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View Full Version : death penalty- whats your stance on it?



WicKeD_WaYz
03-10-2004, 01:18 AM
This is for a paper I have to right at school. I have to make a video too with a bunch of interviews and what not. I gotta tell what people think about it and kind of relate it to where they live and there lifestyle. So I am going to south central LA and then on to like Orange County suburbs for my interviews. And then on down to san diego maybe. But I still need help writing my paper.

So here goes, what do you think about the death penalty? good or bad? how often should it be used? etc. also please add what state your in if its not under your title.

thanks

ryan

Miscue
03-10-2004, 01:22 AM
This is not coming from a moral perspective, but I think there are more effective ways of dealing with criminals.

I think we should allow excommunication, and take away U.S. citizenship of really bad criminals. Then, you ship them to some country who agrees to imprison them... with rules on how prisoners are treated that differ from ours.

Send them some place that's 50 below 0 or something, and mine coal. This nation gets paid more for keeping them alive.

PyRo
03-10-2004, 01:30 AM
Ive got some great ideas on how to torture them to death :)

Dryden
03-10-2004, 03:07 AM
If push comes to shove, I have to say I oppose the death penalty. I don't have a problem with the concept that a criminal could be so evil, so unremorseful, and so unable to be 'rehabilitated' that ending their life would benefit society, rather that the number of convicts sentenced to death is so low that it's questionable whether or not it's [a] cost effective [b] a deterent and most importantly [c] carried out against those who are most deserving of such punishment.

As far as I can determine with publicly available figures, a grand total of 65 people were executed in 2003, 64 by lethal injection, 1 by electrocution. If 1 such person was in fact innocent, is it really worth it? I can accept the argument for the cost of housing an inmate ... but can we really not afford 65 annually, to ensure that one wrongly convicted individual isn't executed before all avenues of clemency are exhausted?

Another issue that I have with death sentencing is the lack of uniformity in the sentence from one state to another. Is it first-degree murder? Aggravated murder with x contributing factors? Kidnapping with bodily injury (as is the case in Georgia)? Is sentencing fair based on race, sex, or mental acumen?

The Dennis Miller in me wants to say "hang 'em all." But in the end, is it really worth it? Isn't life without parole in fact more punishment?

Too many people who have been wrongly convicted are waiting on death row right now. The West Memphis Three (http://www.wm3.org) are just one example.

Rooster
03-10-2004, 09:23 AM
"Isn't life without parole in fact more punishment? "

If it was, wouldn't every death row inmate be running to give up their appeals?

RRfireblade
03-10-2004, 09:57 AM
For it.

In fact,in cases where the guilt of the criminal is not in question,it should be enacted as timely as is possible.

I agree that it's not a big deterent to crime but neither is prison.The typical criminal isn't concerned about punishment simply because they don't think they'll get caught.And the rest think that if they DO get caught,they'll easily get off.

If you cleared out all the "lifers" and all the guilty with out question,there would then be room for realistic terms for the those who "get off" due to over crouding and lack of cell space,not to mention saving much of the cost burden to the tax payers.

FRY 'EM !! :D

devildog
03-10-2004, 10:34 AM
Originally posted by Miscue
I think we should allow excommunication, and take away U.S. citizenship of really bad criminals. Then, you ship them to some country who agrees to imprison them... with rules on how prisoners are treated that differ from ours.


i spent a week eating raw fishheads and rice in a japanese prison, god was i happy to get out of there :eek:

PyRo
03-10-2004, 11:13 AM
So because someone decided he wanted to go rape and murder someone taxpayers should spend thousands of dollars a year on a place for that person to live?

ShooterJM
03-10-2004, 12:35 PM
Very for it. Kill em back.

I like miscue's idea for lifers and long sentences though.

And I think we should cane people for minor crimes. Nothing like a good caning to solve some issues.

lamby
03-10-2004, 12:41 PM
I am all for not just executions, but PUBLIC executions.

