They should abolish the death penalty .
- I believe that killing the person who did the crime is just an easy way out of life for them. They deseerve to rot in prison for life for what they done and have their rights taken away. Who are we to do God's work and decide who should live or die?
- —Guest Chanel
To justalilthought
- Even though it hurts the victim's family, you're forgetting one thing: the murderer has a family too, maybe a wife and kids as well. Yes, it sucks what they did and they should face judgment, but even if some punk killed everyone in my family, I would be content with the person getting life in jail because they have a chance to realize what they did was wrong and change. Even in Judgment, they still can change. Plus if you really wanted the person to suffer, killing them wouldn't make them suffer. Living in jail for life would hurt them more.
- —Guest Jose Velazquez
To Tzau
- You said it yourself: The death penalty was designed for those who killed people, raped many people, and are not mentally sane. Well, no one is mentally sane if they have killed a person or raped people, but giving them the capital punishment does nothing to the cause. The crimes will not end; killing will not stop because people are being executed. There is no reason to kill another human being, even if they are a killer. People did not start as killers; they changed into these monsters. They changed, meaning they were once like us. Sane like us. Nice like us. All you have to do is get them back on the right track and even if that is unable to work out, all that must be done is bring them to jail as jail was designed not only to keep people who have commited these crimes but to make them change their lives. To give them insight that what they did was wrong and that they should change.
- —Guest Jose Velazquez
What's the underlying message?
- Criminals are taught that it's unjustifiable to kill people, thus the government takes away their universal right to live, by actually killing them? I believe that nobody's got the right to decide who may live and who may not, be it killers, judges, a jury, a mother. Living a life in prison, confronted with the consequences of their crimes every day, should be the means to punish criminals. I don't forget the victims and feel with their families, but I can hardly imagine the death of the killer changing anything when their beloved ones are dead. Nothing can bring them back. If death penalty really stopped people from killing out of fear for their own lives, then surely there would never be as many murderers as there still are.
- —Guest Teach
Expensive system - too few results
- Instead of killing (or maiming inmates in prison), instead of expensive tax-payer dollars spent on prisons with too few results, we should think of other possibilities. Is slavery worse than death? So no to slavery but yes to death? Is hard labor worse than death? Why death? There must be ways to solve this and give justice to our society. It is a matter of thinking about other possibilities. More than a Yes/No answer. How about making the killer a working "slave" to the family that lost a daughter, a son, a mother or a father? Or have prisoner work making things our society needs: pillows, mattresses, clean sewers, make side-walks, plenty of possibilities. They would have to "pay" for their room and board from their salary, pay taxes, like everyone else. More ideas anyone?
- —Claudo
Religion set straight
- For everybody who is arguing AGAINST citing the Bible, I ask if you've ever read it? There are numerous cases where people were put to death not just for murder, but for other crimes as well. Just food for thought.
- —Guest Adddy
Hell yes
- Not only do I think we should keep the death penalty. we should lower the requirements to include lesser crimes: rapists, child molesters, maiming, and last but certainly not least, is anyone who plots any act of violence towards our country. We should have public hangings broadcast on TV to show would be violators that we will no longer tolerate their crimes, and that they can either control themselves or swing from the yardarm. I think we should do away with prisons and start exiling repeat offenders and serious offenders. Then make it an act of terrorism for them to return. Tell them if they step foot on U.S soil again, they will be hung. Bottom line is murdering, raping, child molesting maggots and other criminals are just talking up space and breathing our air. They cant live by the rules, then they have no right to live. F*** em and feed em to the fish....
- —Guest pro death penalty
Justice or Retaliation?
- Let me get this straight: society kills people and justifies it, by calling it justiced. When have two wrongs ever made a right? If murder is wrong, then why is it right just because we all agree that this person committed a terible act? It is almost 2010 and we still dont know how to punish those who break the law. Lets mix in some new system with in our prisons and stop trying to justify killing/murder as the ultimate punishment. Let's face it, you, me and the guy beside us have no right to decide who should live and who should die. An eye for an eye is so elementary, yet we have implemented it in our constitution in hopes that it prevents further crime; how's that working out? If we ever want to move forward as a society, we should take a second look at the "good guys" who hypocritically scream justice as they kill a murderer.
- —Guest rob
To sephora
- I totally agree with you: I don't see how "legally" killing anyone is any better than "illegally" killing someone. I think they should have to rot in prison. No, I don't think they should have all the luxuries that they have, but come on people, who's fault is that? It's our government who lets them have access to these things.
- —Guest himynameis
It's not ok!!
- Why should the U.S abolish capital punishment? They shouldn't. Support the death penalty we should, for it purges us of immoral beings from wrong doings .We must rid of all malicious and premeditaded murderers and so forth.Why should an inmate be saved (given the fact he/she murdered). For the chance given can be only an oppurtunity to murder an inoccent life again.We must impose such harsh punishment, and hold zero tolerance of such crime.
- —Guest Rick Pineda
What's the difference
- Would it make a difference if a family member of the murdered victim decided to get even by killing the murderer themselves, or will that person be convicted as a murderer also? If people were allowed to kill the person who killed a family member or friend, I think it would save a lot of money for the state and not a lot of people would be on dealth row. So we as human beings are told that we cannot muder people, but if we do, then you also become a murder. But when a judge or jury decides okay this person deserves to be killed, it's all right for them to kill. This is why I think that if you kill for justice or revenge, killing anybody for any reason except for self defense should be illegal because this tells citizens that you're a bad person. But the state can do it because they have more authority? I don't understand. One more thing is you have to look at it from both sides: not just the victim's family will suffer, but the criminal may also have kids and people who will suffer.
- —Guest Ieshia
Death to Killers
- Killers who take the right of life from others should in turn forfeit their right to the same. Killers should not be viewed as citizens of the country once convicted. They should lose ALL rights. The death penalty IS a deterrent even though some claim not. It is also punishment for the crime. The Bible tells to "do you desire to be not afraid of the authority? Do the good, and you shall have praise from it." If we all lived according to that word, there would be no need for death penalty! As for the cost, that could be easily solved too. In Israel, every death sentence is reviewed by a higher court ONCE and then either upheld or commuted. The US should adopt a similar plan. None of this 20 yrs of legal battles. It would definitely solve the cost issue.Maybe even eliminate the need for so many lawyers!
- —Guest Dieman
Does anyone need a viewpoint?
- The death penalty was designed for those who killed people, raped many people, and are not mentally sane. If you were to allow a madman to run wild, do you know how many he could kill? No. The answer is simple as that. You get him off the street, and give him capital punishment (the death penalty) because he represents a great danger to society.
- —Guest tzau
Let's look at some facts.
- "The true cost of execution is approximately 3.2 million or 6 times the cost of a lifetime imprisonment." "In this century at least 350 people have been wrongfully accused of the death penalty." SOURCE:http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-murderersalive.htm Amnesty International believes that "The death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights. It is the premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state in the name of justice. It violates the right to life...It is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. There can never be any justification for torture or for cruel treatment." "...the death penalty diminishes all of us, increases disrespect for human life, and offers the tragic illusion that we can teach that killing is wrong by killing." Crimes that carry the death penalty vary greatly worldwide from treason and murder to theft. SOURCE:http://usliberals.about.com/od/deathpenalty/i/DeathPenalty.htm
- —Guest Robyn
My Opinion
- I'm from the UK, and I think that it should be allowed for people who do disgusting crimes like murder or pedophilia.
- —Guest Luke
