From the article: Pros & Cons of the Death Penalty
Why should, or shouldn't, the U.S. join the vast majority of the world community in abolishing the death penalty? Share Your Thoughts
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
Retribution is the basis of law
- It costs over $40,000 a year to keep a criminal in jail. Yet, murderers are allowed to wait eleven years before facing justice if they face it at all. The U.S. is correct in standing with countries that support the death penalty. In doing so, we avoid some of the moral decay that is sweeping through Europe. Freedom requires blood, and not just the blood of soldiers but the blood of every day individuals. Criminals die so the justice system can continue to function. Every time a criminal dies, it sends a message that murder is not tolerated. Rape and mass child molestation should also have death sentences so that the genetic template of society can be purged of such filth once and for all. Those who point out that this is not fair should realize that it is the job of a nation to be just, not fair. Just as the 11,000 victims of firearm murders pay the price for our right to bear arms, executed criminals pay the price for our freedom to not be murdered in our beds as we sleep.
- —Guest Lord of the Storm
Remedy or punishment?
- Would you agree that killers aren't born as killers, but they become such? If we would be smarter, we would investigate killers' psychology and work closely so killers could open up to a professional psychologist. Killers are victims too, but they are unseen victims. They carry inside them terrible pain from, for example, 1) being raped in the childhood (often by a family member), This anger and desire for revenge forms a monster inside them. 2) Divorces are crazy now days, do we know how they impact our children? What do we expect from young generation? 3)Their little minds are also controlled by murder and adultry produced by Hollywood. All killers were once someone's innocent baby. Thats why the remedy would be rehab centers. Killers don't become killers in one day. By killing someone, they only reveal to the world what's already inside of them.
- —Penalty7
Woman...
- The law makes no difference on sex, color, age, religion, etc. Woman or not, if she committed a capital crime, she should take her responsibilities.
- —Guest Kaloyan
To Aubrey
- "I know people that, if they were murdered, they would harbor no animosity nor will of destruction towards their killer. " Since when does the dead has the will to do anything?
- —Guest abc
HELLO
- Before you all decide to shout about how wrong it is to use the death penalty, think about what the victim's families go through. They have to give up their hard-earned tax dollars to pay for the room and board and food for those people. How would you feel if this happened to you. Would you still want to rehabilitate them?
- —Guest justalilthought
Reply to Kevin
- If one of the conditions of the death penalty was that the person openly admitted that they committed the murder, no one would ever confess to be guilty. We'd make more of a problem because anyone accused of murder would claim to be innocent, knowing that they could avoid the death penalty.
- —Guest Andrew
Think About It
- Who are we to decide if a person gets to live or die? The person who chose to kill or commit other heinous crimes will face God, and God will judge the guilty and decide his fate. The best thing we could do to punish them would be keep them in prison, but take away some of their rights in prison and make it tougher for the criminals in there.
- —Guest sephora
You're all not seeing the answer
- The death penalty should definitely be legal. They should just put more restrictions on it. The only people who should be killed are the ones who either are found guilty without a doubt or open admit that they killed a person or persons. And all this talk about rehabilitation..... just put it to rest! You guys talk like killers have some sort of disease and they just need a cure. NO, its not like that: killers are killers if they plan to do it. Then they can sure as h*ll do it again and it may look like they are so called "rehabilitated," but it dosent matter. He still commited the killing or the offense he had been charged on and someone should have to pay for it and i say it should be him with his life, and not just life in jail at that.
- —Guest kevin
It's about the future
- All the arguments set up against the death penalty deal with mishaps involved with the way in which America has conducted its use and stop there. When there is a problem, fix it. DNA testing is proving to be very effective in identifying those who irreversibly and painfully affected part of society through their horrendous actions, definitely impeding our pursuit of happiness. Having the capability to prove the guilt of those worthy to be put to death or put in prison for life has created accurate and efficient court proceedings and decisions that serve most ideal justice. I say some statutes should be set up to vary the decision by individual. Some people may want to be put to death; they hurt all these people and strip the greatest right we are all entailed to, the right to live, from an innocent member of this nation. Following all this, the murderer is satisfied with his death sentence. How is that justice?
- —Guest Cameron
Why?
- Many of us believe that killing is wrong, so why would any of us allow someone to be murdered legally? The death penalty is wrong. People make mistakes and they can be rehabilitated. We should help our people. We spend so much time in other countries like Iraq, for example, trying to help them become a better nation and a democratic nation so that our nation is safe. But we don't spend enough time trying to help the people in our own country to become better people so that our country can be safe. Instead of helping, we just get rid of all of them with the death penalty because it's easier. That's wrong
- —Guest Dee
From a Victim of Violent Crime
- My husband was killed by a monster who shot seven people prior to shooting my husband. The only reason the other seven people survived was because this monster was a “poor shot”. This monster had a criminal record that started with petty crimes at age 11 and progressed to worse crimes as he aged. This monster will now live out his life behind bars. He will receive three meals a day, health care, recreation, and always a chance at escape. His life, however long, will in part be supported by my tax dollars. I will spend the rest of my life supporting a monster who took my husband and cost my child (I was four months pregnant when he was killed) his father. This monster should be put to death! He is not human. I am a Christian and I do not believe that anyone who would take the life of another could possibly be human. These monsters should not be afforded the privileges of a human. Cruel and Unusual is NOT putting down the monsters but making innocents support the monsters who hurt them!!
- —Guest Tiffany
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