Let other learn from their mistakes.

I am from SE Wisconsin for your survey

Restola
03-10-2004, 12:56 PM
I am very pro-death penelty.

I am also for making sure they are guilty. I don't have a problem with appeals. I have a problem with 2 decades of appeals.

I want a time limit of some sort. 6 months, 5 years, something. Otherwise it would probably be better just to get rid of it all and let them enjoy their cable TVs and workout rooms.

ASDadam
03-10-2004, 01:19 PM
I agree with Restola. I'm very pro-death penalty but also agree we should put a limit on appeals to say..3 or so. But also believe that the death penalty should be issued only when assured with DNA evidence and total confidence that they did the crime. From NC.

Ironmag
03-10-2004, 01:20 PM
I am obviously for it (I'm from Texas). I believe this because you destroyed the life of someone and those around them and you deserve nothing less. If we ever go to the life in prison route, I think they should do manual labor in a prison in the remotest region of Alaska so they could suffer every day, reflecting on what they did.

71 LS6
03-10-2004, 01:41 PM
Strongly in favor. Most points have already been made, not much more to say here. From NY

CaptaiN_JacK
03-10-2004, 01:50 PM
even though im democrat, im still VERY much for the death penalty. did you know it costs around $16,000 a YEAR to keep a prisoner in prison? and did you know that it costs about $4,000 per student per year in public schools?

think about this: would you rather spend 50 years in a prison without a chance of parole? or even a life sentence? or would you rather be put out of your misery? if i were stupid enough to get a life sentence, id rather be killed. even if i got out of prison in 15 years, it would still mean i wouldnt have any more friends (most likely), and that i wouldnt be able to get a good job. the cycle would most liekely continue, and id end up in prison again.

why should we have pity for the scum of society? they obviously dont care about us, or ethics, and shouldnt be given a second chance.

we spend 16 BILLION dollars a year on stupid people. if i had the power, i would give the death penalty to anybody who had more than a 5 year sentence.

fire1811
03-10-2004, 01:51 PM
just show me where to plug the chair in :D

Cryer
03-10-2004, 01:53 PM
I'm from Texas... Given that bit of information, which side of the issue do you suppose I subscribe to?:)

WicKeD_WaYz
03-10-2004, 01:55 PM
so most people here support the death penalty. I do too. What crimes do you think deserve a death penalty? I know most people say only murder....but what about if somenody kidnapped, beat, and raped a young girl? would a crime like that or similar deserve the death penalty?

Cryer
03-10-2004, 01:57 PM
yes

PyRo
03-10-2004, 02:25 PM
Murder and rape both would need to be done on a case to case basis. I think I already said last night, a statutory rape case where an 18 year old has consensual sex with a 17 year old even though techinally rape doesn't warrent a death scentence

Restola
03-10-2004, 02:34 PM
Originally posted by WicKeD_WaYz
so most people here support the death penalty.
Be careful with that. The internet is typically pretty conservative, and this board is definatly more right than anything else.

Just realize all sides aren't represented here.

WicKeD_WaYz
03-10-2004, 02:40 PM
Originally posted by Restola

Be careful with that. The internet is typically pretty conservative, and this board is definatly more right than anything else.

Just realize all sides aren't represented here.


yes i did take into consideration that this is the paintball, hunting, outdoors, guns and ammo type of crowd(for the most part) and I expected most people on this board to favor it.

WickeDKlowN
03-10-2004, 04:59 PM
I am VERY much for executions, but not just a little poke in the arm. I say throw them in the chair in the middle of the city for everyone to see.

But I say onl use it for Rapists (brutal rape, not like statutory rape or any of tht bs)and serial killers/mass murders/etc. Let the rest rot in their cages.

