Do you think Death Penalty is fair? Do you think it should be legal ? Do you agree with it ? Or would you prefer the criminal to spend the rest of his/her days in prison ? Why ?


Me: I think that a criminal that could get the death penalty, should instead spend the rest of his life on prison. Here they would suffer more, and this is, what most of them, deserve. I see death penalty as the easy way out.

• I definitely do not believe in the death penalty.

• 
  
  Death Penalty = Nono.
  Because I believe that about 1/4 the people in prison are actually innocent.
  

Poet:
Could you say why ? o 3o~

• Because she thinks that it's true?
  It's true that minorities tend to be targeted for the death penalty.
  Sometimes the reasons they're on death row is ridiculous, too.
  People say that it would clear up space in the prisons, that they're already too crowded, etc.... but I think that would be helped if people didn't get put in jail for drug use and prostitution and other such things... :?.

but alas, our government doesn't have the money to keep most of the people that ARE guilty in. :/
rapists and murders get parole sometimes because they've been in there so long. ><

though i'm not one for death penalty either. cause if they kill someone in cold blood, why make it so easy for them to die with just a shot that makes them feel like they're going to sleep?

One of my favorite shows is Oz which was shown on HBO. Ever since I watched it, it has furthered my belief in life in jail rather than the death penalty. For those to live in jail with the knowledge and hopefully guilt for the crime has stolen their lives.

The death penalty should be saved for those who are criminally insane. Those sort of people will never regret in what they've done, in fact most likely enjoy the crimes they have commited.

Originally Posted by poet`s playground

• Because she thinks that it's true?
  It's true that minorities tend to be targeted for the death penalty.
  Sometimes the reasons they're on death row is ridiculous, too.
  People say that it would clear up space in the prisons, that they're already too crowded, etc.... but I think that would be helped if people didn't get put in jail for drug use and prostitution and other such things... :?.

I meant the why to you ... not her.

She posted before me and i didn't notice it. D:

I think the death penalty should be for repeat, known criminals. (I'm not saying repeat petty theft. I mean murder, etc.)

And I think their death should be chosen by the families that suffered. Have them taken out back and shot in the head for all I care. They're a menace to society.

• Honestly, if I lost someone to murder or something, I'd feel better knowing the criminal responsible was spending life in prison rather than simply getting off dying, you know, quickly.

Hence the "choose the death" part.
Or would that go against "humane treatment of a fellow human"?
Oh. Probably.

Originally Posted by Xanadam

I think the death penalty should be for repeat, known criminals. (I'm not saying repeat petty theft. I mean murder, etc.)

And I think their death should be chosen by the families that suffered. Have them taken out back and shot in the head for all I care. They're a menace to society.

I agree with you. And letting the family choose what's the punishment for the criminal seems like an interesting idea.

Originally Posted by Xanadam

Hence the "choose the death" part.
Or would that go against "humane treatment of a fellow human"?
Oh. Probably.

• I don't think that's really fair, though, either. I mean, consider the criminal's family, too. They're losing their family member, too.
  I don't know, I just never thought that it was a good idea.

You bring up a good point, throwing in the criminal's family. Maybe the criminal and his/her closest family/friends can be put in a room together for an hour or so, see if they can, perhaps, talk some sense into the offender.

spending life in prison doing nothing is so much worse than just dying. if a criminal did something really bad, they should spend their life thinking about how much they suck for doing that.

Originally Posted by Xanadam

You bring up a good point, throwing in the criminal's family. Maybe the criminal and his/her closest family/friends can be put in a room together for an hour or so, see if they can, perhaps, talk some sense into the offender.

• Hah... I don't know. *shrug*. It's just that people always feel bad for the victim's family, but the offendor's family is just as damaged. In a way, worse, if they're in jail because they're constantly reminded of what that person did. But it's a worse punishment, knowing you did this, knowing you did this to your family and whatnot.

Life in prison..
I don't think we have the right to kill another human being, eventhough we may think the reasons are justified. But just put him away forever would do.
None of those super comfy cells with personal TV and fridge either, those things make jail look more like a hotel..

The death penalty has been around forever. Allowing them to live in jail is allowing them to be fed. The expenses that are keeping them to stay alive is coming from taxes for the most part. Guess whos money goes towards funding for the safety of said criminals? The innocent people is who. The death penalty takes a little away from it, though I believe it to be wrong. If someone does something so wrong, can't we use him/her for better use? They should put them to work like anyone else or even send them into the front lines of war. The death penalty could be cancelled out in this case, but it's never brought about. I think that that would be a better use for criminals rather than killing them. I have another opinion too as to keeping them alive in jail. Some could very well be innocent just like in the movie "green mile" Those who are innocent like the character in that movie shouldn't have to be put to death unfairly, but rather as they are thought to beleive to commit a crime, they should be punished in an effective way that will help out the rest of society as my previous statements support.

Hmm... Truthfully, I think the death penalty only affects the people who care about that person being killed. Death is such an easy way out for so many people. I happen to be living in a place where it is legal. I'm not completely against it, however... as I stated above, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Originally Posted by Iced-anime

The death penalty has been around forever. Allowing them to live in jail is allowing them to be fed. The expenses that are keeping them to stay alive is coming from taxes for the most part.

acutally it costs more to sentance a prisoner to death than to keep them alive
those who are in a for life sentance really have a low quality of life, so spendature is low compared to the average cost of living
both have a series of apeals that take up tax payer money
you still have guards, and facilities maintenance, and whatnot keeping them alive until the sentance is to be completed. you have another "hearing" where the case is gone over and it is confirmed that the case has been properly filed, and this individual has been sentanced to death
then at the execution you have those in charge of the execution process, cost of execution equipment, medical experts- both to confirm death, and to be there incase something goes ammiss (improper doseage, a slow hanging instead of a fast hanging ~ every execution can have something go wrong)
i think you need a judge present~ i dont recall who all needs to be there confirming that the prisoner did in fact die as sentanced

I think they should spend their days in prison, because that way, they can sit there and regret what they'd done.

If someone was found guilty of murder, wouldn't it be stooping down to their level by 'murdering' them?

Life in Jail.

If there's even a chance that an innocent person could slip through the cracks, then 'm against the death penalty. You can always take an innocent person out of jail if they're discorvered innocent, you can't take them out of death.

I remember last year I had to write an essay on the side of this argument I was for.
I think I chose for life in prison instead of the death penalty.
Its easy for someone who has committed crimes to want the death penalty, because then at least they know, they won't suffer in jail, which is why life in jail is the way to go. That is because, if the criminal is sent to life in prison, they would have all those years to think of what they did, and why they are now rotting away in prison, instead of outside with the rest of the world.
But if the victims of the criminal decides they want that criminal that had caused them pain to die, they should be able to ask for that, but of course with the constent of some one who would be able to help them with that.
Also, it is possible that the person they caught that was thought to be the criminal are actually innocent, they could easily set him free.

Over population in jails leads to more unnecessary deaths. People get killed in prison all the time.

Sociopaths, for instance, cannot be rehibilitated and released back into society. They are either jailed for life or institutionalized. They will only continue to rape, kill, maim, etc.

I do not think that prison works, period. In most cases it does not stop the behaviors that landed the criminal there in the first place (for violent crimes), and in the cases where it does, their lives are ruined. For people who did something bad out of necessity (like stealing to live) I feel bad.

I believe in the death penalty in the cases where a person cannot be rehibilitated.

But I think that the prison system needs to be completely overhauled in general.

• Personally, I feel like as long as it's possible to be jailed for something you didn't do, the death penalty is not an option.