Do you support the death penalty? Why or why not?

Question

For me, this is a hard one because I think about the child molesters and child murderers and feel like they definitely deserve it.

Beckybooboo · Accepted Answer

I don't support it. I'm a nurse practitioner! My job is to preserve life. I moved from Florida, that does execute people, and there were always protests, for or against the decision. Now, I live in a state, where it's not allowed. No protests, very few appeals. It's just, you're in prison until you die. Although, the most prolific killers in the state I live in, were actually killed in prison! By inmates. Jeffery Dahmer, Jesse Anderson and Alton Coleman. I can't feel bad about "street justice"...

7Phoenix7 · Accepted Answer

No I don’t… and not because of what most people say.

if you shamelessly murder/rape/torture someone then killing you would be doing you a favor… wtf…

Id like you to suffer as long as possible. Death is a favor…

OlderAndWiser · Answer

I witnessed an execution in Florida in 1985. After that experience, my support of the death penalty increased.

Screenwriter · Answer

People who do crime have been shown to never believe they'll be caught, so the death penalty doesn't discourage them. And there aren't enough police to catch everyone who does criminal acts, so they have a solid belief.

Fourteen percent are in for sex offenses, 43% for drug offenses, less than 4% for homicides. This is from the Bureau of Prison statistics 2026. It would seem that therapy, education and training for useful lives might be a better use of money rather than killing people who are damaged or keeping them cages for life like animals.

Our prison systems have never been in the habit of helping prisoners turn themselves around. It's punishment enough to BE in prison. People who have servied time or who have been paroled should have every kind of help to be reacclimated into society. Those who are sucessful at this usually come to the realization of their wrongs and want to make whatever amends they can.

There are very few people who are completely lost. If the prison systems had different attitudes, so would their treatment and work with prisoners, and far better outcomes would occur for former inmates, the prison system in general and society.

Maybe_Maybe_not · Answer

I live in a place where death penalty has been abolished since the 70s. Before I was born, so just because of that it is inconceivable for me to reintroduce it.

Growing up, I noticed that other countries haven't abolished it, at first they seem particularly barbaric or unhinged to me. Later on, I understood it is a cultural matter. It's much easier to be in favour of death penalty when it has always been a common thing around you.

When thinking about it, I can't justify killing someone, legally or not, I'm disturbed by how irreversible it is and by how it implies that someone's job is basically to kill people. Of course I believe that society must be protected from perpetrators, with proportionate jail time.

CupcakeTheDestroyer · Answer

Ultimately, no. To begin with, the process around it is an insane waste of resources on an economic level because once someone is sentenced to death, they have the option to appeal it multiple times until they can prove they don’t deserve it, which can cost millions of taxpayer dollars. That’s the practical side of it.
Ethically, in a majority of cases, it’s just an unnecessary approach and a free pass for violence committed by the state. The legal right to decide who’s allowed to live is something I disagree with on a personal level. As much as someone may have done terrible things that are universally regarded as abhorrent, they still deserve the right to live and die on their own terms. When we stop affording humanity to the lowest of the human totem poles, that just opens the door to taking it away from anyone we deem unworthy of it. And the first groups who are usually stripped of that humanity are the ones who are the most vulnerable.

MrOracle · Answer

In cases where the person's identity isn't in dispute, I support it.

For example, someone murders someone on camera, or in front of a bunch of witnesses who know that person. Or someone who was literally caught holding the murder weapon, etc.

Or, let's say a serial murderer, rapist, or child-abuser. People who do things again and again despite being caught and punished before have proven themselves to be beyond redemption, and thus they are a danger and burden on society that should be taken out.

strateguy632 · Answer

1. I say only murder deserves death penalty. But not the others because victim is alive. 2. But i do want to renew the hard labor like chain gangs digging irrigation canals or other painful shameful punishments for those who inflicted physical pain, body pain for body pain- like in grape. +3. You don't mean Israel BUT #Israel just reinstated death penalty for "anybody doing terrorism" this would included jews BUT jews never did suicide bombing on busses. +4. The fact only #palestinians do that doesn't mean the law targets Arabs. The opposition is unreasonably racist to insist "only Arabs do it therefore the law targets arabs" outrageous!

