How do you feel about the death penalty

[father of 4]

Just wondering how some of you feel about the Death Penalty? Below is my thoughts.
I have heard a lot lately about people opposing the Death Penalty stating it is cruel and unusual punishment. My question is how can people even think this. These offenders are on Death Row for a reason. Most are convicted of such heinous crimes that we can not even bare to speak of. Texas uses the most humane methods to execute these men and women so that they never feel a thing, and people are condemning the State of Texas as well as other States who have the Death Penalty for being inhumane. Some may say, What if they were wrongly convicted? With the DNA today, that happening is not likely. The ones opposing the Death Penalty wish for life without parole instead. My question is, Did these men and women on death row ask their Victims what they wanted? Were their Victims given the choice? The last time I checked, it cost approx. $45.00 per day, per offender in TDCJ (Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice), so lets do some math. Lets say a 20 year old murders a whole family and instead of the death penalty, the Courts are lenient and give him life without parole. If he lives to the average age of approx. 65 years old, it will cost the State of Texas, or should I say me and you, $739,125.00
The T.L. Roach Unit in Childress, Texas houses over 1300 offenders. That alone is a cost of $58,500.00 a day and $21,352,500.00 a year. So now that you have seen our average cost per day and year, what is your opinion on the death penalty?
The cost per offender is the cost of Employees of TDCJ, food, clothing, electricity, etc. all added up and divided up per offender. That is where the average cost per day comes from.
Gordon Melton

[mperry]

The only problem I have with it is that it takes to long to carry it out. We help support the scum on death row for years. I think if their is a chance they are not guilty then they get one appeal and that's it. If they are guilty without a doubt carry it out within days not years.

[backtocrappie]

The older I get the more against it I become.

I don't defend the guilty as much as I worry about the innocent. It's become a task to free many innocent people serving life sentences and death sentences. DNA evidence is releasing a lot of people who are victims of a very poorly run justice system.

Mike Nifong is forever etched in memory as a railroading liar of a prosecutor who was gladly and knowingly shafting a group of young and promising men on charges of rape. HOW MANY Nifongs are on the loose today? How many Nifongs have we employed? How many Spitizers are currently Governors? How many Mayor Barry's are there and will be? Don't even get me started on judges. I still can't get over the shooting of a 5 year old boy, killed by police who were taking pot shots at a snake in a birdhouse.

I have many doubts about our "justice" system. I think they evoke the lynch mob mentality in the public and use it to their favor for personal gain.

If you really want to cry, and be broken hearted. Just Google terms like "freed by DNA evidence" "released on DNA evidence" "DNA evidence proves innocent" it's an endless list.

I used to be all for the death penalty and I used to say an eye for eye. But as I look back through history I suddenly realized I had no business saying anything at all.

[bentpole]

The only problem I have with it is that it takes to long to carry it out. We help support the scum on death row for years. I think if their is a chance they are not guilty then they get one appeal and that's it. If they are guilty without a doubt carry it out within days not years.

I'll agree,The courts of appeal takes way to long, but there is alot of money to be made off of it. Lawers can & do charge by how much time that is spent on a case,If they pick up the phone & make one 5min-call that is charged as an hour min-,The cost is unreal for each death row inmate, A cost that WE are paying. So like you said.If they are guilty do it in afew days.
I heard the other day that the U.S. has more people on death row than any other country in the world. So ask your self why? MONEY,MONEY,,,,,JMO,

[father of 4]

Backtocrappie you have a point but the point is in the past. What I mean is exactly what you said about DNA. Now DNA is so refined, it is next to impossible to convict an innocent person.

[backtocrappie]

Backtocrappie you have a point but the point is in the past. What I mean is exactly what you said about DNA. Now DNA is so refined, it is next to impossible to convict an innocent person.

theres just one small problem here.

People are still being released for crimes they were convicted on 20 even 30 years ago.

[bigfish5]

even though i would hate for an innocent person to be put to death, i really think if more guilty offenders were put to death. then more criminals would think twice before the committed a serious crime. the way things are they know nothing bad is going to happen to them. i do love our great country and believe it is the greatest in the world, but i think if our punishments were more like some other countries then less crimes would be committed.
lets make the punishment fit the crime. if that punishment is the death penalty then lets get it done and not wait around 20 or 30 years. maybe give them 2 or 3 years after the trial for appeals then give them their punishment. i also think they are making it to easy on them . go back to the electric chair or hanging or firing squads. make the way so bad that no one wants to die that way. then they will think about the consequences of their actions. but that is just my opinion. if i had a family member on death row i might think differently.

[poppop]

This is a strong passionate discussion topic likely to entice strong arguments both for and against capital punishment. However, I am a proponent of the death penalty. I realize that many years ago the scientific evidence was not as advanced as it is today and some people were wrongfully convicted. A lot of those convictions were based on eyewitness testimony and photographic lineups. As a career police officer and many years as a criminal investigator, I have investigated several death penalty murder cases. If you are not a proponent of the death penalty, once you see a 2 year old little girl beat the death by slamming her head on a concrete floor until she dies of a subdural hematoma with traumatic alopecia (having her hair pulled out first) just because she pooped in her pants, you will become one. The death penalty is at least a deterrent for the murderer. The law in North Carolina has changed so much recently in regards to interrogations and investigations I do not believe you will see many people wrongfully convicted, as there are many catchalls in place to stop that from happening.

[EDDY CREEK BANDIT]

I just wish it wasn't needed, but it is. Life is prescious, and it shouldn't be taken lightly. I can see both sides to the argument. Money buys a lot of things in this world, including innocent verdicts for the guilty. O.J.Simpson for one. Too many times the guilty rich go free and the poor innocent pay the fee. Abortion bothers me worse than this.
THE BANDIT

[Risen a crappie fisherman]

I agree with the death penalty. I just wish they were put to death has soon has they were sentence. I mean if there were still hanging them outside the court house. I bet the next guy would think twice before doing the same thing. Or better yet kill them the way they killed their victims. Or just drown them or set them on fire 2 of the worst ways to go I think. I have no feelings for violent criminals. That what is wrong with the world today to many crybabies fighting for these low life's. If you do the crime then die.