Should the death penalty be allowed? |
The cost
The U.S. government spends millions of taxpayers dollars to keep these lowlife convicts in prison! Any suspect found of murder/rape should ultimately be put down! It's not the taxpayers fault that they messed up and they should be put to rest and be treated like all of the other scum in the world that was killed for wrong doings.
Posted by: AnonymousOf course it should be
What about those serial killers. What about the serial rapist? Do you really want those people on this earth. If they cant control themselves during the time they were free, they should not be allowed to remain part of society and get what they deserve for all the pain they have caused other.
Posted by: AnonymousBan the death penalty!
The death penalty should be banned because sometimes the innocent person is killed. The death penalty shouldn't be allowed because in the 8th amendment it says "No Cruel and Unusual Punishments". In 2011 Troy Davis was killed for a crime that he committed 22 years ago and they killed him with the Death Penalty. What if it were you that committed a crime? What if they put you up for death penalty? Would you like it? It's time for a change in our government
Posted by: AnonymousThe death penalty should be allowed, because it's an effective way to ban criminals.
Criminals would think twice before committing their crimes if death penalty exists. If they know they may face death for what they do, they may change their minds and give up on committing any crime.
Posted by: Anonymous@twovic
Rebuttal: killing =\= killing. Go here, phone writing is annoying: http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/02/01/murder-and-execution--very-distinct-moral-differences--new-mexico.aspx
Posted by: 16kadamsThey have been proven guilty.
Criminals that have been proven guilty without a doubt and that have committed an uncalled for and irreversible crime deserve to be executed, especially if these people are not able to be rehabilitated. If they were to get out, although it's not likely, they would probably get out and do it again, costing another innocent life.
Posted by: AnonymousSure
Should be allowed when it comes down to the most heinous crimes, and only certain methods of the death penalty should be utilized, but it should definitely be an option
Posted by: imabenchWhy shouldn't the death penalty be allowed?
Some people say that the death penalty is too rough because killing is wrong. Well, when they rape, kill, pillage, and burn, wouldn't you want them to suffer the same fate as your loved ones? I think that if the family of the victim or the victim themselves( if they are old enough to understand the impact of their decisions) should determine if they want them killed. True while some see it unjust, many would fight for their death if it meant less of their suffering.
Posted by: AnonymousDeath penalty should be allowed for fair justice.
If someone committed a crime, murder to be specific, one must also be punished by death. Because he should pay for what he had been taken, the innocent life. Life that had been taken should be paid with another life not with money for compensation. Fair justice should be given for all!
Posted by: AnonymousYes
The death penalty is necessary, because some people are so vile they can never be in contact with society without harming it in some way. Truly evil people do exist and they harm others - sometimes killing or ruining lives through their actions. This is not something that should be acceptable or allowed to continue without punishment to deter others with a like mentality.
Posted by: AnonymousOf course we should!
If all we have for hard-core criminals is life in jail, then what's stopping them? They would be getting three square meals, medical attention, a library, and etc. Do we really want a murderer obtaining these things? Of course not! They deserve to rot in the most utterly hot place on earth; the core. The way they get there? The death penalty.
Posted by: AnonymousDeath penalty is very nessesry because stop a crime
death penalty should be allowed to be a stop a crime .the death penalty is necessary because some people are so vile the can never be in contact with society without harming it in someway .some people just deserve to be put down .they are down right evil and deserve to die
Posted by: AnonymousYes
All those terrorists that helped plan disgusting attacks on the world for example 9/11 7/7. If they take the lives of so many people their own life should be taken as well. If they took somebody else's chance to live their own chance for life should be taken away. It will be taken away in jail anyway
Posted by: samantha_uCapital Punishment is a means for revenge
For many people, capital punishment is a means for revenge. “Someone who has killed, they say, has lost the right to live” (Day) The famous saying “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” supports this train of thought. Imagine getting a call from someone telling you that a loved one was recently murdered. This victim had done nothing but was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Because of this, his or her life was taken away. This is not fair to the family of the victim and because of that, some families deal with the pain through revenge. In a way, this provides closure for the victim’s family.