That is like opposing the 'no female circumcision law' because it targets muslims but anybody who would do it is included- but say 'don't punish'?

aaron13547 · Answer

I do not because if I killed everyone that had done something wrong I would have to kill myself for wanting to kill someone who did something wrong...

The illusion of hope is one of the things that makes life worth living. I dont think the death penalty solves anything I think that a bad person "resets" with all the bad still In them, but now they also have resentment for being killed before they could learn from the karma of their past life...

In my experience to solve a problem you change it, make it not a problem. I can't see how killing someone fixes anything. I mean I guess it makes me not want to get myself killed before my time but I already dont want to do anything wrong without the death penalty as a consequence. So personally, I dont see how it solves anything besides one more empty jail cell.

SeekerOfTruth007 · Answer

Definitely. I've never seen any evidence of any murderer or rapist ever truthfully repenting of their crimes. They are sorry they got caught, but they are not sorry they did the crime (s). Such people can never be trusted in society again, and there is no good reason to keep them alive indefinitely in prison either.

I've heard of ONE murderer who did the murder (s) while on drugs, and when he realized it was him that did it, he turned himself in. He MIGHT be sorry, because he literally told the police to never release him again no matter what, but that's different, because he turned himself in when the police weren't even investigating him. He should get life in prison for what I understand about his case, in particular since he ADMITS he should never be trusted again.

Texaskid1 · Answer

Not really.

I think there is too much corruption in the US and there are plenty of corrupt prosecutors and cops that are desperate to put execute someone. They will screw over some poor (as in no money) bastard and smile while they do it. Also, most Americans have no concept of their rights when arrested and mistakenly believe that the cops are the good guys and are their to help them. People don't understand that the police are trained to incriminate you and that the worst thing you can do when detained or arrested is talk. I shudder when I think about the number of guys in prison right now that are rotting in a cell for something they did not do.

When the police detain/arrest you you keep your piehole shut. When I was younger I used to get detained by the cops all the time and I learned just to let them yap on and on and on and I would just say as little as possible. I don't trust them and I know that they will twist your words around.

Still-alive · Answer

I do not. while i understand why some people feel the way they do about maybe serial killers or mass rapists... at the end of the day i can't support this practice. the biggest reason is that we do and have made mistakes and executed innocent people before. man is mortal and we are not infallible. therefore this is a power we should not allow a government to have over us. the ability to execute people.

If we ever get to a point where we can ALWAYS get it right i might be more open to allowing this but for the foreseeable future i cannot support the death penalty. i am however more in favor of stricter and longer prison sentences.

MontBlanc · Answer

I have mixed feelings about it honestly.

I can understand why some people support it for extremely severe crimes, especially when innocent lives are involved.

But at the same time, giving any system the power to permanently take a life is also something that feels very serious and complicated to me.

I think once something irreversible is done, there’s no way to undo mistakes, bias, or wrongful judgments if they happen.

OneViewpoint · Answer

I'm OK with the death penalty in certain circumstances. Jeffrey Dahmer, Charlie Manson, why keep a serial killer alive? They can't be reformed or released? Would you want one living next door? What's the point of taxpayers feeding, sheltering, clothing, and providing medical care for 40 - 50 years? Likewise the Jan 6th traitors. Hanging is cheap. Ropes are reusable. Foreign or domestic terrorists? Same solution.

sage2021 · Answer

Is the death penalty really a real death penalty anymore?

Sentenced to death huh! Yeah right!

The last person who I remember actually being out to death was Timothy McVeigh. The Oklahoma City Bomber.

He didn't stay in prison his entire life and then got put to death. Timothy McVeigh was very young when they executed him.

Kaneki05 · Answer

Only if it's proven without a doubt, and any judge who didn't take that seriously to find out later they convicted the wrong person... they're getting it too.
Meaning most wouldn't but those who deserve it and we know it would be.
Along with this you can make it not take forever to do, forgoing a lot of the process as the judge themselves is taking the full weight of their choice if wrong.
Getting caught on Camera is one example of proven without a doubt.

