gaol for the rest of your natural term with no chance of release a much more lengthy and arduous "punishment" than the quick, momentary discomfort of being gassed or put to sleep.\nThis can be seen in Tasmania, where Martin Bryant is serving a life term for killing 35 people and injuring 37 others with automatic firearms in Port Arthur.\nAfter 10yrs in prison he is overweight, depressed and by all accounts suicidal (he has no means to dispose of himself).\n\n3. It just isn't a forward step towards a more peaceful world. We have enough bloodshed caused by wars and others aggresive acts without having state sanctioned killings.
530830
I don't think we need torture, I think we need to bring back 'rifles at dawn'. Execution sounds harsh, but the purpose of it is to collectively remove people from society who've decided to turn on innocents. I think that lethal injection is too soft, it's too much kindness shown toward people who've raped, murdered, etc. Laws don't mean anything without some kind of tangible negative consequence for the lawbreakers.  Torture's kind of pointless, a way for sick cops to get their jollies...
1024222
Those are all good points for the legislatures to consider but the constitution does not allow the court to simply decide that the death penalty is unwise.  State legislatures decide and then then Court decides if that penalty is barred as "cruel and unusual" punishment but the constitution doesn't preclude state laws that are merely "counterproductive."  so, run for your state legislature and vote to abolish the death penalty in your state.
147898
Abolish it entirely.  Our justice system is not infalible.  There have been multiple people sentanced to death and exhonorated post-mortem.  That's enough reason for me.  Besides which the death penalty is motivated by revenge, not justice.  An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.
395319
I think the death penalty is for cowards and sadists:  It's easy to support murder when someone else does it for you.\n\nOver 150 WRONGLY CONVICTED people have been released from death row in just the last 30+ years - and those are only the ones we *know* about.  \n\nThe death penalty doesn't make you safer - it makes you a killer.  Don't buy the con from politicians who scare you into believing this policy works.  It doesn't. \n\nIt's racist.\nIt's classist.\nIt's 2-6 times MORE expensive than life without parole.\nIt makes us cruel as a society.\nIt doesn't prevent new criminals from developing.\nIt takes the lives of innocent people.\n\nSomething tells me from the knee-jerk verbiage of the questioner that he/she doesn't care about these types of facts.  Regardless, check out the sites below before *you* make up your mind.\n\nThe way we treat the least of us is a clear reflection of who WE are... at least that's the way God sees it.
1144197
nope. i believe that all murderers should die. i dont wanna spend my tax dollars on their jail cell for longer than i have to. plus, what the criminals did was barbaric. shouldn't they get a barbaric punishment for what they did?
177564
I am all for the death penalty. I am not saying that everyone that has killed someone should be put to death, but I do believe that when there is absolute proof that someone murdered another human being out of cold blood that person does not deserve to live. The taxpayers spend entirely too much money housing these criminals. And what about the cost of medial treatment for these animals? We have honest, law abiding citizens in our country that can't afford medication or health care, why should the criminals be treated better. And I am tired of people using the excuse that they are mentally disturbed or were on drugs at the time of their crime. Most of these people are useless, wastes of life...sorry if that sounds cold, but that is the way I feel. Once someone has crossed that line of taking another human beings life I truly believe that they will do it again.
780415
If I was president, I would lean torwards a government program that uses an alternative to the death penalty in some cases. I am talking work camps up in Alaska, where the weather is harsh and not paradise. The Russians did that with Siberia. Let me say that criminals learned their lesson after 5 years in Siberia. The death penalty could bring the end of a life to a wrongly accused person, which is not right, but most of the time that does not happen. If someone molests a child, I would order him to either 50 years at a work camp, or death; the same with murderers and animal killers. My personal beliefs would probably not be accepted if I was President, as I believe all animal killers, murderers, rapists, and child predators should be dragged behind a truck in a city, then them being gassed to death. I believe in that, but people would probably take me as being too cruel.\n\nBy the way, I haven't heard from Reality. I guess I made that loser shut up. He was so mean. He only asks one question, and makes fun of everyone else's questions. He only asked one question because he is afraid of people's responses.
920755
The death penalty was stopped in this country in the 1960's,as a lot of truly innocent people were executed.\nOkay we only had hangings,but i think it should be brought back now,as we've advanced so much.\nWhat with d.n.a testing and other ways of gaining evidence,i don't think we would have a problem apart from people crying out about their `human rights`
737906
The wording of your question is a little confusing, which might be why people (like me) are going off on a tangent instead of answering it.\n\nAre you asking if the death penalty is just? Or are you asking if a society has to have the death penalty in order to be a just society? Or are you asking if the only just means of taking a life in society is by death penalty (as opposed to vigilantism perhaps)?\n\nReally, I think the most important questions are what purpose does the death penalty serve, is it a worthy purpose, and how well does it serve that purpose? The following questions, regarding possible purposes for the death penalty, are from the article referenced below:\n\n"-- Is the purpose of the death penalty to remove from society someone who would cause more harm? \n\n-- Is the purpose to remove from society someone who is incapable of rehabilitation? \n\n-- Is the purpose of the death penalty to deter others from committing murder? \n\n-- Is the purpose of the death penalty to punish the criminal? \n\n-- Is the purpose of the death penalty to take retribution on behalf of the victim?"\n\nInstead of arguing emotionally over the issue, I think it would serve us better to ask ourselves what it is we're trying to accomplish, whether those objectives are truly appropriate, and then try to measure in dispassionate and objective ways whether capital punishment really meets those objectives. In other words, let's apply a little rational reflection to this issue instead of operating from that reptilian part of our brain that screams, "Bad guys must die! Me caveman!"
919897
pro/con of death penalty
651785
I don't really like the death penalty but when a grown man rapes and or murders a child,they do not deserve to live.And I know we aren't to judge others and that to God all sin is bad,But that's just it,we aren't God and so therefore we can judge and execute those ba******!!!!!
268411
I fully support capital punishment. The only real problem with capital punishment is how long it takes from conviction and sentencing to execution. Upon conviction and imposition of the death sentence, there should be an immediate and thourough appeal review. If that review also concurrs with the conviction and sentence then sentence should be carried out expeditiously. In my opinion the time between sentence and exectution should be less than 30 days.\n\nAll punishments should be swift and sure. Then they really WILL act as deterrents. Even without the deterrent factor, removing a murderer from society will always be a wortwhile act.\n\nWhile we are at it we should return capital punishment to desertion and treason.
73464
I am in favor of executions for the worst crimes.  For those that think it is "barbaric" to execute a murderer, do you really think the murderer was gentle with his victims?  Do you think the muderer gave the victim time to be with their family and say a tender goodby, like they get before their execution?  I guess you believe the murderer also prepared a  nice last meal for his victim too, right?  And since most executions in the US are now carried out by lethal injection, nice, painless, and peaceful, I guess you believe the muder victim died the same way?\n\nYes, I think the executions should be made public.  Nobody that does not want to attend has to.  And the criminals should lose all of the above perks that they get.  They certainly should not get more than their victims got.