This is a very popular topic there has been a lot of discussions going on about this.

Some would think that yes the death penalty should be abolished
because Every year, thousands of people are put on death row for a crime they didn't even commit. There's no way of knowing if they actually did or not. Is it worth the risk? It can be seen as a cruel and unsual punishment, which goes against one of the amendments in the Constitution. Crime will always be apart of the world and there will be better ways to handle it.

And on top of that 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?


Some would say no it should stay.

It creates another form of crime deterrent. Crime would run rampant as never before if there wasn't some way to deter people from committing the acts. Prison time is an effective deterrent, but with some people, more is needed. Prosecutors should have the option of using a variety of punishments in order to minimize crime.

And also justice is better served.The most fundamental principle of justice is that the punishment should fit the crime. When someone plans and brutally murders another person, doesn't it make sense that the punishment for the perpetrator also be death?


So you've heard the arguments from both sides, the question is where do you stand on this topic are you for capital punishment or against it? please leave your comments and views below.

Well sometimes we do need it,
To punish terrorists like Kasab who killed numerous innocents in India he had to be hanged and everyone knew it was he who committed the crime, I dont think the capital punishment should be completely done away with, but should be used more carefully and only in certain cases

As you noted before, the reason it costs so much more is because of the appeal process put in place to determine the guilt of the prisoner. I think you are justified in saying that it would be cheaper to keep them in prison. However, I do not agree that capital punishment should be removed.

Life in prison simply is not a large enough deterrent from committing crimes. Some of the filth in this world would actually prefer life in prison over life outside of the protection and structure of iron bars. What deters these people from commiting horrifying acts of violence, perversion, and cruely? It is clear that people fear death above all else. This deterrent is necessary to prevent atrocities and protect our citizens from immoral behavior.

When sentencing a murderer or a rapist, you must take into account the thoughts of the victims and their relatives. There must be just retribution for the crime committed. I know for one, if my future wife/child was raped and murdered, I hope for the criminal's and my own sake that the police find him before I do. If they do find him, I will do everything in my power to watch that S.O.B. Fry.

It simply brings peace to the general public knowing that our biggest threats are being taken care of permanantly.

As far as the cost goes, I dont believe your figures are accurate. The upfront costs of the Death Penalty far outweigh the immediate cost of a Life without Parole sentence. However, over time the cost of a LWOP sentence can cost up to 1.2-3.6 million more than an equivilant death row sentencing (Justice For All).

This, not to mention the tremendous issues involved in our prison rehabilitation program. To detain all of these dangerous criminals, with other parole worthy inmates, can only corrupt our prison system.

Sorry, went off topic but its a very broad subject.

-Pete

I see your point there Pete but over 10 thousand people are wrongly sentenced for crimes they did not do each year, so you cant be 100% sure that you found the culprit, and do you know how many people have been wrongly put on death row and then cleared after they die its quit disturbing you know.

The endless appeals and required additional procedures clog our court system.The U.S. court system goes to enormous lengths before allowing a death sentence to be carried out. All the appeals, motions, hearings, briefs, etc. monopolize much of the time of judges, attorneys, and other court employees as well as use up courtrooms & facilities. This is time & space that could be used for other unresolved matters. The court system is tremendously backed up. This would help move things along.

According to the DPIC, there are currently 3,125 Death Row inmates in America.

Over the past 40 years, there have been approximately 142 exonerations. These are death row inmates who were found innocent of the crime they committed prior to their death sentence. According to a Northwestern law article, there have been 39 cases of executions where there has been reasonable doubt of guilt or evidence of innocence after the sentence was carried out. Although innocence has NOT been proven in any specific case, it is likely that some of these executed prisoners were wrongfully convicted.

Although it is difficult for me to value ones life over another, out of all of the terrible people we have brought to justice, only 39 were found questionable after death.

Considering that in 2010 there were 32,885 fatal car crashes, many of which killing innocent civilians, I think 39 over the last 40 years is a very reasonable margin of error.

-Pete

you can't teach people that killing is wrong by killing

I think the whole crime system needs a complete overhaul.
We're living in the 21st century, and have all these computers, and scientific investigation methods, but we're still relying on practices from hundreds of years ago, which were only used because they didn't have the technology we have today.

As for capital punishment, I don't see any inherit problem with it.
People are arguing on issues of cost and innocence, because they can't come up with good arguments against the actual practice.
Life has no inherit value, and the value of a person is relative to how they interact with society. If someone has a highly negative affect on society, and is a detriment to those that contribute to it, and their permanent removal from society isn't a detriment, then why not remove them.

When you sentence a person to death, you are not teaching them that killing is wrong. You are teaching everyone else that if you kill someone, you will die.

The death penalty serves as a lesson to society that there is a line -- don't cross it and you can live here.

You can't teach certain people that killing is wrong by paying for killers to live for the rest of their lives. Sounds like a sweet deal to people who otherwise do not have many opportunities.

The death penalty stands because there are people that deserve to die for their transgressions. It stands as a concrete reminder that crimes do not go without retribution.

-Pete

Wow. Those are some really eye opening statistics, but for some reason I dont think they are correct as a man once said "Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they
conceal is vital".in all seriousness though, capital punishment is very barbarick and cruel yes some really do deserve it but not all I think I have to go back to the point of Varidhish




You make a good point there it should only be used to punish those who are truly mass murderers, terrorists

My information is only as reputable as my sources.

I just see far more justice in the death penalty than Life in prison. If a person rapes and kills my family, I wont be satisfied knowing that my taxpayer money is going to feeding, sheltering and protecting said person. But thats irrelevant, because if I found the S.O.B. before the cops did, I would be the one facing the sentencing.

-Pete