Are you for - or against the death penalty?

[Bazza]

I'm mostly asking about your personal convictions, not necessarily how you feel about policy.

But feel free to also opine on any related aspect you'd like.

========

Generally I am against it. But have to say my convictions are tested when I see situations like these 4 young people who were recently murdered in Idaho.....

 

[selmaborntidefan]

I'm mostly asking about your personal convictions, not necessarily how you feel about policy.

But feel free to also opine on any related aspect you'd like.

========

Generally I am against it. But have to say my convictions are tested when I see situations like these 4 young people who were recently murdered in Idaho.....

I used to be "all for it" - basically until a couple of realities became obvious:
1) you never see a well-off white guy executed who committed murder
2) the reality of over-the-top prosecutors who are willing to slant evidence

Those make me more apprehensive than my youthful certainty about everything. Not that this is a substantial number but even one is too many.

But look - SOME PEOPLE like Osama Bin Laden, Charles Manson, the Tsarnaevs, Timothy McVeigh - I mean, there's no more fitting punishment than death. Also - if you sentence a guy to life without parole and he commits murder in custody, how do you punish him?

Take a case like Scott Peterson just for example. Now it seems pretty clear to me that he PROBABLY murdered Laci and Connor. But that case was largely circumstantial evidence, too. What if we later learned someone set him up and we've fried him? And there are a lot of cases like that where it's a preponderance of the presented evidence.

It's bad enough we're wrong in enough cases of folks getting out after 20 years or more as modern-day Andy Dufresne's without the sewer escape.

If you can prove without a shadow of a doubt someone did it or particularly in cases like those above (Gacy and Bundy are two more), then I'm for it. But I'm not wanting to set up an express lane just because, either.

 

[jthomas666]

^ What he said.

 

[JDCrimson]

I would expand on selma's take to say it should be on the table for serial pedophiles. Further its not so much the punishment of death but the method of carrying that out. It should be swift and painless for the conclusive cases.

 

[bamaga]

 

[gtowntide]

Against it.

 

[Bamaro]

I am not totally opposed. It has its place.

 

[BamaFlum]

I am not totally opposed. It has its place.

For egregious crimes with overwhelming evidence, yes.

 

[Bama_N_Va]

I watched the Darrell brooks case. He should fry, so yes, I'm for it!

 

[Padreruf]

Egregious crimes are awaken sensationalism and anger...but the reality is that the death penalty only happens to poor people and usually then minorities. Plus the slight chance of error makes this a sentence that is irreversible. Life without parole is a much more difficult sentence...you have to wake up every day to that reality.

 

[4Q Basket Case]

View attachment 31283

Agreed. In the past, I’ve tried to initiate what I hoped would be civil debate on several topics, and have consistently and miserably failed.

 

[bamaga]

Egregious crimes are awaken sensationalism and anger...but the reality is that the death penalty only happens to poor people and usually then minorities. Plus the slight chance of error makes this a sentence that is irreversible. Life without parole is a much more difficult sentence...you have to wake up every day to that reality.

That actually is a mis characterization, whites have been put to death by a large margin over any other race in the last 50 years. studies have shown the race of the victim has much more to do with a death sentence than the race of the defendant. dang it, let me get back to my 10’ pole

 

[CrimsonTheory]

Only on the most heinous of crimes.

 

[Padreruf]

That actually is a mis characterization, whites have been put to death by a large margin over any other race in the last 50 years. studies have shown the race of the victim has much more to do with a death sentence than the race of the defendant. dang it, let me get back to my 10’ pole

Look at poverty, not just race...

 

[PaulD]

I'm opposed. First as a (retired) military prosecutor, while I never had a death penalty case, I'm aware that the judicial system does on occasion convict an innocent defendant. That risk, coupled with the absolute finality of an execution, caused me to conclude years ago that it is wrong to execute offenders.

I have also come to the opinion that it is morally wrong for the state to take a life, unless there is no other way to protect society. Give those criminals life without the possibility of parole.

 

[NationalTitles18]

That actually is a mis characterization, whites have been put to death by a large margin over any other race in the last 50 years. studies have shown the race of the victim has much more to do with a death sentence than the race of the defendant. dang it, let me get back to my 10’ pole

Executions by Race and Race of Victim

The Death Penalty Information Center is a non-profit organization serving the media and the public with analysis and information about capital punishment. Founded in 1990, the Center promotes informed discussion of the death penalty by preparing in-depth reports, conducting briefings for…

deathpenaltyinfo.org

Race of Defendants Executed in the U.S. Since 1976

Race	Number	Percentage
Black	532	34%
Latinx	130	8%
White	867	56%
Other	30	2%

NOTE: The federal government counts some categories, such as Hispanics, as an ethnic group rather than a race. DPIC refers to all groups as races because the sources for much of our information use these categories.



Race of Victims Since 1976

Race	Number	Percentage
Black	354	16%
Latinx	155	7%
White	1703	75%
Other	48	2%

United States/Black population
13.6%

White: 60.1% (Non-Hispanic)

 

[Padreruf]

Executions by Race and Race of Victim

The Death Penalty Information Center is a non-profit organization serving the media and the public with analysis and information about capital punishment. Founded in 1990, the Center promotes informed discussion of the death penalty by preparing in-depth reports, conducting briefings for…

deathpenaltyinfo.org

Race of Defendants Executed in the U.S. Since 1976

Race	Number	Percentage
Black	532	34%
Latinx	130	8%
White	867	56%
Other	30	2%

NOTE: The federal government counts some categories, such as Hispanics, as an ethnic group rather than a race. DPIC refers to all groups as races because the sources for much of our information use these categories.




Race of Victims Since 1976

Race	Number	Percentage
Black	354	16%
Latinx	155	7%
White	1703	75%
Other	48	2%

United States/Black population
13.6%

White: 60.1% (Non-Hispanic)

Blacks account for 13% of USA population the last time I looked...they are executed @ 2 ½ times that rate according to these statistics. Thanks for sharing...

 

[Diogenes]

I think we are over thinking the methods of the death penalty

just hang’em high

 

[Bazza]

Gen pop would take care of the justice aspect in many situations, if we'd let that happen.

Not relative to the thread's theme but in the "while we're at it" category....

......do we give prisoners the vegan diet they ask for - or does everyone get the same menu?

 

[DzynKingRTR]

For someone like this (serial killers in general), I am absolutely for the death penalty. He doesn't need to be on earth anymore.