Konigballer
03-10-2004, 05:09 PM
I think all child molesters, including those in the priesthood, should be executed very expediently. I'm sorry, but I come up real short in the mercy departement for a lot of people but especially those kind. I would also favor firing squad because of the cost and time saved but I know historically people involved in executing people that way often have emotional problems with it later on, so I would probably seek some way to automate it. Maybe construct a Johny5 with a rifle:)

Murder and rape cases would be decided on a case by case basis like PyRo said.

However, it is obvious that the death penalty does not inhibit crime in any way. I think for a criminal on the street, the idea of actually dying for a crime they commited is to abstract. I'm sure that realization only takes hold once their behind bars, hence their vigorous use of the appeals process as Rooster commented. Of course by then, they have already killed someone so its kind of too late for the punishment to properly disuade them from commiting a crime.

Ironmag
03-10-2004, 05:21 PM
Originally posted by Konigballer
I think all child molesters, including those in the priesthood, should be executed very expediently. I'm sorry, but I come up real short in the mercy departement for a lot of people but especially those kind. I would also favor firing squad because of the cost and time saved but I know historically people involved in executing people that way often have emotional problems with it later on, so I would probably seek some way to automate it. Maybe construct a Johny5 with a rifle:)

How about that robot from the first RoboCop. the ED-209. That would be interesting, and is already programmed to kill.

PyRo
03-10-2004, 06:00 PM
I have a new stance on the death pently. I cannot describe it though, I will need some supplies to demonstrate.
1. Large wooden bat
2. Nail through wooden bat
3. Rapist/Murder or someone who has done both would be even better
4. Hole in the ground large enough to bury a human

1stdeadeye
03-10-2004, 06:06 PM
My stance on the death penaly is it should be a whole lot faster.

Conviction, appeal, review all DNA or exculpatory evidence, if it is not overturned, fry them. This 20 years on death row is crap!

1stdeadeye
03-10-2004, 06:39 PM
I think these women deserve it!!!! (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,113850,00.html)

They beat a 12 year old into a coma for kissing a boy!:mad: Man this makes my home town look real bad!!!

ASDadam
03-10-2004, 06:40 PM
Actually, its proven that the first 24 hours after an execution violent crime goes down. So therefore we should start executing Everyone on Death Row everyother day starting tonight, that way we won't miss a beat and keep the criminals on their toes.

Rapist....This is a toucy one because usually it lies on the womans word against the man, alot of cases have actually proven to be false accusations, while i believe rapist should die, its almost impossible to prove 100% if it was a true rape or not.

CaptaiN_JacK
03-10-2004, 06:43 PM
exactly! why should they be able to make appeal after appeal? how about right after they are sentenced to the death penalty we kill them?

if somebody commits a crime and gets a sentence of more than 5 years in prison, whatever the crime may be, kill them.

it would also be a lot cheaper to just send them all to an island and let them fend for themselves. ever see escape from LA? :)

edit: and make sure they commited the crime. lets not base the charges on a witness's testimony, theres too much room for error.

MayAMonkeyBeYourPinata
03-10-2004, 07:32 PM
I have two beefs with the death penalty.

I don't mind the penalty for people who, are without a doubt guilty, but there have been so many people, who have been found innocent after spending years on death row.

I vaguely rememeber a story about some kids from Northwestern or something, saving a man who was going to be executed in 48 hours.

Second, it takes too long, and costs too much

Mr.mike
03-10-2004, 07:36 PM
I think that the death penalty should be used much more freely, like on every major criminal.
But if it isnt such a major crime, just make the jail time alot longer than it normaly would be. Also, if a person commited a crime for a second time they automatically get the death penalty like in a major crime.
I think this would encourage people not to break the law if the punishmentt is alot more strict.
And when the people go to prison they dont go to those nice and easy prisons they go to really super hard(butt) prisons where the guards beat people!
and people that have the death penalty should be killed immediately like they walk into the next room of the court and its the execution room instead of sitting around for a year on death row
i think that its disgusting and perposterous that my tax money pays for the food and clothing of the guy who shot and killed my best friend(an example, my friend wasnt really killed)
It would be so much cheaper if the government did it like this.
Personally i think this country is slowly going down the crapper because our government is filled with a bunch of idiot liberals, we need some real people running the government!

