The state of Illinois recently abolished their death penalty legislation. If interested here is the link to the article...http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/01/illinois-death-penalty-of_n_888668.html
Critics from law enforcement feel the death penalty forces those who are convicted of deadly crimes to admit they're guilty; those supporting the death penalty ban feel death row is immoral and the justice system has failed to deliver 100% error-free decisions regarding individuals convicted of harsh crimes.
In short, do you support the death penalty?
When answering think to yourself...."why do we kill people who kill people to show that killing people is wrong?"
The death penalty is such a complex subject, I can see both sides. People who execute horrible crimes should be severely punished, but you are right in providing the quote, killing people because they killed people seems counter intuitive. I know some people say "an eye for an eye" but at the same time, people who have commited such horrible crimes may take the death penalty as an easy escape; they may want to die. Sometimes it may be more punishment to make them sit in a jail cell and think about what they did, although most the time I think they have checked out of reality and dont really think about it. The death penalty is such a tough subject to have a firm stand on for me, I feel it can go both ways. But in the long run, they people who performed the crimes will get their judgement one day, or karma is always there too!
ReplyDeleteKyle, thanks for the post! I have always not had an opinion about the death penalty for a very specific reason. My instincts tell me to be against the death penalty, however I have no idea what it feels like to loose a child to a violent kidnapper, or what it feels like for any close person in my life to be murdered. I don't know how I would feel about the death penalty if those situations happened to me. In all honesty, if I had a daughter who was brutally murdered, I would probably want the guy dead. I agree with Halley that it is two-sided.
ReplyDeleteI think it's more of a punishment to make the criminal sit in jail and think about what they did everyday for years, for the rest of their lives. However I feel it's a waste of taxpayer's dollars to do that. If there is without a doubt guilty, not even a slight chance that they are innocent I feel they should be put to death. Most murders cannot be re assimilated into society and more than likely they will murder again.. Not always and there are exceptions yet this is the majority. I just think that the money space and time could be used more efficiently. Jails are overcrowded enough as it is, I just feel like we should focus on the lesser crimed people that could really learn a lesson and change. This is just how I feel, no one has to agree lol :)
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with Amelia. I really don't have an opinion on the death penalty. However I do think that if someone harmed one of my children, I would be open to any kind of punishment. That is if I did not do it myself first. I do know that even though many people are on death row, they spend many years there. Until all of their appeal have been exhausted. So the taxpayers are still paying for them for a while.
ReplyDeleteI believe the death penalty should be carried out only for extreme cases. Serial murderers are one case that should be considered. Having them sit in jail as punishment for the rest of their life doesn't seem fitting. The case of taxpayers wasting their dollars keeping a person who would otherwise not repent for their misdeeds in life is one such example. To each their own in their opinions though. I agree that this is a tough subject to touch upon.
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