Master_Debator · Answer

I support it, but I think it's weak. If you gave me the choice of leathal injection, I'd probably take it without doing a crime. No... the death penalty needs to be great again.

Let's bring back crucifixions!!!

Do you support the death penalty? Why or why not?

lilBigPotato · Answer

Nope. Rotting forever in jail is a bigger punishment in my opinion. Also I find it difficult to say which crime is worth a life and which one isn't and then there are also countless people in jail where there's doubt if they're actually guilty. Once someone is executed, you can't undo it anymore.

AubrieMorman · Answer

For the most part i'm against it, unless if the person committed multiple murders, rapes, the worst crimes out there over and over again. If it's a one off thing they should serve their sentence of course. However if they show a complete inability to change then i'd consider it

Jackblue · Answer

I have never understood why the left is so hostile to the death penalty. Abort millions of innocent unborn people a year that is fine with them, but execute a serial killer who has been found guilty by a jury of his peers in a trial in which he had a lawyer to defend him, they lose their minds.

whosnumber_1 · Answer

There are some twisted people out there. Serial killers and what not... Finding a space to house and feed them for the rest of their life seems like a big waste of time and money for a murderous creature that could never be integrated into society. I kinda feel like extremes deserve extremes.

DryGermanGuy · Answer

No, it doesn't help to deter or to solve crime.

slatyb · Answer

No, because not everyone convicted is guilty.

888theGreat · Answer

Thou Shalt Not kill is in the bible. Vengeance is the Lord's. not ours. A true Christian does not kill. execute man , or abort a child. Penalty of sin is death. Now if drafted by ceasar , wartime killing is self defense and a person is not held accountable..

AviatorTom · Answer

I've said this many times. Executions should be done in public and broadcast on television and steamed live on the Internet.

If we, as a society, cannot do that, then maybe we shouldn't execute people.

menina · Answer

I support it. Some criminals deserve it. If they didn't respect the victims why should we respect them? In my opinion, human rights shouldn't be taken into consideration in these cases.

msc545 · Answer

Hell no. It is barbaric, and if you make a mistake, you can't take it back.

exitseven · Answer

yes, if anything it prevents some liberal judge from letting some pervert serial killer out because he had a hard upbringing and is just misunderstood.

CriminallyInsane · Answer

Some people don't deserve to live and keeping them alive in jail for 50 years doesn't accomplish anything.

Twodogs0525 · Answer

I'm for it, under certain circumstances. Serial killers, certain crimes against children and violent crimes against family...

Apulu_backagain · Answer

Only if situations like what happened in Green Mile can be prevented.

BCRanger10 · Answer

Yes, I do support it. Let the punishment fit the crime.

Maddie248 · Answer

Of course  ... "why": well because I'm not a total moron

Anonymous · Answer

Too many mistakes and too many people were killed. Can you give the life back after? A life is fast taken but not given. Against! Do not kill.

FunkyMonkee · Answer

Yes, if they took a life! Besides democrats, who needs scum like that roaming around looking for more victims?

NathanDavis · Answer

no, I don't support it... but also, I'm not against it

Bricealan · Answer

@simslover92 Yes. It cuts down on recidivism, and we won't have repeat offenders.

Agape93 · Answer

Absolutely for any and all sex offenders, no exceptions.

AngryCarl3 · Answer

Not under the current justice system. Too many innocent people would be executed.

Zionne · Answer

yeah, definitely. without that, country becomes corrupt

loveyouoak · Answer

I don’t support it because I think it’s an outdated form of punishment.

Jerre · Answer

For the same reasons you provided plus “mass murderers”

Bklynbadboy12 · Answer

Yes I do i feel like some crimes are so heinous that the only punishment for it is death

Anonymous · Answer

Yes, for many crimes, including the ones you mentioned.

Iron_Man · Answer

I have a conscious I can’t do that.

dudeinohio · Answer

Yes i do and agree with you.

Jeff51 · Answer

Yes. Kill off all the killers, rapists

Do you support the death penalty? Why or why not?

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