Shame on US capital punishment

[Ozzie]

Only the most vile offenders receive capital punishment in America, and it is needed to protect us from them. Recently a woman killed her preacher husband, and basically got probation because he had been abusing her. But look at the man that murdered all those students at Va. Tech. If he was caught alive, he would surely be put to death, and rightfully so. Some people are so full of hate and evil, they must be stopped. If one doesn't think their are evil people, then why do we need police and jails? There must be penalties for crimes to fit the crimes, to deter people who may be disposed to commit murders. So, if you take a life, you lose yours in the USA, if you don't like it, MOVE! If someone thinks they are gonna come to America and murder people, they better think good and hard about it.

You had better move yourself.

 

[Napoleon]

Don't let anyone fool you. The Europeans still have the death penalty...they just keep it unofficial. Slobodan Milosevic comes to mind.

 

[Yerda]

Don't let anyone fool you. The Europeans still have the death penalty...they just keep it unofficial. Slobodan Milosevic comes to mind.

An unofficial death penalty....

I like an oxymoron.

I like a moron.

 

[joeboonda]

You had better move yourself.

No thanks. If some people came and murdered one's family and raped their wife and daughters and robbed and tortured them and theirs, they would be the first person to ask where the police were, where were the laws to help deter such things, and believe me, man is capable of such things.

 

[McBell]

so, um..
where does this "we are better than you because we do not have the death penalty" attitude come from?

 

[spiritually inclined]

I was initially opposed to capital punishment, but after reading this thread, I see that it is a very complex issue, and I am not sure what my opinion is. There seems to be conflicting data on whether capital punishment is an effective deterrant. (See http://www.religioustolerance.org/execut4.htm ).

I am disturbed that innocent people are executed, and I fear that there is racial bias in the justice system. Yet sentencing people to life in prison without parole does not always prevent some people from escaping and committing more brutal crimes. They can also kill people while in jail or prison.

If capital punishment is to be used, I think it should be reserved for crimes in which there is no doubt. (Unfortunately, a jury may not understand what "reasonable doubt" really means in some cases.) It should also be reserved for the most barbaric crimes, not as a form of revenge, but as a way of protecting society.

I would appreciate any comments that can give me further insight into this complex subject.

James

 

[Ciscokid]

I was initially opposed to capital punishment, but after reading this thread, I see that it is a very complex issue, and I am not sure what my opinion is. There seems to be conflicting data on whether capital punishment is an effective deterrant. (See http://www.religioustolerance.org/execut4.htm ).

I think whether it's a deterrant or not is irrelevant.

If capital punishment is to be used, I think it should be reserved for crimes in which there is no doubt. (Unfortunately, a jury may not understand what "reasonable doubt" really means in some cases.) It should also be reserved for the most barbaric crimes, not as a form of revenge, but as a way of protecting society.
James

I agree 100%. I don't think every murderer should receive the death sentence, but I do think there are situations where it is warranted.

 

[Napoleon]

There seems to be conflicting data on whether capital punishment is an effective deterrant.

Capital Punishment has existed as a legal form of punishment in this country since our founding and I have yet to see any evidence that it deters violent crime. Take a look at the murder rates as a prime example. There was a progressive rise in murder rates between 1964-1980 with a few minor spurts in the 90s despite the threat of Capital Punishment. This serves to demonstrate that it's not the threat of Capital Punishment which deters crime. The only thing that deters crime is the threat of being caught period regardless of the punishment. I don't believe it to have been a coincidence that murder rates began declining significantly as soon as great strides were made in the field of forensics and it gained widespread use and credibility in the justice system.

I am disturbed that innocent people are executed, and I fear that there is racial bias in the justice system.

Such instances are rare now that we have a good feel for forensics. The only real problem these days arises when the suspect has an identical twin which obviously hardly ever happens.

If capital punishment is to be used, I think it should be reserved for crimes in which there is no doubt. (Unfortunately, a jury may not understand what "reasonable doubt" really means in some cases.)

Our justice system handles that pretty well. If there is reasonable suspicion and evidence of a tainted or biased jury in the face of a guilty verdict then the decision can be appealed.

It should also be reserved for the most barbaric crimes, not as a form of revenge, but as a way of protecting society.

I can't think of anyone in modern times who received the death penalty when the crime didn't warrant such a sentence.