Death penalty

FACT 1​

Since capital punishment was reinstated by the Supreme Court in the 1976 decision, more than 525 men and women have been put to death by the state. More than 150 of these executions have taken place since 1996. 3,500 people are on death row today, awaiting their turn with the executioner.

PRO 2
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Obviously, those executed can’t murder again. "Of the roughly 52,000 state prison inmates serving time for murder in 1984, an estimated 810 had previously been convicted of murder and had killed 821 persons following their previous murder convictions. Executing each of these inmates would have saved 821 lives." (41, 1 Stanford Law Review, 11/88, pg. 153) Using a 75% murder clearance rate, it is most probable that the actual number of lives saved would have been 1026, or fifty times the number legally executed that year. This suggests that some 10,000 persons have been murdered, since 1971, by those who had previously committed additional murders.

CON 3​

Since 1976, 77 persons have been released from death row because they were not guilty of the crime for which they had been condemned to death (33 of these releases have occurred since 1990). These lucky interventions occurred almost always as the result of the efforts of students, journalists or pro bono lawyers, often only hours before a scheduled execution, and usually after the condemned had been on death row for over ten years.

PRO 4​

With no death penalty and only life without parole (LWOP), there is no deterrent for LWOP inmates killing others while in prison or after escape. Indeed, there is actually a positive incentive to murder if a criminal has committed a LWOP offense and had not yet been captured. Currently, there are a number of inmates who have killed numerous people in prison or after escape. Their punishment could not be increased because there is no death penalty in those states. Therefore, they will never be punished for those crimes.

PRO 5​

The highest murder rate in Houston, Texas occurred in 1981, with 701 murders. Texas resumed executions in 1982. Since that time, Houston has executed more murderers than any other city or state (except Texas) and has seen the greatest reduction in murder, 701 in 1981 down to 261 in 1996 - a 63% reduction, representing a 270% differential!

CON 5.1​

The FBI Uniform Crime Reports Division publication Crime in the US for 1995 reports that there were 4.9 murders per 100,000 people in states that have abolished the death penalty, compared with 9.2 murders in those states which still have the death penalty. "In no state has the number of murders diminished after legalizing the death penalty."

CON 6​

The United States is the only Western industrialized nation that practices the death penalty, and is by far the nation with the largest death row roster in the world.

CON 7
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Its historically unfair, your more likely to get the death penalty if you are a minority, poor and live in certain parts of the country.

PRO 8​

Its debatable whether or not the death penalty is cheaper than life without parole, but its not important to the victims of repeat offenders, even if its just another prisoner.

CON 9​

DNA testing has exonerated 64 inmates in the United States and Canada, including nine who were on death row in this country.

FACT 10​

A February 1999 Gallup poll found 70 percent of Americans supporting the death penalty - still an overwhelming majority. But it represents the lowest level in 13 years.

FACT 11​

There were 98 executions in the US in 1999 - 30 more than last year and the most since 1951.

CON 12​

After 16 years on Illinois's death row, he was set free in February 1999 when a band of college students helped prove his innocence. After coming within 48 hours of execution, he suddenly became a national symbol of the death penalty's fallibility.

CON 13​

Gov. George Ryan took the unprecedented step Monday of putting all executions on hold in Illinois, which over the past two decades has freed more inmates from death row - 13 - than it has put to death. ``There is no margin for error when it comes to putting a person to death,'' the Republican governor said. ``Until I can be sure that everyone sentenced to death in Illinois is truly guilty - until I can be sure with moral certainty that no innocent man or woman is facing a lethal injection - no one will meet that fate.''


I think that the death penalty should stay. Crime rates will go even higher without it.

 

I think it should stay, in most cases.

For example, the murders who admit they killed a lot of people, they should be killed. Heck, some of the time I'm sure they rather die then serve a life sentence in a small 8 X 10 cell.

Plus, Most murders who kill, serve twenty five years in jail, and are released do crimes again.

 

Death penalty should stay, otherwise, people wont be scared anymore. Jail is not harsh anywayz, they still get showers, food etc

 

Have you been to jail? I think that if you have, you'll know that it's pretty harsh.

 

Its not harsh when having seen how the prisons in asia are like.

Most people in jail diserve to be there, so why should you feel sorry for them.
And its very very rare to have some one jailed who has nothing done, not including the Guantanamo prison in cuba though.

Death penalty should stay, but instead of the poison injection or electric chair or hanging it should be a bullet in the head.

Thats the most humane execution.
You wont suffer a sec, and wont have to worry about it all the time, unlike the other execution methods where I cannot imagine how horrible one would feel, knowing that you would be executed slowly.

As barbaric it looks to be executed by a shot in the head, its the most humane way of execution, and I think every country should execute that way.

Execution should stay though.

 

Oh, come on, how many of these threads do we need?

The death penalty should indeed be illegal.

While it may be satisfying for the population, to see a culprit killed, it is exhibiting yet more death.

