Captiol Punishment

[BobTD]

Here is 4 reasons why capital punishment is wrong, and no I did not write this..


1. WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS: Sometimes the legal system gets it wrong. In the last 35 years in the U.S., 130 people have been released from death row because they were exonerated by DNA evidence. These are ALL people who were found guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt.” Unfortunately, DNA evidence is not available in most cases. So, as long as the death penalty is in place, you are pretty much GUARANTEED to occasionally execute an innocent person.

Really, that should be reason enough for most people to oppose it. If you need more, read on:

2. EXPENSE: Because of higher pre-trial expenses, longer trials, jury sequestration, extra expenses associated with prosecuting & defending a DP case, and the appeals process (which is necessary - see reason #1), it costs taxpayers MUCH more to execute prisoners than to imprison them for life.

3. DETERRENCE: The deterrent effect is questionable at best. Violent crime rates are actually HIGHER in death penalty jurisdictions. This may seem counterintuitive, and there are many theories about why this is (Ted Bundy saw it as a challenge, so he chose Florida – the most active execution state at the time – to carry out his final murder spree). It is probably due, at least in part, to the high cost (see #2), which drains resources from police departments, drug treatment programs, education, and other government services that help prevent crime. Personally, I think it also has to do with the hypocrisy of taking a stand against murder…by killing people. The government fosters a culture of violence by saying, ‘do as I say, not as I do.’

4. EASY WAY OUT: There’s also an argument to be made that death is too good for the worst criminals. Let them wake up and go to bed every day of their lives in a prison cell, and think about the freedom they DON’T have, until they rot of old age. When Ted Bundy was finally arrested in 1978, he told the police officer, “I wish you had killed me.” Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (the architect of the 9/11 attacks) would love nothing better than to be put to death. In his words, "I have been looking to be a martyr [for a] long time."

1. Why is DNA not available in most cases? This was an issue in the past before DNA was readily available but this is no longer the case. I covered this debate topic in the past and in my class I convinced the opposition heavily in favor of capitol punishment simply by presenting all the facts for both sides and weighing them.

Any time I see something like this "Its wrong because (no sources listed)" I get a little sad that people will read it and incorporate it into their decision making. These statistics are not credible, however you have to admit that some people are falsely tried and found guilty because no legal system is perfect.

People die in prison and jails as well, so the simple act of awaiting trail could be fatal. The loss of life is sad when we cant be sure justice is carried out, but just because there is no perfect solution does not mean its not necessary.

2. Expense? Maybe but no one can guess the cost. Is money really an issiue when it comes to closure for a family? And how can we tell how long someone will live in prison, how old they will become, what medications they will need and the expenses they will incur during their incarceration. Saying you know for sure that the death penalty cost more is pretty shady.

Problems determining costs

"There are several problems involved in trying to determine the cost of a capital case. First, there is a wide variety of costs associated with capital cases. These include costs for prosecuting and defense attorneys, interpreters, expert witnesses, court reporters, psychiatrists, secretaries, and jury consultants.
Another problem is the length and complexity of the process. Cases tend to last several years and can pass through three possible phases. The first phase includes state trial court (two trials - one to determine guilt, the other for sentence), state Supreme Court, and possible appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court. The second phase is the state habeas corpus (post-conviction process) and appeals. The final phase is federal habeas corpus, which includes appeals to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and to the U.S. Supreme Court...
A third problem is the way states budget money for entities that are involved with capital cases. For example, Texas and Connecticut allocate specific sums to their judicial departments. It is difficult to separate the costs each department incurs for capital cases from those for other cases. From a data-gathering standpoint, Texas presents yet another problem. Each county (there are 254) must bear the costs of its capital cases. It is extremely difficult to get data from the counties. Dallas is the only county from which we received partial data, and we were unable to determine whether they are representative of other counties."

3. The deterrence factor from capitol punishment seems pretty established to me. I would like to note I live in WI, where gangs drive up to WI to shoot people and dump the bodies because Illinois supported capitol punishment and WI did not. So it seems pretty obvious, but facts are better then guesses so:

Wiki link

Capital punishment was suspended in the United States from 1972 through 1976 primarily as a result of the Supreme Court's decision in Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238 (1972). In this case, the court found the imposition of the death penalty in a consolidated group of cases to be unconstitutional, on the grounds of cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the eighth amendment to the United States Constitution.

Also the hypocritical comment was not very well thought out. Not every form of execution is murder. Murder is a legal term defined by the country are in and the USA carries out its death penalties in a way the is not legally defined as murder. Same as killing in self defense is not murder. This is self defense on a larger scale.

Would the same milksop that typed that hold such lofty morals if they where put in a life or death self defense situation? Would they pull the trigger on someone coming at them with a weapon to ensure their families safety?

4. Prisons have benefits, cable, and TVs in most of the cells. Other facilities have CD players in each cell. And access to large libraries and even computer and the chance to get an education.



Saying its more horrible then death is almost laughable. Prisons are is some ways supposed to be rehabilitation centers. So you are sticking them into a system torn between nurturing positive development and "punishing" them for crimes they committed. Its a broken system.

They have a lot of freedoms stripped but they are still givin certain rights. I prefer stripping capitol offenders of all that with simple death.