Posted by: AnonymousDefiantly no question about it!
Put it this way, if you were a child and you were raped by an older person, how would feel towards the person who took your human rights and physically took advantage of you. You would obviously want them dead because they ruined your life and now you are morally ruined. So if you are on the 'no' side, put yourselves in the shoes of victims who have went through what I have just explained.
Posted by: AnonymousGIVE THEM PUNISHMENT THEY DESERVE!
The death penalty is a justifiable punishment. I believe it gives many family members comfort. And supports retribution. I mean how would you feel if a family member you deeply loved was killed by some monster and even after your loved one dies the monster is still eating, sleeping, and breathing the same air as you are. No monster deserves to live after committing something so atrocious.
Posted by: AnonymousOf course it should
Let me ask you a question.
You are a parent. You have a child, a girl. Six years old.
She is raped. Or murdered.
And the criminal is going to receive free meals, health care, and housing for a few decades.
Do you accept this? IS THIS OK? NO. Serial murderers, child molesters, and rapists should not be rewarded for crimes. And we should not need to pay for them.Posted by: zman1016The death penalty should be allowed.
The death penalty should be allowed because it could stop a crime. The death penalty is necessary because some people are so vile they can never be in contact with society without harming it in some way. Some people just deserve to be put down, they are downright evil and deserve to die.
Posted by: AnonymousDeath penalty should be allowed.
It is obvious, if a criminal kills other people shouldn't he deserve to die? It will remove many killers that if not removed will continue to terrorize the community. Although sometimes innocent people are sometimes put to death, it is extremely rare. More people will live than die if the death penalty gets enforced. Maybe if someone has a mental problem, they wont kill him, but put him in a mental hospital instead. It will make the world a safer place as criminals will think twice before murdering others. All in all the death penalty will make the world a better place, i hope you agree with me when I say the death penalty should be banned.
Posted by: AnonymousClearly
Of course it should, its not revenge. Its payment for their crimes. When you throw somebody in prison doesnt that effectivly end thier lives anyway. They arent treated well often beat into submission. Isnt death better the life a caged rat. Another point, When you take a life for example or rape a person/child. That is the very deffinitoin of evil. I believe that the aggressor should have his life taken away, just as he did the the person he killed/raped. On a side note, I have grown up in a very demecratic house, I myself lean towards the demecratic party.
Posted by: ThinkingAloudThe death penalty should be applied, because it is a just punishment for horrific crimes.
The Christian Bible has the solution, "an eye for an eye". Let the punishment fit the crime. If you take a life, you forfeit your life. Some criminals are so far beyond any hope of redemption that the only way to control them is to terminate their life. If a terrorist is sentenced to life in prison, he will only recruit more terrorists from the prison population. Executing the terrorist would be a nice way of saying, "mass murder is not acceptable in our society".
Posted by: JamieMSometimes people are too sick to live.
There are many cases, such as in America with massacres, where the people who have caused them are known fully. There is no doubt that they have committed a crime of such magnitude, and so the argument of "You can't be sure" goes out the window. Why should these people be kept in a high security prison, where they are protected from the families they have angered? Why should our taxes go into looking after and feeding these people? They deserve to die.
Posted by: AnonymousIt should be allowed for less crime.
First of all, if somebody kills somebody, they should get the same treatment in return. Also, it may help stop crime because people who have the conscience to kill someone actually seeing other people die because they killed somebody may cause them to change their minds about what they were about to do.
Posted by: AnonymousThe death penalty should be allowed because those who kill innocent people should pay for it with their own lives.
The death penalty should be allowed as an acceptable punishment for those who kill innocent people. Taxpayers should not have to pay for a killer to spend the rest of their lives not working, watching cable tv, and working out. The killer took an innocent life and should not be given any of the privileges and luxuries that they took away from the victim.
