MVWRX

iTrader: (1)

This topic has probably already been discussed before...but I haven't seen it and I'm curious to hear some responses...what does everyone think of capitol punishment?

Salty

iTrader: (14)

I think capital punishment is in the form of a $.35 .45ACP cartridge.

Once you've been convicted and sentenced to death there should be NO appeals, NO wasted oxygen, NO waste time and NO wasted money from taxpayers to support these scum on death row.

If you've been wrongfully convicted then I apologize... sometimes you’re tough on your luck & jury selection is a *****. :shrugs:

MVWRX

iTrader: (1)

...that would definatly solve what I see as capitol punishments major fault, that it costs the gov't more to kill someone for a capitol crime than it does to lock them up for life...on the other hand, even if the death penalty was made cheaper like you suggest, it's not very successfull...there are only a handful of countries left with the death penalty and most of them are pretty undeveloped...and in most countries where it existed and was then taken away, capitol crime went down...the only good argument, IMHO, for the death penalty is retribution...so ask yourself, would you rather see a madman who killed a loved one die quickly and painlessly or see that person live in prison for the rest of their life and being some dude named Bubba's b***...I say let the worst of the worst rot, death is too easy a punishment for them

psoper

But it really screws over anyone unfortunate enough to be wrongly convicted, and its been revealed time and again that there are more than a few wrongly convicted people on Death rows.

MVWRX

iTrader: (1)

yeah, the fallibility of our judicial system is another good point...but Salty made it clear that he doesn't care about the 'few' that are wrongly convicted...

psoper

as soon as its one of his family, I bet he'll change his mind.

probably not until then though....

Salty

iTrader: (14)

But these same people were allowed a right to trial by impartial jury as prescribed in the Constitution! If they are convicted in said fair trial then it sucks to be them, right?!

If we babysit every single case that comes through our courts then why even both with the Constitution to begin with?

MVWRX

iTrader: (1)

If you think everyone, in actuality, gets a fair trial and an impartial jury of their peers, you're blind to what goes on in the system...yeah on paper every conviction should be the bottom line, but c'mon man, we all know some trials aren't fair at all...

BlingBlingBlue

It boils down to money for me. It costs a lot more to execute someone than it does to jail them for 70 years. Also, if the accused has money, he is likely not going to be sent to death row because he will hire good attorneys. If the accused is poor, they are far more likely to get the death penalty. It's all about the money...

Salty

iTrader: (14)

Are you kidding me?

The mere fabric of the Constitution is designed to protect the defendant, not the plaintiff!

BlingBlingBlue

Newsflash - some cops lie.

MVWRX

iTrader: (1)

...and some lawyers get juries selected in not-quite-legal ways...and some trials are held in areas where it's impossibe to get a jury of peers...etc...like Bling said, it's all about money...

Salty

iTrader: (14)

Of course they are... but that's for the jury to consider, not you!

Clint Torres

Salty, you'd probably look at the criminal justice system a lil differently if you were black.

I'm all for an eye for an eye as long as you get the right person. Unfortunately, our system gets the wrong guy too many times as has been demonstrated by DNA analysis.

subaruguru

MVWRX et al are confusing two problems: The righteousness of the death penalty is one question. Whether or not our justice system convicts innocent people is an entirely different problem. What's wrong with convicting innocents is that they don't deserve to be punished in any way, shape, or form. That includes life sentences in prison, which are severe. Are you against prison terms because innocent people might have their entire lives ruined? If not, then why is that a serious reason to be against the death penalty?

As to the point I saw up there about "industrialized nations"...European crime is on the whole increasing from where it was in the past. It always has been lower than US crime, for a multitude of factors. There are also counter examples: Japan and Singapore are some of the safest countries on the planet. They also exercise the death penalty on a regular basis.

For my two cents, I think some people do deserve to be put to death for their crimes.