MayAMonkeyBeYourPinata
03-10-2004, 07:58 PM
Originally posted by Mr.mike
I think that the death penalty should be used much more freely, like on every major criminal.
But if it isnt such a major crime, just make the jail time alot longer than it normaly would be. Also, if a person commited a crime for a second time they automatically get the death penalty like in a major crime.
I think this would encourage people not to break the law if the punishmentt is alot more strict.
And when the people go to prison they dont go to those nice and easy prisons they go to really super hard(butt) prisons where the guards beat people!
and people that have the death penalty should be killed immediately like they walk into the next room of the court and its the execution room instead of sitting around for a year on death row
i think that its disgusting and perposterous that my tax money pays for the food and clothing of the guy who shot and killed my best friend(an example, my friend wasnt really killed)
It would be so much cheaper if the government did it like this.
Personally i think this country is slowly going down the crapper because our government is filled with a bunch of idiot liberals, we need some real people running the government!

Did you just call Bush a liberal?:confused: :confused: :p

Miscue
03-10-2004, 10:57 PM
I kinda like the Running Man idea.

logamus
03-10-2004, 11:48 PM
i see i was a day early for this debate.

Originally posted by logamus
in Texas, a death sentance is automatically appealed. i say after that appeal is done the execution is set for 11:30 pm the following monday. the condemed has until that time to get the supreme court to stay the execution because they have agreed to hear his case. if not, see you later pal.

the death sentence has become less of a deterant to crime because criminals know even if they get death, it will be decades until its actually applied. if people knew that within weeks of the sentance they would be pushing up daisys it might have a tad more punch.

ps, i also wouldnt mind adding rape and child molestion to the list of death penalty crimes. i cant imagine what we need with those types of people. i would rather live next door to a murderer than a rapist/child molester.

now when i want to include rapists in the mix im not talking statutory rape. i also woulnt be against death for the "3 strikes" rules.



Originally posted by Miscue
I kinda like the Running Man idea.

the movie rather than the books version of course.

WicKeD_WaYz
03-11-2004, 01:09 AM
Originally posted by CaptaiN_JacK

if somebody commits a crime and gets a sentence of more than 5 years in prison, whatever the crime may be, kill them.


kind of ignorant. I have friends locked down for more than 5 years maybe thats why I see it different.

you know how easy it is to get a 5 year sentence?

my homi mike hit someone with a bat cuz the guy pulled a gun on him, his gf, and me. He got 5-10 years for attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. Does he deserve death penalty for self defense? (even though the court didnt see it that way....)


now if they are locked up for life? I say kill em, they will never get a second chance anyway, and our tax money goes to feed them.

Restola
03-11-2004, 01:19 AM
Originally posted by WicKeD_WaYz
my homi mike hit someone with a bat cuz the guy pulled a gun on him, his gf, and me. He got 5-10 years for attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
Probably more to that story...

CaptaiN_JacK
03-11-2004, 06:44 PM
Originally posted by WicKeD_WaYz

my homi mike hit someone with a bat cuz the guy pulled a gun on him, his gf, and me. He got 5-10 years for attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. Does he deserve death penalty for self defense? (even though the court didnt see it that way....)


ohhhh i see. your friend happened to have a bat with him when a guy pulled a gun. not only that, but the guy decided that it would be better not to use the gun, and let himself get beat with a bat. not only that, but with 2 eye-witnesses saying the guy pulled a gun and threatened you guys, its quite UNLIKELY that they would sentence him to 5-10 years for attempted murder. patch up the holes buddy.