Posted by: BouncyWalter37The saying goes, an eye for an eye
It may sound harsh, but if a person shows no remorse and is unlikely to ever be a functioning citizen, they should be put under the death penalty; and anybody who has been convicted of planning a murder, committing a mass murder or is a serial killer and has not been killed in the process shouldn't be spending years in a cell where all they are doing is wasting tax payer's dollars on a hopeless cause.
Posted by: leaningontheleftWhat?
Some people just deserve to be put down. They are downright evil and deserve to die. Murderers, molesters, etc... They should not be allowed to live where there is a possibility that they may escape or be released and harm more people. Prison is also expensive and we should not be spending our money to hold these types of people.
Posted by: AnonymousThe death penalty brings justice to the unfairness of it all.
There was once killer and he, along with his wife, raped and murdered just over a hundred girls. We pay hundreds of dollars in taxes to keep him and his wife alive. Why? There are thousands of girls just like the ones he killed living in poverty. Why not give taxes to them; Because we have to worry about the criminals, because they're "human" too. And apparently more human than those girls, more deserving of life than those girls.
Posted by: Jacqueline_WildeWe shouldn't spend money on someone who has raped and killed innocent people.
Why spend all your taxes on someone who has raped and killed innocent people? Why waste breathing air for those who took that away from other people? Would you want that person to ever have the chance of getting out of those bars? To hurt more innocents? Although it may occur due to racial bias or discrimination, it's scares off other sickos and the risk is worth it. Death penalty should definitely be allowed despite its cons.
Posted by: Anonymous
No one deserves to die!
The death penalty should not be allowed because God created this world for us to live and he will pick when we die. I do believe that if you do a really bad sin then you should go to jail but not die. Even if you go to jail you get fed and you have a bathroom. Yes, I know that there are people that disagree with me, but this is what I believe. What about you?
Posted by: AnonymousIt doesn't work.
The death penalty is expensive, does not deter crimes, and morally wrong. Many people say that an execution is simply a rope or a bullet; $5 is all it takes. However, in reality it costs millions upon millions of dollars due to court hearings and whatnot. Life imprisonment costs considerably less. It has been proven that the death penalty does not deter crimes. Go compare the murder rates of the US to Canada and Europe. Lastly, everyone should be entitled a right to life. Just because one person violated someone else's right doesn't mean it's correct for the nation to sink down to the murderer's level.
Posted by: AnonymousNo, it is morally wrong.
It's a very controversial topic, and in a way, it will make people think twice before committing a crime. But everyone has the right to life and no one should ever be subjected to this kind of extreme punishment, no matter how guilty they are, they still have the right to life just like everyone else. Also, the death penalty is basically like getting revenge, rather than making someone feel guilty of their mistake...it's just morally wrong. Besides, who is the government to decide whether or not someone to die? They're not God.
Posted by: AnonymousIt should never be legalized.
We as humans need to protect and help one another, however with everything in our society, I understand that to some people the death penalty should be legalized. But who are we to play God, to kill those we deem deserve death? We are hypocrites if we kill a murder, what would be next? Raping a rapist? It must be taken in perspective, yes, it's only used in extreme cases, but even in Sweden there is a prison where the maximum sentence is 12 years, they use their resources to educate and help the prisoners. The prisoners come out of there well educated and do not go back to hurting others. This should be considered, after all, we are humans, and it is not morally correct to kill other humans.
Posted by: AnonymousThe Death Penalty Should NOT BE ALLOWED
It is terrible, murder and it is not good. It is revenge. Revenge is terrible, Romans 12:17 in the bible, says: "Never pay bach evil for evil, if someone is truly evil, they will feel the Wrath Of God!" Thank You, Johnny A. Rosso this is my argument thank you lots
Posted by: AnonymousThe death penalty hurts it doesn't help
The death penalty is not wrong, it is very right in the sense of an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth. But we as a species are more emotionally complex than something so simple. When your son or your daughter, mother, father, brother, or whomever has been killed, it is a traumatic experience from which you need to gain closure from. One cannot however gain closure of the loss off a loved one when the killer's fate still awaits him. The victims family becomes the victim through the process of execution. The victims feel as if they cannot gain any sort of closure until the person on death row has been executed. In the mean time the victims have spent 5, 10, or even 20 years grieving their loss without closure. The biggest means of closure however, is forgiveness and understanding. I am in no way shape or form saying one should forgive a murderer, that would be absurd. But to accept the fact that it happened and their is no going back, that is true closure.
