Do you believe your country should allow capitol punishment?

I am very glad that it does not. I believe that killing is a Great Evil, and the only justification is to prevent a Greater Evil (which is why self-defence is justified).

The argument of deterrence is often proposed. But I think that the death penalty only deters the sort of people who would not commit murder, rape, etc in the first place. Murderers are either out of their minds on drugs, alcohol etc., too stupid to think straight, or think that they are not going to get caught. Anybody who will not be deterred by 20 actual years in prison will not be deterred by a death penalty - and prison allows for them to be released if new evidence appears later, which the death penalty does not.

And to those who ask why we we should pay to keep them alive when you could save money by executing them - it is the other way round. The number of lawyer-assisted safeguards in the US legal system is such that it costs three times as much to execute them as to feed and board them for the rest of their life.

If you mean by my state, NO. It serves no purpose, and is only a deterrent (studied for over 30 years) to the one person who is executed. However, our prison system is overcrowded with a joke for rehabilitation for even the lower class of offenders, so generally, like other things our goverment runs, things are a mess, with or without capital punishment.

I believe that America should have capitol punishment. EXCEPT: Capitol Punishment should only be administered if the person convicted is re-evaluated of guilt before this happens. I also believe that capitol punishment cannot be decided as the criminal justice system is far from convicting only those guilty of the crimes. IF, we were able to get those pedophiles and nazis off the face of the planet through this, which we cannot at this point, and probably never will be able to do effectively, capitol punishment could be used in reality a great deal more.

Ok Professor, and not to be dubious, but that's a loaded question, ya know? Wow, and one as timeless as there has been people on the planet.

Of course, before there was a judicial structure in humanities growth into civilized society, it was mostly taken into the hands of the individual, to whom might have grunted out a superlative, and then just bashed the offensive bother the head during the stone age, or sliced them through in the bronze age, wait, I'm sorry Conan, your governership, please don't runnith me through!? Then during and after the expansion of the world, settlements became more refined by placing challenge before another, with first swords, then pistols at dawn, THE DUEL!

So, in my mind, with all the accepted killing of another upon offense, or trespass, we have always accepted the punishment of death, even as far as the spectacles brought on by the guillotine in Europe, as well as public hangings in the States.

I am one to address a punishment to fit the crime, and as we have learned in the past, as long as we have a prison system bent on accommodating those locked up with all the niceties given, there has to be a deterrent, as well as punishment for the greatest ill one can perform on another, in extinguishing a life.

To me, that doesn't come close by giving one life in a place that feeds ya, clothes, ya, and where one can still be a bully, bruit, or kill again there behind bars, as they've nothing more to lose, and still all the freedom to be that which placed them there, a killer.

So, yes, for now, as long as there isn't anything more effective than removing the ill, we must do it. Interesting things come to the mind from your asking, and thanks for being one to do so. be well, and Peace!

You have read the pro and con arguments. I will not repeat them.

With DNA testing, camera monitoring and other scientific advances we have made the conviction rate much more reliable.

When you can incontrovertibly convict someone with no doubt of his quilt and the heinous nature of their crime reaches monstrous proportions, the death penalty is acceptable.

Life imprisonment is a far more harsh punishment.
I think IT is overused.

It think the victims who have lost children and loved ones to the whims of some witless mad dog, they deserve some input into the punishment. I would show no more mercy to these criminals than they showed their victims.

Technically, the death penalty is a great bargaining chip to get a reduced plea from the offender and we should not deprive ourselves of this ultimate threat.

Absolutely, we have to have law, without it chaos would reign, their has to also be an absolute punishment for those of us who feloniously and maliciously. take the law into their own hands, or ignore it altogether.

Capitol punishment law is in place as an ultimatum for those who would consider taking the life of a citizen with malice, if it is found by the legal system the person who commited the act was aware of their actions and the ramifications that would insue, they are then no longer observed as a member of society, we as a whole have stripped them of their rights, and turn our backs to them, for that is the only solace they offered their victim, for it was proven by trial the criminal was concious and aware of his actions, let us not forget the victim, who is one of us who respects the law, and the law is in place to speak on their behalf as well as the criminals.

However, capitol punishment should be handled by the state in which the criminal act was commited. It should not be handled or influenced by the countrys governing body, the states should have the option to decide what is best for them. Without it we jepordize the legal system and our individual rights of due process which may be overlooked to fullfill larger or greater political agenda's.

The year President G.W. Bush ran for his first term, Texas had more executions that year than at any time in it's modern day history. Some will protest these executions were to spur Bush's political agenda's. The most famous of these executions was in 98', where a woman named Karla Raye Tucker who killed two innocent victims with a pick axe in 83', was convicted of the crime. The weeks before her execution, got a lot of national and international media attention, because she was the first woman to be executed in the state of Texas since the Cival War. All the eye's of Texas and the world fell on (then) Governor Bush, who was steadfast not to offer her clemency, even admidst heavy protest from all interested parties.