WicKeD_WaYz
03-11-2004, 08:05 PM
Originally posted by CaptaiN_JacK


ohhhh i see. your friend happened to have a bat with him when a guy pulled a gun. not only that, but the guy decided that it would be better not to use the gun, and let himself get beat with a bat. not only that, but with 2 eye-witnesses saying the guy pulled a gun and threatened you guys, its quite UNLIKELY that they would sentence him to 5-10 years for attempted murder. patch up the holes buddy.

here are the hole patches you requested. :rolleyes:

we were sitting in mikes car on a side street, waiting to meet up with another car. he was in the drivers seat, his gf in the passenger seat, and I was in the back. a guy walked up and said "you guys got any papers?" (weed) mike told him no. the guy then pulled out a gun and said "give me all ur f'in money." his gf starts freakin out and mike was tellin him to put the gun down and the guy was like "get out of the bleeping car" i stepped out of the car and I was just gunna give the guy some money so he would leave. Mikes gf got out and was still about to cry. and i was standing by the trunk and i was reachin into my wallet, mike got out of the car with his bat that he always keeps under his seat by the center console, and hit the guy over the head before he even knew what was up. then we proceeded to beat his ***. on a side note, after he was down we found out his gun wasnt even loaded, but he had a loaded clip in his pocket (and an unloaded one in his gun.)

the reason he got so much time was because they said he hit the guy with the bat a lot of times even after he was unconscious. and that he didnt know where to stop. I got a year paroll because I was a minor and didnt use a weapon. But where would you draw the line on beating someone if they just stuck a gun to you.

and on top of that, the guy and his friend that was parked in a car near buy both swore he never had a weapon or threatened us, and that he was just asking for papers for smoking and we jumped him with a bat, so it was our word against his. basically he had a better lawyer and we just got screwed in court with the worst possible scenario.

anyways im not trying to turn this into a debate. the court has already made a decision on it and Ive done enough complaining for the last 2 years that im done with that. life sucks and thats what happens.

Havoc_online
03-11-2004, 09:51 PM
I'm all for it, but I think some things need worse of a punishment. The sad truth is that some ppl want to be caught and killed or they just dont care. If there were actual torture, I think that would give them more of a conscience.

rehme
03-11-2004, 10:00 PM
if they kill someone the need to be killed. not if like a tire blows out and hits an on coming or something to that degree. but if they stab someone on purpose and kills them they deserve to be put to death. imo

tony3
03-11-2004, 10:41 PM
Screw democracy, fascism is the only way to go:D

Prison is to nice nowadays, depending on what you are in prison for, I would rather see prisoners not want to come back, EVER. My cousin got sentenced to 5 years in statesville prison and got out in like 2 or 3 on parole I believe. Right when he got out, his friend was there with a car, and my cousin starts driving it, without a license, not to mention right before he got out of jail he broke into a car and stole someones wallet. I know him pretty well, and jail must not be that bad if you do all that crap after getting out, now he is back in and gets out in about a month. Jail should be feared. I would rather see people breaking rocks all day with some bread and water for meals. No more exercise rooms, weight lifting competitions, baseball fields, and basketball courts. I want to see some action. I want the jail guards to be mean and hurt the prisoners so they don't want to come back. I think the whole jail/court system needs some tweaking, but thats just me.

trevorjk
03-12-2004, 01:16 PM
what exactly is your paper on? are you trying to say why it is good or why it is bad? or you just trying to make it more human and bring it to a personal level?

i as a senior had to do a 10 minute speach on it well i didnt have to but i did it was more of a debate against one kid and i had the pro part while the other kid had the cons


if i were you i would do alot of research as i found that most people supporting the cruel and unusual punishment theory when it comes to the death penelty actually have seconds thoughts when they actually know what is going on... like the lethal injection is actually a 3 step process that takes a few minutes and the person being executed actually feals no pain what so ever... and the way it is done if for any reason the govener wants to call off the sentence there is still time even after the injections have started.... like i said research how it is done.

