I believe that the Capital punishment is a cruel and wrong way to deal with crim

Question:i also like to know what your views are on this subject

thanks

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: i also like to know what your views are on this subject

thanks

My opinion is that capital punishment is cruel and unusual; therefore, it violates the 8th amendment to the Constitution. The methods used are inherently cruel. We don't know the effects of lethal injection, but the electric chair, firing squad, and hangings can all go horribly wrong, and, yes, these methods are all still used.

There is no evidence that it deters crime. If we take into account that most murders are premeditated, or they are crimes of passion, then we come to the likely conclusion that murderers are either planning on not getting caught, or they are not thinking about the consequences of their actions. If it does not deter crime, then what is it's purpose? To keep the citizens feeling safer, revenge, to throw money away? If this is the case, then it is barbaric and should be abolished.

It is unusual because not every person that commits murder will receive the death penalty. There is a disproportionate number of minorities on death row, and it is somewhere around 99% male. These discrepancies show that there is a gross miscarriage of justice going on within the system. Plus, it costs about 3 times as much to execute someone as it does to put that person in a maximum security prison for 40 years.

Allow me to add some prejudicial language in conclusion. Capital punishment is a method that is hypocritical, racist, unjust, unreasonable, overly-expensive, and it removes all possibility for rehabilitation.

I don't like it in that it's permanent. Too many death row cases have been overturned when new evidence turns up.

I agree with you, who are we to decide whether a person should live or die?

that is pity for the CRIMINALS. but how about the VICTIMS, are they not intitled to justice too? it should always be a TWO WAY UNDERSTANDING.

Well I think life in prison isn't a bad alternative, however, it costs the tax payers a lot of money. Why does someone who rapes and kills a young girl deserve to live anyways? I'm not for a quick capital punishment which can mean some innocent people will be executed. I believe the system right now allows for about 10 years before they actually die. Are you against it because you don't believe in justice or is it too cruel to kill a mass murderer and rapist? I think some human beings, no matter how much psychological help, will do bad and evil things because they want to. They don't deserve to live. But I would agree with you if the punishment didn't fit the crime or if a lot of innocent people are being executed.

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I would like to hear further explanation for why you think its cruel. I would be happy to hear your view on it.

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I think there is a misunderstanding. The government has the right to kill people ex. War, crime... No individual has that right, unless assaulted. That's why it's called murder for the individual and killing for the government. Are you saying theres no exceptions for justifiably killing someone? If someone was about to shoot you wouldn't you shoot them first? Besides even if jail isn't as damaging to a person we are still stripping a convict of their freedom by putting them in life of jail. But our country is the land of free that is completely against the constitution! (*Sarcaism*) Yes, sometimes life in prison is worse than capital punishment. Your taken away a lot when you take away someones freedom. We don't call this cruel so I don't understand why all of a sudden killing convicts is cruel when they are the ones deserving the punishment they dealt to another? If you disagree with me please tell me why capital punishment is cruel verses slavery in prison? We don't think jail is cruel because it is safer for us and punishes the convict. There's a different standard between making a little boy a slave for no good reason and making a man a slave (jail) for the reason of killing someone. In the same way it's wrong to kill a boy for no good reason but justified to kill a man for shedding others blood. There may be other reasons to not want capital punishment but cruelty should not be one of them. Otherwise it seems like your standards of cruelty are inconsistent as I've tried to show you.

Levi- There is one problem with your bumper sticker. If we are teaching killers not to kill by killing them then we are also teaching kidnappers not to kidnap by kidnapping them in jail. Works the same way. These quick quips are meaningless. We don't have to teach criminals a lesson, we must punish them and make it safer for everybody else. Whether it's capital punishment or life in jail we are being "cruel" to them only because thats what justice demands. Life in jail isn't like sending your kid in time out to learn a lesson. It's taking away a lot of freedoms from a person which is a fundemental thing that people desire. Death is only taking away a few more freedoms. If you say death is very cruel why isn't jail at least somewhat cruel?

I believe it is an unfortunate necessity when others take lives and mutilate them and they will never be able to be released into society and even in Jail they are a danger and think nothing of killing others or securty. They are so dangerous and tortured that many want to die.

I think if your family was touched by some guy who raped and dismember your 6 yr old daughter and spouse and wrote horrid things in their skin with a knife but before he did that he tortured them for days and days. then you find out he did that to 30 other people and was proud of his feats. This is a person who is a grave danger to society.

You don't have to sympathize with criminals or want them to avoid terrible punishments for terrible crimes to ask if the death penalty prevents or even reduces crime, to look at alternatives and to think about the risks of executing innocent people.

128 people on death rows released with proof that they were wrongfully convicted. DNA, available in less than 10% of all homicides, can’t guarantee we won’t execute innocent people.

The death penalty doesn't prevent others from committing murder. No reliable study shows the death penalty deters others. Homicide rates are higher in states and regions that have it than in those that don’t.

We have a good alternative, life without parole, on the books in 48 states. It means what it says. Life without parole costs less than the death penalty.

The death penalty is much more expensive than life in prison, mostly because of the upfront costs (before and during the initial trial) of legal process which is supposed to prevent executions of innocent people.

The death penalty isn't reserved for the worst crimes, but for defendants with the worst lawyers. It doesn't apply to people with money. When is the last time a wealthy person was on death row, let alone executed?

The death penalty doesn't necessarily help families of murder victims. Murder victim family members have testified that the drawn-out death penalty process is painful for them and that life without parole is an appropriate alternative.

Problems with speeding up the process. Over 50 of the innocent people released from death row had already served over a decade. Speed up the process and we will execute innocent people.

Sources:
Death Penalty Information Center, www.deathpenaltyinfo.org, for stats on executions, reports on costs, deterrence studies, links to FBI crime stats and links to testimony (at state legislatures) of victims' family members.

FBI http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/data/tab...

The Innocence Project, www.innocenceproject.org

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/COcostte... page 3 and 4 on why the death penalty is so expensive

http://www.njadp.org/forms/signon-surviv... for statements of victims’ families

I support capital punishment. I don't support keeping folks on death row for decades. Either do it or get off the pot.

Having said that, I also believe that each individual's case should first be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they are in fact, guilty. Then - off with their head said the queen...

you may think differently if someone close to you was tortured and murdered. i hope you never have to find this out personally but talk to anyone that has lost someone they love that has had their life taken and maybe your out look will change

i would like to rip into peoples opinions here but im too lazy for that. capital punishment is an effective method of dealing with crime, the problem is in how it is carried out not the execution but the whole legal process behind it. first you cannot have capital punishment for a single crime and it should only be for murder. this would eliminate virtually any chance of a wrongful execution. and of course their would be unusual exceptions to this. its better this way for several reasons huge costs are required to maintain someone in a life sentence far more than if their executed(i know this isnt the truth at the moment when its done properly it is)their never going to contribute to society and i as a taxpayer have no wish to pay for their survival(that sounds harsher than i mean it). please feel free to flame me.