For her last meal, she requested a banana, a peach and a salad, with either Ranch or Italian dressing. Tucker also chose to be executed wearing the white prison uniform that has been her wardrobe the past 14 years.

At 6:01pm CST... she was strapped to the gurney and given the opportunity to make her last statement. Shortly thereafter... Prisoner #777, was executed by lethal injection, on February 3rd, 1998. The majority of the crowd outside the prison was reported to cheer at the news when her death was confirmed. She was buried in an unmarked grave.

Many believe and take to the superstition that the execution of a woman is a bad omen.

The list of executed prisoners of the State of Texas can be reviewed here.
http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/executedoffenders.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karla_Faye_Tucker
http://www.cnn.com/US/9802/03/tucker/

Yes I do. The murder rate in this country has risen over a thousand fold since its abolishen in the 60s. A LIFE sentence for murder can see the felon back on the streets in less than twelve years. That is for premeditated murder and the most dreadful crimes. That is if the Court of Human Rights in the Hague does not overule the British Courts all together and set the Bastard free.

yes

Let me put it like this, if there was a key on my keyboard that would instantly kill all the murderers, serial rapists and really sick child abusers in the world and would only work on people who were 100% definatly guilty, then I would be able to press that button and feel no guilt at all. The prisons are over loaded and the government are paying millions to keep them in prison and in some case millions to protect them once they have been released. If they are guilty of those sorts of crimes then the world would be a better place without them. The problem as always is proving the person really is guilty, if that was possible, then yes we should have capital punishment.

he is asking by coutry. not the whole world revolves around America! and in England, yes i think it should come back. but only if it can be definatly proved it was them. and for things like murder, rape etc

Capital Punishmen is not regulated by our Country but by State. For example my state does not enforce Capital Punishment yet the State beside ours, does allow it. Personally I dont believe in it..

I would support the death penalty for those who are beyond rehabilitation and a danger to our society. Serial killers and the like I believe should be punished for the crimes to the fullest extent.. HOWEVER, I believe the system is unbalanced and the indigent get the raw end of the deal. There is a site called the death penalty information center and it shows that more are on death row because their victim were white. There are and have been more whites on death row than any other race however, the system is still biased if they put more on DR for killing a white person than another race. Also, we have many murderers in our prisons who are not on death row.. some of them had mitigating factors that should have landed them on DR but their sentence was lighter. IE: Rae Carruth - Panthers football player. Money helps makes the DP a biased system. Many on death row are indigent and not able to afford an attorney who has the time, knowledge and experience to battle a capital punishment case.. they get the underworked, underpaid and inexperienced public defenders. I believe it is a russian roulette kind of system and not a just system. Many dr inmates sit on dr for years because there are not enough attorneys chomping at the bit to take on death row cases. I cannot blame them.. what attorney could live off of dr cases where the majority of the time they lose? Public defenders are backed up in other cases and I am sure.. in no hurry for a DP case. Bad and sad balance. This drags the appeals process out for years. We have dr inmates who have sat on dr for over twenty years.. The whole system is chaos if you ask me. I would support life without possibility of parole if it actually meant life..but a lot of times their sentences are reduced and a lot of lifers get out and kill again.. a murderer/serial rapist etc who gets life without possibility of parole, should never have their sentenced reduced.. they should not get out - MOO
The justice system overall works well but within the areas of the DP and the like.. it has holes that society pays for in many different and fatal ways. I do believe innocent people have been put to death and there are some innocent people on death row but I do believe the majority on death row are guilty. I have been online for a little over ten years.. I have only posted at courttv message boards and now this one but I am very active in the DP debate and have researched it for years.
I do not see how it could be a fair and just system. I do not believe money, race or status should be a contributing factor.. therefore I support life without possibility of parole and want the system restructured to where they actually serve their entire life sentence. --- MOO
The DP is not a deterent but a punishment btw. Studies have shown that the DP does NOT deter criminals

Yes, but only for clearly proven capital crimes. We need a lot more of it to get rid of the repeat offenders they keep letting out.

It is clearly a deterrent. Studies of crime have shown that 2 primary things reduce crime:
1) the severity of the punishment
2) the liklihood of speedy punishment

People who are criminals don't generally stop themselves from committing crimes because 'its the right thing to do'. Wouldbe criminals only refrain from crime when they are likely to be caught and the punishment is likely to be severe.

Yes I really believe it should. Something drastic has to be done soon to stop this escalating level of violence occuring and this has to be the only deterrant.
In England too many people are being murdered 'at the drop of a hat', by people who place no value on anothers life. Something has to be done, and sadly it seems this is the only way.