another note that i found particularly intersesting is research the items and utensils and the methods used about 100 years ago then 300 years ago and then try going back about 750-1000 years if at all possible... seeing as this thread has also added rape search for the death utensil called or nicknamed "the pear" that was used on woman who slepped outside of marriage or for men or woman that were of homosexuality or convicted of rape... it was a very gruesome death by any means and makes the lethal injection seam like a teddy bear... so like i said if you want to show how harmless and how safe the lethal injection now adays is show them what it was 100, 300, and 700 years ago and how much we have progressed.


another thing i found very interesting when i did my debate is how much it actually cost to keep an inmate on death row with a life sentence and how much it actually cost to execute some one... my numbers could be off cuase this was over a year ago but to keep some one in a maximum security prison cost taxpayers rougly 100k a year for one person. now put that to the average of over 30 years on death row and thats over 3 million and most people are in there longer! now alot of people say it cost more to actually put some one to death becuase of all the appeals and what not but on average it cost 3million with all the appeals and all the jail time to put some one to death. (my numbers could be off like i said)


and another interesting thing i found out is that theres myths and legends about putting people to death that were innocent but with all the research i have done ( i spent the most time on this over 20 hours easily ) i have found that every person put to death in the united states since becoming the united states has actually commited the murder he or she did and was in no way shape or form innocent of the actions they were guilty of. infact i have found sites and actually government documents stating these and the facts but by all means research for your self and come up with your own arguement for what ever you want to think

i wish i still had the outline for the sites that i have visited to get all my information when i did this project last yeat but i do not any more but i found and listed over 50 sites that i visited for my facts numbers and even listings from people that were executed or who are inline to be executed and they all admit there wrong doing





so obviously my personal view on this case is if you did the crime and your guilty beyond any reasonable doubt and even if you plead guilty your life shall be taken *eye for an eye*

WicKeD_WaYz
03-13-2004, 02:25 PM
Originally posted by trevorjk
what exactly is your paper on? are you trying to say why it is good or why it is bad? or you just trying to make it more human and bring it to a personal level?

i as a senior had to do a 10 minute speach on it well i didnt have to but i did it was more of a debate against one kid and i had the pro part while the other kid had the cons


if i were you i would do alot of research as i found that most people supporting the cruel and unusual punishment theory when it comes to the death penelty actually have seconds thoughts when they actually know what is going on... like the lethal injection is actually a 3 step process that takes a few minutes and the person being executed actually feals no pain what so ever... and the way it is done if for any reason the govener wants to call off the sentence there is still time even after the injections have started.... like i said research how it is done.

another note that i found particularly intersesting is research the items and utensils and the methods used about 100 years ago then 300 years ago and then try going back about 750-1000 years if at all possible... seeing as this thread has also added rape search for the death utensil called or nicknamed "the pear" that was used on woman who slepped outside of marriage or for men or woman that were of homosexuality or convicted of rape... it was a very gruesome death by any means and makes the lethal injection seam like a teddy bear... so like i said if you want to show how harmless and how safe the lethal injection now adays is show them what it was 100, 300, and 700 years ago and how much we have progressed.


another thing i found very interesting when i did my debate is how much it actually cost to keep an inmate on death row with a life sentence and how much it actually cost to execute some one... my numbers could be off cuase this was over a year ago but to keep some one in a maximum security prison cost taxpayers rougly 100k a year for one person. now put that to the average of over 30 years on death row and thats over 3 million and most people are in there longer! now alot of people say it cost more to actually put some one to death becuase of all the appeals and what not but on average it cost 3million with all the appeals and all the jail time to put some one to death. (my numbers could be off like i said)


and another interesting thing i found out is that theres myths and legends about putting people to death that were innocent but with all the research i have done ( i spent the most time on this over 20 hours easily ) i have found that every person put to death in the united states since becoming the united states has actually commited the murder he or she did and was in no way shape or form innocent of the actions they were guilty of. infact i have found sites and actually government documents stating these and the facts but by all means research for your self and come up with your own arguement for what ever you want to think

