Hot Topic: Death Penalty-What Are Your Views?

I hope to God you are being sarcastic.

People with power let it go to their heads. On a deserted island that will be forgotten about in no time, the guards will rule absolutely without anyone looking over their shoulders. How many prisoners get hurt of killed in prison now? Now imagine that same scenario.on a deserted island. That's a recipe for disaster.

 

Ok my real opinion?

Not in favor, I have always felt that death will just gives a false sense of justice to the loved ones. It wont bring the victim back. Having them locked up forever to deal with crime sounds better. I can never really agree with the death penalty not even for the worst offenders (besides some of these subjects have a interesting mental makeup that needs to be studied.)

 

You are right

 

So there is no inherent decision here, we have to look through color goggles. Without all the pre-text, do you think we should we be able to take another life as means of punishment (weather he/she be w/b/A/purple or whatever)?

 

I think revenge is a good point as well. I might not see anything wrong with family members of victims getting to avenge their fallen if they see fit.

 

Ok here is my view on this subject...I am for the Dp...I understand there in an unbalance on how it is given out...I want you to sit back and really at the number of people on DR now...Now see how many good looking WW are on DR...I hate to tell you they are not, they are not seen as a Monster that BM would be by many. As for the number of BM on DP, most are on DP for killing a white victim. To many of BM have been arrested for felonies and no longer can vote or be apart of a jury. Its just within the last 30 to 40 years that the black vote has increased. So if you cant sit on the jury then how can a black man get a fair trial from a white jury. Now lets talk money.. It really does depend on your economic background on what kind of a defense you will get. Remember freedom is not free. If you cant pay for top lawyers, then you will get a public defender, one that is over his or her head...So please dont think your looks doesnt play a part in you getting the DP...Also the media plays a big part of this
EX.....Three attractive white females along with a black male did rob three banks. The BM did work at the bank, yes inside job...Now the photo was released to the media of the 3 females that robbed the banks the media dubbed them "The Barbie Bandits" Now when they were caught they were givin probation, the BM got 10 years. This is a fact, that I have seen too many times. So your race, gender and economic background does play a role in you being placed on DP. I do agree with the DP but not until things are balanced out with courts then things should be placed on hold....Look at the people on DR now and Im serious on this look at the faces, and tell me if you think any of them are good looking. Please let me know if you see a good looking white woman there...Why there will not be any good looking women on DP, because of the jury will be made of mostly WM...and they will put on thier capes and masks and become Captain-Save-A-Ho....

 

I am totally opposed for a couple of reasons:

1) Unless you catch the perpetrator on unedited/un-doctored video footage, you can never be 100% you have the right person.

2) Racial and socioeconomic class disparities in sentencing.

3) The fact that many criminals have mitigating factors (mental illness/impairment, extreme poverty, etc) that limited their life choices (although I don't claim that is a valid excuse)

4) The philosophical problem I have with the state exacting vengeance on someone rather than the person directly involved.

The only time I have ever been angry enough to put someone to death has been in murders involving the defenseless (children, the elderly). If someone harmed my child, I would be so angry I wouldn't want the state to do it, I would want to do it myself.

 

Put yourself into the situation that you (anyone on here) are one of the innocent condemned men, would you vote for death penatly?
Most people cannot imagine that they are once in exactly this situation..it just happens to others. It cannot be that our thought of revenge makes us to collective, law-protected murderers.

Only, if one can really and wholeheartly answer that he would decide for death, instead of hoping that sometimes the truth will show up- can vote for a yes. Otherwise it's pretty easy to make decisions, as long as someonelse is going to pay the bill.

 

Revenge NEVER makes anything the better, it only intensifies the pain.

 

Says you buddy

 

I am speaking from the experience of having a loved one murdered. Putting the killer to death would never bring my brother back and all it would do is continue the senseless cycle of violence. My entire family feels as I do

Seeking and wanting revenge consumes life and energy and hence multiple lives are wasted,

 

Agreed.

Revenge is born out of unforgiveness. And unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

 

I'm sorry you had to live through the pain and heartache of losing your brother, and especially in such a tragic way.

 

All moral arguments aside, there is no evidence the death penalty is an effective deterrent to violent crime.

Considering providing a deterrent to others is an important aspect of common law sentencing principles, at least in Australian jurisdictions, I do not and will not ever agree to it.

I am also strongly opposed morally. Don't even get me started on the innocent people jurisdictions in the US whom it is now proven sought to execute for crimes which those innocent men did not commit.


The scales of justice are not equal and no civilised state should enshrine in its law the right to take the life of any other.

TDK raises an interesting point as many traditional societies exile those who hve not met expected standard and comitted a crime. Prison is an extension of that, though the US, particularly California, has way too many people in there for relatively minor offenses.

 

Amen to that. I would like to see what Loki says on this matter. It's interesting to get the opinions of lawyers on this matter since you guys have more contact with these kind of things.

 

One up times 1,000. Well said.

Oh and for those who use the (silly) "death penalty costs less" argument, evn I'd you do believe cost should be a key factor (which it shouldn't be), check your facts. It's very expensive due to the appeals. Very expensive.

 

I disagree that killing someone who murdered a loved one brings no closure. I couldn't stomach the idea that someone killed a love one and gets to go on living. Its easy to speculate in the abstract when you haven't lost anyone but for someone who lost someone it might be unbearable to know the monster who ripped away a loved one still gets to breathe.

 

Well we all feel angry when we are victims of crime, which is why we rely on the justice system to maintain civilised standards of our society as a whole during those difficult times. This type of statement about wanting to hurt someone who has hurt them is not really an argument that can be used to support any particular policy, it's just expression of a single emotion - anger id the expectation of it.

Now, who makes rational choices when they are angry? Isn't that's where so many of these violent crimes we speak of come from? We may all feel that way at times but it does not solve anything.

Ps sorry for dodgy typos on my iPhone waiting around...

 

No, unless those with life sentences opt for it.

 

Ah yes, I agree it would bring closure. Hell, I'd want to kill them with my own bare hands. Anyone can be a murderer, given the circumstances. What I am saying is because of that very feeling, the state needs to intervene and provide responses to these matters because it marks us as a civilised society and prevents anarchy or chaos, basically.

And I don't believe the death penalty is an appropriate response, because it does not reduce crime. It is not for the state to sanction that anger, other than to demonstrate to society that a person has been punished and there are outcomes for crimes.