Posted by: AnonymousThe death penalty is horrible
So many people have been given the death penalty for a crime they didn't commit. As one of the Ten Commandments says "Thou shalt not kill" No one in the government jury or any thing is exempt from that commandment. No matter what the crime is, the death penalty is unethical.
Posted by: AnonymousNo.just, no.
The death penalty should not be allowed. Why? Well,think about it, the person could be wrongfully convicted. And what sense does it make to kill someone because they killed someone? It's just murder for murder. And yes, I'm fully aware that in the Christian Bible it says "an eye for an eye?" But really, not even everyone believes in that moral. Like ghandi said "an eye for an eye just makes the whole world blind."
Posted by: AnonymousNo one deserves to die!
The death penalty should not be allowed because God created this world for us to live and he will pick when we die. I do believe that if you do a really bad sin then you should go to jail but not die. Even if you go to jail you get fed and you have a bathroom. Yes, I know that there are people that disagree with me, but this is what I believe. What about you?
Posted by: AndreAANo. It should not be allowed.
There are so many cases where someone have been "proven" guilty and have served time in prison for a crime they haven't committed. If the death penalty is allowed there could be innocent people put to death, so that someone later could say, "Hey, they weren't really guilty at all." So in this case, no the death penalties should not be allowed.
Posted by: AnonymousNo, of course not
The governments should ban the death penalty because it’s morally wrong. It’s a very severe punishment for those criminals. As the death rate gets higher the population may decrease. Do you really want this to happen to your families? Think about others feeling not only about yourself. Murdering is wrong so by executing lives its basically wrong.
Posted by: Anonymousof course not
The death penalty is technically going against the law. The law specifically states that murder is illegal. Isn't the death penalty a form of murdering another individual. If you say that the murder of one could be justified by the death of the murderer, then why do people that go after others that has harmed other be arrested. People support the death penalty, but are against kids at school for bullying a kid that used to bully someone else. Isn't that eye for an eye?
Posted by: bae.minjiIt doesn't help a persons individual rights.
They torture the victim when they give them death penalty, like the lethal injection its not given to the victim by a doctor, it's given by someone who doesn't know how to do it. And they can do it wrong and the victim can still be conscious for the whole time of it and will make them not be able to move and they will be tortured for at least 25 mins or more.
Posted by: AnonymousIt shouldn't be legal
First of all the law says killing is illegal... But they allow death penalty? That makes no sense and they are just committing the same crime the person did by killing them for no reason at all, when you could just send them to jail. So killing others just makes us no better.
Posted by: AnonymousThe death penalty should not be allowed.
I think the death penalty should be abolished because (I) 2010 FBI statistics show the homicide rate in states without the death penalty is lower than in states with the death penalty; (ii) it's applied unfairly to non-Caucasians; (iii) we never can be sure whether a convicted murderer is guilty (exonerations happen on a regular basis); and (iv) it's more retaliation than justice.
Posted by: AnonymousMaking sure a guilty person dies does not warrant the death of an innocent
Seventeen people have been proven innocent and exonerated by DNA testing in the United States after serving time on death row. They were convicted in 11 states and served a combined 209 years in prison including 187 years on death row for crimes they didn't commit. Our system is flawed and countless innocent people have been put to death. Not to mention the financial cost of the program. It simply is not worth it.
Posted by: AnonymousDeath is too good for them.
In my opinion, I would rather be killed than spend the rest of my life in prison, especially if we make prison conditions more harsh for felons and murderers.
Posted by: AnonymousThe death penalty is draconian, plain and simple.
