A Highly Controversial Topic: The Death Penalty.

[scutari 0]

I live i n albania and i hear lot of strange and weird and really scaring murders done all over the country.I think that death penalty would help us have a lower percentage of murders and daily criminel which have no mercy.The point is that albania is trying to get in EU and so european community does not apply death penalty,which is not good to me.Usa which is a country who applies this penalty is having more succes in fighting the crime

[OpaQue 15]

Why I said Yes?

 

Crime in most of the cases is the result of Ego. Crimes like Rape, Murder for material reasons, high enmity etc are actions of huge stack of Ego in criminals. Death Penalty to humans like these is Right. Besides, a person who has been through a situation like this and watches the criminal in court standing before him all guilty but getting away with a some few years of Jail sentence can reveal his feelings better here.

 

HOWEVER, a person who has done a crime and surrenders by apologizing and agreeing to his crime must not be sentenced to death. The only enemy I hate is Ego. I hope, people get my point.

 

 

Why I would say No?

Curroption, False proofs etc. :-)

 

[Watermonkey 0]

Like they say : Fight fire with fire,

Uh. That saying is used as a reason against something, not in support of it. Thus: Fighting fire with fire never works. Not sure how you're intending to use it in this argument...

 

The death penalty is not murder as some here have suggested. It's the price you pay for committing an act so heinous toward humanity you've forfeited your future life. It's a valuable deterrent that someone might consider when thinking of committing such a crime, and often, a thinking person will reconsider their plans when seeing someone hang for committing the same crime. In my opinion this penalty isn't used often enough in society, nor is it used quickly enough to be the effective deterrent it could be. Sometimes a person can spend 20 years or more sitting on death row before meeting his maker. While that time is not exactly a vacation at a tropical paradise, it's a high cost to society in terms of expensive housing. That's money that could be better spent elsewhere. I believe, also, that public executions should be re-instituted because nothing drives home consequence like seeing a criminal hang or fry in the chair first hand. Hang 'em all, I say!

[tricky77puzzle 0]

I am completely opposed to the death penalty. Yes, even for murderers. What good does it do?

 

1. It deters people, making them think twice before murdering someone.

It deters people who haven't planned the murder out. It doesn't deter people who have already thought twice (evaluated the consequences) and decided to go with it anyway. Most of these murderers feel like their life isn't worth anything anymore anyway, because of whatever the person they're about to murder did to them.

 

2. Taxpayer's dollars won't be wasted in providing beds for someone that murdered one they might have loved.

This is a utilitarian argument. It is a good idea, but is it practical? Killing people to save money gives the impression that the government is mean, hedonistic, capitalistic, and oppressive. Let the utilitarians argue about that for a while and see what they come up with.

 

3. Justice is done. The punishment fits the crime.

Define "justice". Even the Bible says, "forgive your oppressors". Does the punishment really fit the crime?

 

4. The crime will no longer be committed.

The crime wouldn't be committed if the prisoner was on life without parole, even if only for 24 years. Also, if rehab was successful, the crime would also no longer be committed.

 

5. You throw away your right to life when you commit a crime.

No, you don't. You may throw away your other rights, but everyone has a right to life. (That is to say, every living human. I support abortion as well, because the fetus is not a living human, in the sense that it is not living.) Just because you've committed a crime doesn't mean you're not a human anymore. It may seem that way, but it isn't.

Edited February 5, 2008 by tricky77puzzle (see edit history)

[abminara 0]

Yes, yes, and once more yes. 1. If you rob somebody - you deserve the same. If you kick somebody - you deserve the same. If you kill somebody... well, you know.2. Reasons I am partially opposing the death penalty are judicial and economic. First of all, if the verdict is wrong (a witness lied, or there is some corruption/conspiracy involved) - an innocent person is going to die. Economic - it is cheaper to pay for 1 person's food for life (let's say, you kill somebody at 25 and ended up living to 60 - that's 35 years of food paid by the government) than to execute him on the electrical chair. But there are other forms of punishments, aren't there? Like injection of a lethal virus, which is the way death sentence is brought to life nowadays in some states, or, if even that is too expensive - just go back to the good old French guillotine, or Soviet shootings.Why do I think death sentence should not be vetoed? Consider this hypothethical situation:There's a guy named Billy. Billy knows, he absolutely hates his wife, as she cheated on him and bought some expensive things for herself and her boyfriend using Billy's credit card. He wants to kill her. But here's a dilema: Billy knows, that if he kills her - he is gonna end up in jail and in the electric chair in the end. That's quite an insentive to just go to court and ask for a divorce. Now, consider the same situation, but the state (or country, if you wish) does not have a death sentence. Instead, for this murder you are going to go to jail for life. Billy, knowing that he does not have much to lose goes ahead and fulfills his wrath. What does he lose? Nothing. What does he gain? Free food, no necessity of having to work to earn his living any more, etc. For some poor people this, unfortunately, may actually become an insentive to commit the crime. So, my point is - knowing that there is a death sentence waiting for you if you do something wrong lowers the probability of you commiting the crime.

