Death Penalty

[midnight Target]

"  A New York study estimated the cost of an execution at three times that of life imprisonment.
  In Florida, each execution costs the state $3.2 million, compared to $600,000 for life imprisonment. "

http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/cost.html

[Martlet]

I'm for the death penalty, for many of the same reasons miko is.  If you've proven you can't co-exist with the rest of society, you shouldn't be able to.  I also shouldn't have to support you.

[WineMan]

Lot of people saying how expensive it is to keep people locked up for life, but the endless appeals of Death Row inmates probablt costs as much or more.

I'm personally for the death penalty, however.  Now, with DNA analysis becoming more and more accepted, I think the chances of innocent people being executed is steadily diminishing.

I'm also in favor of states temporarily halting executions where DNA samples from the crimes are available, but haven't been tested.  Just a double check - test the samples and be 100% sure.

I also think rapists and pedophiles should undergo mandatory castration....

[Naso]

Originally posted by midnight Target
"  A New York study estimated the cost of an execution at three times that of life imprisonment.
  In Florida, each execution costs the state $3.2 million, compared to $600,000 for life imprisonment. "

http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/cost.html

Interesting, if correct.

BTW, what I always tought about it can be condensed in 2 concepts.

First, as for my catholic education (even if I am no more a believer), life is sacred, being a person, or an institution to perpetrate it, a murder is a murder.
In my opinion a state cannot ask the people to not kill, and then being a killer itself.

Second, there's a fundamental difference between almost the entire Europe law enforcing concept, and US one, in the former the concept used is to recover the individuals to a social behaviour, in the latter the concept is punishment/revenge.

Wrong, right?

I dont know, I have "the feel" that death penalty is wrong, even if sometime the human evilness is emotionally shocking.

But a state cannot be "emotional", correct?

[AKIron]

Why not execute those that have deprived an innocent of their life, a parent their child, a child their parent, a spouse his or her spouse.

I can think of no good reason not to deprive someone of their existence if they have coldly and cruelly denied someone else theirs.

I have no qualms with pulling the switch myself.

[Dune]

For the death penalty.  However, I'm not completely sure we'll ever make it foolproof.  And that's what it needs to be.  I don't agree with just doing away with it forever.  Every time some innocent person on death row is discovered, that tells me that the system of checks and balances is working.  Just the same as any other innocent person in jail is released.  But the system needs more work and more refinement.  Things it will never get enough of.  The legal system as a whole is an organism that is in constant refinement and change.  Usually things get better.  This is the goal we have to shoot for.  I don't think we'll ever be able to keep innocent people off death row.  Mistakes will be made.  Just like we'll never be able to keep innocent people out of jail (and this comes from someone whose job it is to put people in jail).  But we must work to make sure that if they are innocent, checks and balances exist to keep them from the gallows (so to speak).

[funkedup]

Originally posted by AKIron
Why not execute those that have deprived an innocent of their life, a parent their child, a child their parent, a spouse his or her spouse.

I agree with that, but unfortunately there are a lot of people on death row who don't fit that description.

[midnight Target]

Dune, the problem today is that the "checks and balances" today tend to be from private sources like the ACLU or the SPLC.

[AKIron]

Originally posted by funkedup
I agree with that, but unfortunately there are a lot of people on death row who don't fit that description.

I don't about other places but in Texas you don't get executed without having been convicted of 1st degree murder, which I described.

[Martlet]

One of my favorite quotes is by FLA AG Bob Buttersworth:

"People who wish to commit murder better not do it in the State of Florida, because we may have a problem with our electric chair."

After several inmates caught fire while the chair was in use.

[funkedup]

There are plenty of people who are convicted of murder but did not do the crime.  Do a google search for "illinois death penalty" if you doubt me.

[Martlet]

Originally posted by funkedup
There are plenty of people who are convicted of murder but did not do the crime.  Do a google search for "illinois death penalty" if you doubt me.

None of those folks are exactly "model citizens" anyway.

[funkedup]

I missed the part of Constitution where it said rights apply only to "model citizens".  

[Lance]

The numbers show that often a trial's outcome has less to do with the defendent's guilt/innocence than it does the size of the defendent's pocketbook and their ability to afford effective legal counsel.  So, until that changes, I am against the death penalty.

I can agree that some criminals are not fit to live.  I can understand why victims (or their families) want justice and a sense of closure.  I can understand why people don't want to pay to keep these criminals housed, clothed and fed.  But those things come only as part of a flawed criminal justice system that sends some guilty people back out on the streets and some innocent people to death row.  All the legitimate executions are not worth a single wrongful one, imo.

[Martlet]

Originally posted by funkedup
I missed the part of Constitution where it said rights apply only to "model citizens".  

I added that in later.  I'll send you a copy.

You get what I'm trying to say, though.  Basically, I won't shed a tear for a few mistakes.