Firstly, if killing someone is inherently wrong, then state executions fall under that category. Secondly, in cases where the truth of the situation can't be completely ascertained, a subsequent execution cannot be reversed if new evidence comes to light.
A life always has worth, even if the owner of that life has committed despicable crimes. Instead of having the death penalty, make prisons more of a deterrence. Have prisoners do worthwhile and highly taxing work.Posted by: AnonymousNo
Death is too good for them. They should be tortured for the rest of their lives. Death is way too quick and simple. Innocent people unfortunately always get the punishment for some reason while the criminals just get away with it. It's not fair. Torture is the best and most suitable punishment. Also it is not worth taking the risk of accidentally executing the wrong person.
Posted by: AnonymousNo, the risk is too great.
There is always a chance, in anything that a miscarriage of justice could be performed. When this happens and the wrong person is executed it is irreversible. Our criteria of evidence still leaves room for error and it is better to let a guilty person go free than for an innocent person to be executed. It is for this reason I opposed it though I think there is a legitimate reason behind wanting it as a punishment, we just can't risk it.
Posted by: BennyWStop Death Penalties
No, it is not an appropriate form of punishment because states conclude that they waste hundreds of millions of dollars on the death penalty, draining state budgets during the economic crisis and diverting funds from more effective anti-violence programs. The Number of U.S states with death penalty:35 $1,471,200,000 wasted on executions since 1976. In 1999, 98.
Posted by: Anonymous@16K
That article is wrong. The intent of an action should have no affect - The effect itself is the only important part. Killing is killing.
@the whole "Jailing is Jailing" thing
Yes, it is. The article falsely assumes that we view everything as equally morally reprehensible. Jailing is nowhere near as severe as depriving someone of life.Posted by: bossyburritoWell there are so many ways it can go wrong.
I feel that the death penalty is somewhat hypocrytical as the state is meant to preserve and protect the lives of all the citizens and letting them choose ourr fate is restricting our rights to the most basic nessecity we humans need. However If I was in that situation I would want death penalty as it would be quickly rather than life sentence which is a death sentence dragged on for the rest of your miserable life in prison.
Posted by: THEPRO56No, the death penalty should not be allowed.
The death penalty seems like proper retribution for certain crimes and it can be a deterrent. However, I do not agree with the idea of a government being able to take the life of another. Our justice system is not foolproof and is comprised people that are capable of making mistakes. One innocent person put to death is one too many. better that ten guilty persons escape, than that one innocent suffer, William Blackstone
Posted by: AnonymousThe death penalty should not be allowed, because killing is wrong.
The death penalty is an inhumane form of punishment that is not fit for a civilized society. It is never the right of any person to kill another person, unless in self-defense, which the death penalty is not. The risk of wrongful convictions alone should be enough to have the death penalty entirely outlawed.
Posted by: TwoVicAn eye for an eye makes us all blind
Should the death penalty be banned?
Yes, I believe it should. I understand that what they have done is wrong (murder presumably) but killing the criminal is not the answer- it won’t bring the deceased back.
In life, bad things happen, innocent people die and I am not saying this is acceptable but why do people think that more people dying is a solution. It isn’t.
In addition, I believe a life sentence in prison without any privilege’s is a lot worse than death because it is quick and after that you feel nothing; no guilt or pain.
Have you ever heard the phrase an eye for eye, a tooth for a tooth? It means that if somebody does something bad, we should do the same back to him. If someone takes an eye from you, you take an eye from him.
But if we do that and all start taking each other’s eyes as retaliation, by the end of it none of us will have eyes, and we'll be blind and what does that really achieve?
As Gandhi said ‘an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.’
So overall, yes, I do believe the death penalty should be banned. Turn the other cheek as Jesus once said. By killing them you are sinking down to their level and becoming as bad as them.Posted by: AnonymousNo one has the right to take another life
Taking the life of a murderer is murder as well. We don't know enough about what happens after death to be in the position to make such a desicion it is like playing god.