i wish i still had the outline for the sites that i have visited to get all my information when i did this project last yeat but i do not any more but i found and listed over 50 sites that i visited for my facts numbers and even listings from people that were executed or who are inline to be executed and they all admit there wrong doing





so obviously my personal view on this case is if you did the crime and your guilty beyond any reasonable doubt and even if you plead guilty your life shall be taken *eye for an eye*



my paper is on a few different things. I have to interview and take information about how people look at the death penalty and see where there from, carreers, etc. Then I will compile a chart of what kind of people are in support of the death penalty. then I have to explain the different exocution ways and the pro's and con's of each one. Next I get to argue from BOTH POINTS OF VIEW on is the death penalty a good thing or a bad thing. So I have to know the facts on both sides arguments- mainly why I posted here.

Ya its gunna be a long sunday night.

trevorjk
03-13-2004, 02:41 PM
well the guy that was CON for my debate used mainly how much it cost us tax payers and how cruel it was to put a human being down. like i used in my PRO speach on how it can actually be cheaper, the price is still way up there. so as a CON you could easily use that... other cons he brought out to use the cruel and unusual punishment was the electric chair (forgot name) and the shooting thing they do in utah (if they still do it, maybe even the wrong state) but they have 5 guys behind the executee and only one has an actual round and they all fire off at the same time... this was implimented in the early 90's i beleive so it could be a basis to use cruel and unusual punishment as a con.

as far as more cons you could use personal stories to bring life into these criminals like i said in my other post there are sites made and maintained by death row inmates that brings life to these people


other then that i cant help you much for the cons and like i pointed out in both of my replies my info and data may be wrong cuase this was over a year ago i had to do this thing

brandnewcadillac
03-13-2004, 05:31 PM
Originally posted by PyRo
So because someone decided he wanted to go rape and murder someone taxpayers should spend thousands of dollars a year on a place for that person to live?

Death Penalty Facts
COST

The Death Penalty is Expensive.

Capital punishment is a far more expensive system than one whose maximum penalty is life in prison.

A New York study estimated the cost of an execution at three times that of life imprisonment.
In Florida, each execution costs the state $3.2 million, compared to $600,000 for life imprisonment.
Studies in California, Kansas, Maryland, and North Carolina all have concluded that capital punishment is far more expensive than keeping someone in prison for life.
The greatest costs of the death penalty are incurred prior to and during trial, not in post-conviction proceedings. Even if all post-conviction proceedings were abolished, the death penalty system would still be more expensive than alternative sentences.

Under a death penalty system, trials have two separate phases (conviction and sentencing); they are typically preceded by special motions and extra jury selection questioning.
More investigative costs are generally incurred in capital cases, particularly by the prosecution.
When death penalty trials result in a verdict less than death or are reversed, the taxpayer first incurs all the extra costs of capital pretrial and trial proceedings and must then also pay either for the cost of incarcerating the prisoner for life or the costs of a retrial (which often leads to a life sentence).
The death penalty diverts resources from genuine crime control measures. Spending money on the death penalty system means:

Taking it away from existing components of the criminal justice system, such as prosecutions of drug crimes, domestic violence, and child
Reducing the resources states put into crime prevention, education and rehabilitation, investigative resources, and drug treatment programs.

"Elimination of the death penalty would result in a net savings to the state of at least several tens of millions of dollars annually, and a net savings to local governments in the millions to tens of millions of dollars on a statewide basis." --Joint Legislative Budget Committee of the California Legislature, Sept. 9, 1999

http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/cost.html

1stdeadeye
03-14-2004, 10:57 AM
Hey BrandNewCadillac way to cite an unbiased source to support your argument!:rolleyes:

Want an argument for the death penalty? Read this!!! (http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/South/03/13/baby.attacked.ap/index.html)

This piece of crap deserves to die horribly!!!

mcveighr
03-14-2004, 12:11 PM
I'd rather die then spend life in prison, that is if it truly is life.

I don't think prison will be very easy for him if they find out he's a baby killer/rapist.