Originally Posted By goodgirl Category: Opinions. Question: What is your opinion on the death penalty?
Originally Posted By sherrytodd Can I just say, I don't know to all of these? On the surface, I don't like it, but if anything were ever done to my family, then I'd probably have a different opinion.
Originally Posted By Disneymom443 I have to agree with sherry, If someone killed my family it would be different. Not that others peoples family doesn't matter. On the other hand I may also want them to suffer in the prisons. But I do feel that being on death row is to long. It should not be years and years of waiting.
Originally Posted By DlandJB I'm very torn about this. I used to be very pro-death penalty, especially in cases involving children. I don't see the point in paying to incarcerate someone who is never going to repent of their ways, who is never going to be a productive member of society and will always be a threat. But I find this view becoming more in conflict with my faith. So I'll just say that I need more time to think about it. I do agree though that the appeal process is a mess and should take so long and cost so much.
Originally Posted By LVBelle I used to be very much against it. When a friend of our family was killed by her ex-husband, my views started to change. A few years later a man from my church brutally killed his wife and young son and daughter. He then set his house to explode and got away. If he's ever found I hope he gets the death penalty.
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb I have no problem with it, especially in the more brutal cases (and those involving children). Are we as a society any worse off for having executed Ted Bundy? NO. OTOH The appeals process takes so long and is so expensive, life without possiblility of parole is less expensive for the tax payer, and possibly less grief for the victims families.
Originally Posted By Lisann22 I flip flop constantly. I used to be very pro, now as I get older and learn about people more I don't think I'm so agreeable to this line of thinking. Plus there's that whole "FAITH" thing that gets in the way ( ;> ) when I'm angry and appalled with someone's actions and want them to get the worst possible punishment. My godfather is also a vocational instructer out at Soledad prison here in California. He used to be very hardline pro the death penalty, now working out there he's changed his mind. We talk about this a lot and he's opened my mind to a different way of thinking. He also has that "FAITH" thing that gets to him. ;>
Originally Posted By MissCandice Very much against it and if you have a couple of hours to kill (sorry) I will tell you why.
Originally Posted By DAR I'm for the death penalty. Let's say that with the shootings in Pennsylvania and Colorado either one of the shooters survived the ordeal(they both were gutless cowards so it wouldn't have happened). What happened was beyond sickening. If I was on a jury I would have seen not one shred of value to either man.
Originally Posted By mele One of my best friends worked for a newspaper in Oregon and as part of her job, was witness to an execution. She was very much against it beforehand, and remains so. She and I both had dreams about the upcoming execution. After listening to her descriptions of it, I became unsure about my stance. She said it wasn't as clean and as peaceful as what you see in movies and on tv. Plus, the prison actually laid out a buffet of food for witnesses to eat. I'm sorry, but that is SICK. Executions should not be catered! In some cases it doesn't bother me that certain people have been executed but I would never want to literally watch see an execution. If I were to be the victim of a horrific crime, I really, really hope that I wouldn't want to see that person as their life drained away. Even in my desire for retribution, I hope something in my soul doesn't change to where I would want to see an actual death of anybody. Those emotions come from a most savage place and I hope I never have to give into them. I don't say that to judge other people...I just hope I'm never in that situation (for a number of reasons).
Originally Posted By DAR <<In some cases it doesn't bother me that certain people have been executed but I would never want to literally watch see an execution>> I will say that it's something I never want to see.
Originally Posted By Ursula I am for it as long as things like circumstantial evidence was not the sole reason for them being proven guilty. DNA, I'm good to go. Caught on tape? Yes. I also don't think it's very reasonable to keep someone alive for 50 or 60 years on my dime when the criminal can't/won't be rehabitated or changed, when that prison space and money could be used for things like rehabbing those of lesser crimes.
Originally Posted By debtee We don't have the death penalty in Australia! Australia scrapped the dealth penalty in 1973 and hanged it's last criminal in 1967. Ronald Ryan on February 3, 1967 was the last person hanged for killing a prison officer during a riot in the prison. Historical documents have plenty of reasonable doubt that he was innocent. I'm pleased we don't have the issue to debate here anymore. I watched a documentary from an American prison walder that had to be present at executions and be responsible for pressing the button, for most of his working life and now he is older and wiser and is very much against it. It was chilling hearing his accounts and seeing how it's destroyed his life!
Originally Posted By goodgirl Many, many years ago I had a friend who's niece was attending college. She went out jogging early one morning. She was attacked, sodomized by her attacker and then he "raped" with a large tree branch. Beaten to a pulp and left in the woods, naked, half buried. I had never met my friend's sister or her niece; they lived in another state. However, at the time, hearing the story and watching my friend suffer as she took time off from work to fly back east to be with her sister during the trial, I felt there was nothing suitable for this murderer other than the death penalty. Instead, he went to prison. I hope he is still there. (My friend moved away and we lost contact.) Three years ago one of my sisters best friends was murdered. She was 72 years old. Her neighbor (who was buying the property next door from her) bashed her against the wall, breaking several bones. Stabbed her repeatedly. She bled to death. He cut up her body into pieces and buried them miles from her home. At first all we knew from the police was that there was so much blood, she could not have survived the bludgeoning. A year and half later, several of her bones were found. Enough evidence to arrest the neighbor. He by the way, had been in jail serving a sentence for arson (the day after he murdered our friend, he burned down all the buildings on his property). The trial ended a couple weeks ago. He was charged with murder and several other charges. This week the prosecutor says he will seek the death penalty. It's interesting that "this time around" I'm not so keen on whether he's put to death. I'd prefer that he be locked away forever with absoultely no chance for parole. Instead, there will probably be appeal after appeal after appeal and with that the constant reminder of the pain and anguish our friend suffered in his hands.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad ^ ^ ^ Trust me, it's all fun and games, liberal and pseudo-Christian views until it's YOUR family that is involved in said crime.
Originally Posted By ReadingMom I am for the death penalty. When I get to Heaven I'll make my peace with God for thinking this way.
Originally Posted By RAM1984 As long as there is 100% certainty that the person is 100% guilty I have no problem with it. I do not understand how a person who commits a cruel and unusual crime is protected from cruel and unusual punishment. Does not compute in my head. But with all the prisoners who are being proven innocent due to modern forensics I have to state that it must be beyond any shadow of a doubt. And the endless appeals should definately be rethought.