Aswell as this, if the culprit has been killed under the death penalty invalidly, the culprit cannot be set free, as he may have been, if he was still living, in a prison.

If you look at a number of severe English offenders from the past, you notice many of them have attempted suicide in jail, rather than carrying on life in a grueling prison. This therefore suggests a criminals preference over death than living a life confined to a prison.

Killing a criminal who has murdered is indeed hypocritical, also.
Killing criminals, at the end of the day, is simply exhibiting more killing, and more death.

As an interjection to this post, and the one it is replying to, in my personal opinion, I would much rather face death than a lifetime prison sentence, containing no liberty, impoverished surroundings, violent people, and general awfulness.

 

Have you ever heard that justice is blind? Nobody knows the truth really!Could you imagine how many cops pressure people into confessing into crimes that they did not do, recently our leading percuting in the my state was fired because it turns out that over 50% of the people that are in jail are probably innocent, because he cut corners, forced confessions and more... People are so scared that instead of going to trail they plea bargain and get screwed over. And your saying that these people deserve it. Nobody knows the truth really!

 

What they want more, is not something we should care about.

How can it possibly be promoting to more killing and death!

 

I cant imagine 50% in the prisons to be innocent.
How can they be forced to confession.
Its not like they are being tortured, the only thing that may have taken place, would be psychological pressur to the point of confession.
Words are nothing, so its part of their own fault if they´ve bin put into prison even though their innocent.

So yes, it is part of their own fault if they are inoocently sent to prison.
The only place people are being tortured to confession as far as I know is guantanamo.

 

Yeah right, just because you can not prove that someone was abuse to confess does not mean they weren't. Just as you do not know 100% that they committed the crime, no matter how much evidence you gather your not completely sure, so you really want to kill someone with that opportunity at hand? Next off the death penalty is revenge and does no good.

 

Well its not like you can prove that they were!
And the chance of me the prisoners not having bin tortured to confession is way bigger than the chance of they might have bin.
One of the things that I like about america is their way of hunting down the criminals and making shure that they will no harm ever do again, and I think they are good at it.

Death penalty does good! You kill the criminals of this world, and make shure that they get what they diserve.
Those people who have bin sentenced to death, probably all deserve it.
And I dont think its because of 1 murder or 2, its probably because of a large amount of kills, that one would be sentenced to death for.
So if some one has killed perhaps 5 people, does he deserve to stay alive in a prison, with food to eat, and able to do what people in africa and other poor countries never had the chance to do?

The only and best sulotion is death.

 

Side note: There's already a page on this on the same page with 175+ posts. You guys should get involved there so we can see more threads.

Point: In the US if you're convicted of killing someone that had blackmailing you, its generally life in prison. Without the death penalty, killing a cop when he was stopping a mugging, you would get life in prison as well.

There are some crimes that go above and beyond, and the people pose a danger to others because they know they're in there for good and have nothing to lose. Prison violence is big, and murderers don't always stay sepereate from car-jackers, etc. Life in prison should be the death penalty, if they can't respect life why should they be able to keep theirs?

The only adjustment, they can't pick their last meal. They don't get one to save us $50 per prisoner on taxes (its not like its going to be used for something anyways).

The risk of killing someone innocent (which to this day hasn't happened yet in the US) is far better than the risk of someone dangerous getting away and killing again, killing a prison guard, killing a petty theft over some meatloaf, etc.

 

i tell you all the peadophiles out there. should have a death penalty or if not have there penis and fingers cut off. if you lot wont do anything about it ill do it watch!

 

I think the death penalty would be better then life in jail thats why I say they should rot in jail then die and go to hell rather then just be put to death and go to hell if you ask me.

 

What is it with people and their opinions towards peadophiles!
They like little girls or boys, so what.
I know its wrong, but its just something that is not accepted in our time.
100 years, ago or beyond I bet it was accepted.

No peadophile should ever be executed for being what he is. They should get life in prison or so, but no death penalty at all!
You cant compare peadophiles to seriel killers and murders!!

 

ima tell you guys like my friend dro told me. his brother got murdered 2 years ago and his killer was just put in for 30 years -.- because of a few days earlier the town was holding a rant about the death penalty is still murder so they decided not to give it too him cause itll look bad for them now. in 27 years that guy will be free who says he won't kill again.....its easier to have someone who has done somthing that bad put away forever or to death.

 

i havent read all of the first post yet...
but u say that the death penalty is a waste of life..
prison for 50 years to life isn't a waste of life either?
i wouldn't rather serve inprisonment, ide rather go down then spend the next 60 years of my life in misery...
anyways, im for the death penalty, u get what u deserve...you kill people, why should you live yourself?
just my veiws...

 

Death > 70 years in Prison, youd die by then

If, infact, i got 70 years in prison. i would kill myself in the cell!

 

You are dumb. Ever thought of gangs?

 

i think the death penalty is fair enough. how do you think the families of victims of mass murderers feel?