I have a confession to make.

[TDale313]

Last edited Sat Jan 18, 2014, 05:06 PM - Edit history (1)

While I strongly oppose it in all cases, I must admit, I am not one who has a deep-rooted, gut-level horror of the death penalty. I get the instinct. Honestly, there are crimes that I hear/read about (particularly that involve children, where my honest reaction is "this person deserves the worst we can think up. And if he/she is put to death, I won't shed a tear" I'm not proud of it, but it's the truth. I don't know that I can say that I find opposing the death penalty to be an easy or instinctual position for me. But I do strongly oppose it, because I don't think the state should have that power, and I do think it diminishes all of us when we allow the State to kill or torture in our names. The thing is, while I get the desire for vengeance, no one should be legislating or sentencing based on my, or anyone's, darker instincts.

I will say one more thing. I will happily accept allies who come to their opposition to the death penalty for more pragmatic reasons. (Financial, possibility of an innocent person being executed)

My 2 cents worth.

[Squinch]

1. I have, in my travels,

come across criminals where, when I hear what they have done, my first thought is, "they deserve to die."

It is when I start to think that it is up to you or me to decide to actually kill them that I know I have a problem. That is where I fall back on practical facts to back up my sometimes faltering, though sincerely held and adhered-to, ethical beliefs.

I think it is wrong in all cases. But where my emotions say, "kill the bastard!" my logic says that in following that emotion, we are actually screwing ourselves.

It is much more expensive to apply a death penalty than a life sentence, there are too many mistakes made, it is applied in an extremely racially biased way.

These often calm me down to the place where I can come back to, "it is simply wrong."

[TDale313]

4. Very well put.

[Duer 157099]

2. I used to have this position

But then I realized a few things.

1) killing the perp does not necessarily punish the perp, but instead punishes the people who know and love him
2) keeping the perp in prison for life is actually a much worse punishment, imho, for the perp himself

but most important

3) if just ONE innocent "perp" is killed by mistake, that is one too many.

So, I am against it now 100% of the time, period.

[TDale313]

5. Don't get me wrong, I do oppose it.

[Duer 157099]

6. Yeah I know

was just pointing out my thought process too

[Freddie]

3. I'm with you on this one

There goes my liberal cred, but there are crimes that call for the ultimate punishment on occasion.
There was a case nearby where a man lured his 9-year-old neighbor into the basement of their apartment building and raped and beat her to death. Her blood was all over his clothes and there was no doubt whatsoever that he was guilty. Sorry, this man does not deserve to breathe anymore. He showed no clemency to the little girl. We're in PA so he got "life" which truly is life here, thankfully.

[El_Johns]

7. The OP is saying the opposite.

[JaneyVee]

8. Death lets the criminal off the hook for their actions.

There's no suffering, internal guilt, reflection, etc. after you're dead. I would rather let a criminal serve a life sentence for their sadistic crime than let them off the hook after only 4 years.

[TDale313]

11. Agreed.

[avebury]

12. Not only that, but when the original crime involves children,

a life sentence is far worse then the death penalty. Either the criminal would have to be kept isolated or he would have to fear retribution by one of his fellow inmates.

[JaneyVee]

13. If I had to serve life in prison with no chance of parole, I'd rather be dead.

[ann---]

9. The death penalty is

nothing more than "pre-meditated murder" by the government. It is NOT a deterrent to crime, it is NOT cheaper than life without parole. What it IS is cruel and unusual punishment where the state becomes as degraded as the murderer him/herself. It is vengeance, not justice. It is a violent solution to a violent problem - it begets more violence.

Criminals who commit heinous crimes should be punished to the full extent of the law - never, ever to be set free in a society ever again.

There are no other reasons for opposing the death penalty. Well, maybe because CIVILIZED countries (and some U.S. states) have banned it and crimes in those places have not increased).

[Iggo]

10. "...this person deserves the worst we can think up..."

The people who think up that shit are just as twisted as the people they're thinking it up for.

[TDale313]

14. While I think that's a bit extreme,

I am more than willing to own that that reaction comes from a pretty ugly place. Hence the confession. Hopefully my main point doesn't get lost, which is that I oppose the death penalty in large part cause I don't think we should be legislating/sentencing people from that admittedly ugly place.