I was in World History class and my teacher brought up death penalty. He asked us what we thought about the death penalty. I didn't know what to say because I have some mixed beleifs on that subject.

I think that criminals should be punished accordingly but I don't know if I beleive in the death penalty. I know that the Bible says an eye for an eye but I'm kinda torn between that issue and my beleif that it is not up for man to decide life and death of another man.

I was wondering what you guys thought. I'm sorry if this isn't in the right board.

the main problem i have with the death penalty is that its kind of egoistic i mean who gives YOU the right to choose who lives or dies i mean think of past cases in which people have been killed for crimes they haven't committed, and is the death penalty revenge or justice i sympathize with victims but are they looking for peace or revenge? I mean life in prison with no possibility of parole can be done. The only difference is that in one their heart stops beating.

I'm going to comment on the original post and the last one. First, it is in the Bible. But not everything in the Bible is meant to be taken literally. A lot of stuff is left out of the Bible because it doesn't agree with what people thought. The Bible states things like we should have sex freely, have multiple wives, and be allowed to beat them. We obviously don't follow those laws for good reasons. Death penalty is morally unnacceptable.

On the topic of cost, part of the problem is prisons are outsourced to private companies. People make money off of crime (doesn't make sense, does it). And it can cost nearly twice as much for death penalty as it does for a life sentence. I like finn620's comments on turning them into a social help program.
The death penalty and prison questions are not the only ones to look at, but more smaller subjects of a whole system that needs changing.

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Is it really better to kill them?????

yes, because they can't do it again

NAY!!!!! We're not any better than the killers if we kill them. I understand that we are using our tax money to pay for their "stay" but COME ON!! Is it really better to kill them?????

I'm for redesigning prisons to make them more efficient, self-contained, and productive in some way that will cut down on the costs of incarceration. Then, we scrap prison sentences for minor crimes, possibly creating seperate institutions for drug offenders and prostitutes that will seriously aid in rehab.
Actual correctional institutions should have programs such as vegetable growing or energy generation to cut down on the cost of running the prison.

And before anyone says they cannot fathom rapists and murderers growing lettuce and strawberries, they have these programs over here. Not only do the gardens cut down on food costs, the surplus is used to feed people in homeless shelters.

YAY!!! I THINK IT SHOULD OF NEVER BEEN BANNED, BIG MISTAKE. CONVICTS NEVER LEARN BY A PRISON SENTENCE AND WILL BE LET FREE AND REPEAT THIER CRIME, SO HANG OR SHOOT THE BASTARDS AND THEYLL NEVER DO IT AGAIN!

Putting a convict to death costs more because of the mandatory appeals. When someone's sentenced to death, they have a lot of chances to get out of getting executed, and that's what costs the taxpayers so much money.

I think it does...somewhere along those lines. But, no one has the right to decide to put another person to death and that's the problem with the death penalty. You don't have the right to rule over someone's life like that. Atleast, that's my opinion.

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I think that keeping people who have done such aweful things to people is such a waste of the country's money.

I could be wrong but I heard that it actually costs more to put someone to death than keep them in jail. Something about taxes and such...

Of course I'm for it. There is no possible reason any one of you could give against it without making you a hypocrite *points to signature*. Didn't the bible say if you hate someone, you've commited a sin as evil as murder? Ignore the bible aspect if you don't like xians, the fact is still the same. We've all done it, murder in our mind. Wished someone dead. Hated them. Spurned them. Hypocrites, the lot of us. I am completely for the death penalty, but I don't think it should rest so heavily on Law. Let it rest on Justice, and put that in the hands of the wronged. If someone was murdered, give it to their family. If someone was tortured, give it to them. A Big Rule for this: Don't let them decide right away. And don't let them have prolonged exposure to the convicted. If they are proven guilty by Law, and the penalty is death, let the family wait, a month, a year, two, ten, however long it takes for them to decide in their hearts and their souls what should be done. Death has been dealt in humanity's hands since we were savages. There is no way we can make it stop now, but we can stop the innocent deaths, and bring back justice to this "Lawful" society.

Basically, I do not support the death penatly at all. A life sentence, maybe, but not the death penalty. I've got my reasons, but that would take 4EVER and i'm not sure if any1 wants 2 read all that. A lot of my belief though, comes from these 3 things:
1) I do not believe that we as humans have the right to decide when another life should end (I am also against abortion).
2) Many innocent people have been placed on death row and killed-therefore causing un-necessary death and grief.
3) I forgot. Sorry.

Heh, that is kind of odd, isn't it?

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I think that keeping people who have done such aweful things to people is such a waste of the country's money.

Wow kate, so you're against the morning after pill because you possibly kill a prospective person(at the moment it isn't) but you are FOR the death penalty??! What the fuck?! or did I just completely misinterpret your post? I apologize if I did.

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rape

You talk about rape like its nothing when in reality it is one of the most horrible things that can happen to a person. Somebody who has no problem forcing themselves apon another person without their permission shouldn't be allowed to be a part of society. People have rights, and rape is not respecting those rights.

The subject of the death penalty, I think, stems from how they view the system of punishment.

Myself, if one person murders many, then, yes, let 'em choke in a gas chamber.

There are sociopaths in this country and many others who out of "morbid curiosity" or some other lame excuse, decide they can take another's life. In many of these cases, I support the death penalty over throwing them in prison.

NO, NO ONE SHOULD CHOOSE WHEN SOMEONE DIES.

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mild as rape

Most people concider rape a bit more than a minor offense. It can completly ruin the life of the victim.

i do think that the death penalty should be allowed only under certain circumstances! if the person has killed someone then they shouldnt be allowed to live! that is just commomn sense! if you kill then you will be killed as well. but if the person has only done something as mild as stealing or rape then no i dont think that they should be put on death row. thats just to extreme for that kind of case! they should just be sentenced to time in jail not death row.

Yes. Something people dont get is that no matter how good you have been or how long you have served there is one truth your a murderer once you are one FOR LIFE and like its said an eye for an eye. I know i have said i would kill people on this site i know that if i did that sooner or later it would come back to me no one is immune to that law. Also people say Tookie shouldnt have died but he got what he deserved cause he has caused thousands of deaths mabye some of them deserved it but he got what was coming to him and that is called justice or revenge whatever you call it justice/revenge are just words actions speak louder.