[encryptopath 0]

I am split between two sides on this topicThe death penalty looms in america to put off criminals commiting murder/ extre drug crime. If that wasn't upheld , then the crime rate would rise even faster. They ignore it and they know what to expect. Then they campaign against it , saying it's inhumane and that it is a breach of human rights. For me , as soon as you influence the death of somebody else , your human rights disintegrate. You don't deserve them anymore when you've ignored somebody elsesOn the other hand , people could have been disorientated , confused , influenced , mentally ill. But that doesn't ussually take effect on a death penalty trial. But if they recovered when the trial took place , death would be imminent.=/ I don't think I'll ever make my mind up

[Thingcubed 0]

I don't believe that there should be a death penalty. This is not because I value of the lives of murderers, but because I realize the limitations of the legal system. Too often there are cases where innocent people have been sent to Death Row. If there was a way to know with absolute certainty that a person was guilty, then I would probably be alright with the death penalty, but it is too easy for a jury to be misled, lied to, or confused. This has happened multiple times here in the US, despite the fact that we have one of the better legal systems in the world. That's why I can't support a death penalty.On the other hand, I might support a very limited death penalty for crimes such as genocide, and extreme mass murderers. I didn't really mind that they chose to give Saddam Hussein the death penalty, his crimes were rather obvious.

[rs redemption 0]

I fully believe in the death penalty. I believe that if you murder someone, why should mercy be spared on your life? Did you stop to see if anyone would mind before you killed someone? I doubt it, so why should we stop to see if anyone cares if you die. Everyone is cared about in one way or another, so not only are you hurting the person you kill, but their family, and I believe that you do not deserve to live after something like that. I also think it should be spread out to people who commit other sorts of crimes, such as rapists and child molesters. These crimes can ruin the lives of the victims, and shouldn't the criminal also have to pay, and I mean a little more than living for free with 3 free meals a day, and just being bored all the time.

[tricky77puzzle 0]

I fully believe in the death penalty. I believe that if you murder someone, why should mercy be spared on your life? Did you stop to see if anyone would mind before you killed someone? I doubt it, so why should we stop to see if anyone cares if you die. Everyone is cared about in one way or another, so not only are you hurting the person you kill, but their family, and I believe that you do not deserve to live after something like that. I also think it should be spread out to people who commit other sorts of crimes, such as rapists and child molesters. These crimes can ruin the lives of the victims, and shouldn't the criminal also have to pay, and I mean a little more than living for free with 3 free meals a day, and just being bored all the time.

Next thing you know, it will spread to abortionists and robbers. I don't believe in the death penalty simply because of two reasons: One, because if the death penalty is incurred, it will start to leak down into smaller crimes as well, and two, that these murderers can get over it and still be valuable members of society. I've also heard that while in prison, the murderers are so bored that they start going mad and wishing they were dead.

 

As well, some people murder for religious or spiritual reasons (read: Al-Qaeda), and will consider dying an honor. Do you want to give them that honor, or make them pay by not killing them and withholding it?

 

Even Christians shouldn't be so fast to embrace the death penalty. Maybe Jews who still follow Mosaic law, but not Christians. Did Jesus not say, "Forgive not seven times, but seventy times seven." If the murderer does repent during the 25 years that he is in prison, then he should not receive any further punishment, other than the life sentence that he already has.

 

As well, the death penalty is slowly dying out itself. Even the US only had about 1,000 institutional murders last year, down from 10,000 a few decades ago. Although it is legal in almost all the states, the death penalty is slowly diminishing into non-use in developed countries. If you really want it back, voice out your opinion.

 

I believe that if you murder someone, why should mercy be spared on your life? Did you stop to see if anyone would mind before you killed someone? I doubt it, so why should we stop to see if anyone cares if you die. Everyone is cared about in one way or another, so not only are you hurting the person you kill, but their family, and I believe that you do not deserve to live after something like that.