It costs more to place a person on the death penalty than to keep them in jail for the rest of their lives and it has been proven that it is not a deterant.Posted by: AnonymousToo much money being wasted
Financial costs to taxpayers of capital punishment is several times that of keeping someone in prison for life. Most people don't realize that carrying out one death sentence costs 2-5 times more than keeping that same criminal in prison for the rest of his life. How can this be? It has to do with the endless appeals, additional required procedures, and legal wrangling that drag the process out. It's not unusual for a prisoner to be on death row for 15-20 years. Judges, attorneys, court reporters, clerks, and court facilities all require a substantial investment by the taxpayers. Do we really have the resources to waste? -http://www.Balancedpolitics.Org/death_penalty.Htm
Posted by: AnonymousInnocent people are being killed.
The death penalty was suppose to be made to execute people who have done crimes that are unethical, but now people are getting a death sentence for a crime they did not commit, and sometimes if the sentence is carried out that person gets no justice. Most people are found innocent because witnesses are falsely accusing people of doing something they did not do, and yet they are still paying the price. How would you feel if you were put on death row knowing that you are innocent?
Posted by: kidswagThe death penalty is inhumane and can result in innocent people being killed.
It is absolutely incoherent that death penalties should be allowed. Do you really think they should be allowed?! Of course not! It is ruining society. What if the criminal was actually innocent? We are not mind readers, so how can we tell if the suspect is guilty or innocent? Ever told your siblings or parents you didn't do something and you end up grounded? Exactly! So why should the death penalty be allowed? Framing is especially popular nowadays, and please reconsider before you start blaming people that are innocent and making them suffer this pointless, inhumane torture of a death penalty!
Posted by: SilansiaWho are you to decide someone's fate?
The majority of people who support the death penalty are against the killing of other people. Therefore, is it not hypocritical to then put the criminal to death for murder? Is it not murder to go through with the death penalty? It is not the government's choice to decide who lives and who does not. In fact, it's criminal of THEM to put people to death for wrong-doings.
In addition, there's the possibility that you have the wrong man. If so, you are putting an innocent man to death. I know of no one who supports killing innocent people except for those with a criminal mind.Posted by: runnersva1There are just way too many factors.
The death penalty has not been proven to be effective tool as deterrent and that already qualifies it as failure of punishment. In fact, states with the death penalty in effect have by far more homicide rates than states that do not. Texas is especially notorious for being the crown state of executions, yet it has one of the highest murder rates. Same goes for Louisiana.
People do not realize that for deterrent to be effective, you need consider the state of mind of the perpetrator. When the crime is being committed, it is done with very little thought and typically perpetrator lives in the moment of the crime committed. There is no second guesses of consequences or outcome, but mere thought of gain, the primal thought at the moment when the murder is committed. The same was hypnotism works. You are convinced of something and you act upon it. Deterrent be damned no matter if you get executed afterward, you still get the outcome you wished when you committed the crime.
Second of all the cost versus benefit is completely out of frame. As already stated above death penalty does not prevent murder, then what is left for the benefit of it?
The most disturbing is the execution of innocent people. It have been already proven by statistics that 10% of all incarcerated people (if not more since misdemeanors are rarely ever included) are said to be and often proven to be innocent. Now imagine an innocent man or a woman who done nothing wrong put to death. You just committed murder to deter murder of an innocent person. Some say "well sometimes it is acceptable to execute innocent since vast majority of them are in fact guilty" but truly... would you who say that sacrifice yourself then? Would you let yourself to be executed? Would you willingly strap yourself to lethal injection gurney or electric chair or sit calmly in the gas chamber before being slaughtered like an animal or kept like one in 4ft by 6ft cage for several years in isolation before being slaughtered? Three out of seven people is the current rate of people on the death row have been proven innocent. That is about 40%. How many of you would be willing to take that chance to be the executioner using what is very close to the flip of a coin to execute an innocent person? Would you make yourself a legalized murderer?Posted by: Anonymous