I posted on this once already but am posting again after reading everyone’s stuff. The criminal justice system is ultimately about public safety. If even the most heinous criminal is locked up then the community is safe from him/her. The death penalty is about revenge. I prefer not to use the government and it’s flawed human administrators to exact revenge.

There have been enough studies done that prove that capital punishment is not a deterrent. There have also been enough news stories printed about a murderer and/or rapist released from prison and commits the same crime again. Some psychologists have said there are criminals that can not rehabilitated. It is a dilemma. However, I do take the harsher view and say for the sake of the family left behind, let society remove the killer from the face of the earth and allow the family to grieve privately for that time, but not ask them to open up the wound again and again as one writ after another is presented to the court or if the perpetrator is allowed one parole hearing after another. Simple needless torment for the family. I do believe there is such a thing as victim’s rights.

I agree, Bonnie Oliver, victims and their families should not be tormented. With today’s improved forensic technologies there’s a much better chance of gleaning evidence to convict. Hate to say it, but crime today is way out of hand and it needs to be seriously reduced. If we keep leaning towards prisoner’s rights, then in no time half the population will be incarcerated. Crime is lowest in countries that cut off the fingers in the marketplace. Quick justice has an impact on society.

Crime is on the rise because population is on the rise. And because we’ve made more things illegal than used to be! There was a time when driving drunk did not warrant prison time. there used to be no “drug offenses” we didn’t used to put men in jail for incest. But truthfully crime is on the rise because the population is! I also wanted to comment as to the “they get out on parole and then commit heinous crimes” comments. If someone gets paroled that means they did not commit a crime prior to their prison time that would have netted them the option of the death penalty anyway. If someone is on death row, if there had been no death row option… that person would be in prison for life. the people who geto out on parole and then commit crimes are not people who got out on parole INSTEAD of being killed by the state. they are folks who served sentences for lesser crimes then got out and did monstrous crimes.

When true prison reform takes place and prisoners are actually prisoners, and not just ‘prisoners with benefits’ then I will change my vote on this subject to ‘no.’ When the laws change so that heinous crimes cannot be dumbed down to a lesser offense, I will change my vote to ‘no.’ I don’t believe in taking a life just to take a life. And to those who comment that it is more expensive to defend these criminals to the Nth degree before they are executed than it is to house/ feed /clothe /entertain /educate /heal /supervise /rehabilitate /(your verb here) them (and document it all) for the rest of their natural life, I don’t have enough specific knowledge to debate your points, but I’m happy to read the references provided. At what cost do we spare the rest of the public from sick minds when some huge percentage of the public already feels like it is the prisoner? I’m tired and rambling, but another thought just occurred to me. How much are the taxpayers going to pay to make TV-watching for our prisoners available come February 2009?

Not only “No”, but HELL NO! I’m with everything that Carol L, Elizabeth Flynn & Bennett, M L Staats, and Maggi D have said. (’s why we need more women making government policy!) Too many of the poor and minorities - who can’t afford a big shot lawyer, mentally handicapped, and innocent people are in jail and particularly on Death Row as it is! This is especially true in some of our “set in their ways” states, like Texas (who have more people on Death Row than all other 49 states combined, and have executed more minorities & mentally handicapped than “property owners”!) It takes years for some innocent folks to get out, even with DNA proof! I especially like the idea of prison with no “perks” or torture. It should be “self sustaining” - meaning the prisoners grow their own foods, make their own clothing, and make things (used to be license plates) to earn their keep. Sadly many prisons today are like everything else - for profit big businesses - where we foot the bill! But I’d rather pay for a lifetime of deprivation, where a prisoner might see their “sin” - than pay the state or a private business to murder someone. I agree with Maggi, how can a person claim to be against abortion but for the Death penalty? And how can you NOT call executing someone by it’s true name - State funded murder?!? And how can we say it’s illegal to murder someone, then go ahead with murdering them? Last, a proven fact, execution does NOT bring “closure” to the family of the victim! So what’s the point? Simple, a holier than thou revenge!

The U.S. lags behind other countries in many areas that demonstrate our lack of value and support of the human being.

I’ve never believed in the death penalty……Then a family member was murdered and two children kidnapped (never to be found)…….for a period of time my values changed and I wanted revenge. After a period of time when I felt sane again I returned to my belief against capitol punishment. I would rather see a criminal have to pay with the loss of his freedom……I, or my family will never have the freedom again. We will always and forever been burdened with all that pain and agony. There have been times when I felt I would be capable of inflicting torture on such a person………but to deliberatly kill them……..no, I couldn’t do that.

I think if we had stronger death penalties people would think twice before committing a crime. The facilities in Virginia is called the DC country club. They walk around with boom boxes and don’t think twice about committing crime. I know our systems need help in alot of ways but our tax dollars are going to support them. Look at alot of lifers they become lawyers,etc. on our tax dollars. I have grandchildren that may not go to college because of finances but I am giving my money for prisoners to sit around and do nothing. I think we need to go back to the days of real punishment not a slap on the hand.

If we as a species were infallible and could always be trusted to “do the right thing” toward our fellow man, that is one story. Alas, we are not infallible. We bear false witness, take bribes, look the other way, make deals, and the list goes on. In this environment with all the above factors, I CAN NOT support the death penalty. All I had to do to come to this conclusion was imagine I had been on a jury that wrongly convicted someone to death. If later evidence proved the persons innocence, how could I live with myself? That is happening rather frequently in this country, with DNA evidence brought to light. The justice system is not perfect, but neither are we.

Utterly barbaric.

i’m very much in favor of the death penalty. and someone like susan atkins has some nerve expecting compassion now that she’s sick. if she hadn’t murdered innocent people and wasted her life for a nobody like manson, she would be able to be out and surrounded by loved ones at this time in her life. i really have no sympathy for someone like her.