Then why is it that the US is looking into more humane ways to kill people? If it really is as you say, then why not give the murderers a slow, painful death? Preferably by using the good ol' breaking wheel, or shooting a lead bullet into their stomach. Maybe you could use an electric chair set at 10,000 volts at 0.1 ampčres? That would take 25 seconds to kill them.

 

I am split between two sides on this topic

The death penalty looms in america to put off criminals committing murder/extreme drug crime. If that wasn't upheld , then the crime rate would rise even faster. They ignore it and they know what to expect. Then they campaign against it , saying it's inhumane and that it is a breach of human rights. For me , as soon as you influence the death of somebody else, your human rights disintegrate. You don't deserve them anymore when you've ignored somebody else's.

On the other hand , people could have been disoriented, confused, influenced, mentally ill. But that doesn't usually take effect on a death penalty trial. But if they recovered when the trial took place, death would be imminent.

=/ I don't think I'll ever make my mind up

The point here is the difference between civil rights and basic human rights. Just because you rape someone doesn't make you any less human than if you didn't. (Of course, some people would argue otherwise.) Of course you throw away your civil rights when you commit a crime, such as the right to vote, speak freely, and move freely. But your basic human rights, like the right to life, still remain. (Of course, in the case of a fetus, it does not have the basic human rights yet, not because they were taken away, but simply because they weren't given yet. I don't want to contradict myself by supporting the choice of abortion.)
Edited March 15, 2008 by tricky77puzzle (see edit history)

[goldtupac 0]

If a person murders another person i think there should be no death penalty. Given the nature of the crime premeditated or not they should not be killed for killing someone.But if a person murders multiple people like 2, 3, or 4 then yes they should face the death penalty. Also if a child is murdered then they should face the death penalty right away.There should be no excuse besides self defense but now a days you some times cant even get off for self defense.

[tricky77puzzle 0]

If a person murders another person i think there should be no death penalty. Given the nature of the crime premeditated or not they should not be killed for killing someone.
But if a person murders multiple people like 2, 3, or 4 then yes they should face the death penalty. Also if a child is murdered then they should face the death penalty right away.

There should be no excuse besides self defense but now a days you some times cant even get off for self defense.

Of course there's no excues for murder, but there is an excuse from death penalty.

If you give the prisoner a life sentence, which is recommended for murder, only if he breaks out can you really give him/her the death penalty for repeat offenses.
If a child is murdered you can force him to adopt a child while he is in prison, and put him in a padded room instead of one with hard concrete walls.

If you kill someone for self-defense, you can't call it murder, because murder is killing with the intention of killing. So, your argument is inconsistent.

[MadDog 0]

I dont believe that there should be a death penalty, for one reason and one reason only. What if they get it WRONG. From 1973 until 2003, 103 people were released from death row, (and prison), in the USA, with evidence of their innocence proven in court. How many were not? How many were deliberately put there on false evidence. Call me a cynic, but not all policemen are good blokes... Some are downright criminal.103 people in 30 years might not sound like a lot, but if even 1 innocent person gets killed by the state, thats 1 too many. And I'll bet that every one of those 103 folks wouldnt care that it sounds like a small number either.Thats the only argument I have, and I'll stand by it. Thank god we dont have it in this country.

[joeblogg 0]

i don't think there should be the death penalty. by killing the murderer you are just as bad as him. its like if someone robs of you, you don't rob them back you tell the police and they will be dealt with. if does something to you and you tell the polic the penalty for them is never you get to do it back to them it is either a fine or a jail sentence. so i don't see how death should be any different.

[sknsoftwares 0]

In my view death penalty is not right. Live and let live should be the policy. If a criminal is given death penalty how will he know what he has done to the society is wrong. So he should be given a chance to be good. Otherwise he may be jailed for long instead of giving death penalty. Death penalty is cruel according to me. Others may differ my view but according to me it is not the way to make the criminal correct or give the society a lesson.?

[iGuest 3]

My opinion A Highly Controversial Topic: The Death Penalty.

My personal opinion is that I think that the death penalty is just wrong. I believe the death penalty is wrong because it encourages revenge and nobody haves no rights to kill anybody. If the society encourage the death penalty than the society is setting a bad example and whoever agrees with the death penalty, you have no heart what so ever. People have a right to live even though they are a criminal. YES, I believe someone who have done a crime should be punish but the death penalty is just wrong and beyond human behavior.

-reply by crystal