NationStates Jolt Archive

I always find it ironic when folks call for capital punishment instead of having the prisoner waste public tax money, because what they don't realize is that putting someone on death row allows so many appeals before the sentence is carried out that the tax payers lose thousands upon thousands of dollars in court expenses.

This just came to my mind as the Peterson case verdict recently came out.

I personally think its stupid. Why kill someone off for murdering someone else?
I say get rid of the 8th amendment of the constitution. Cruel and unusual punishment all the way!

Why bother with prison at all? After they've been found guilty give 'em to the family of their victim - that's justice. And it's good for the economy ;)

If murder is such a heinous and despicable crime, why commit exactly the same crime to deal with it?

It's either hypocritical or the govt. are represented by murderers

I've always been wishy-washy on the issue. For me, it depends on its application.

I don't want it as a tool of vengance. That just isn't the society I want to live in.

However, in cases of people like Tim McVeigh or OBL, these guys acheive cult leader status and their continued existence is a threat to the rest of civilization. Even behind bars for the rest of their lives, they can still communicate and be held up as politcal prisoners. As long as they live in captivity, their commrades can commit terrorism ad use it as leverage for their release.

In cases like that appeals have to be limited
like no more than 2 appeals.

I would set up a special court (process)
to handle these cases and if no new
evidence emerges within two years
the sentence is carried out.

In the British Virgin Islands,
if you kill someone someone kills you,
if you stab someone to death someone stabs you to death,
if you shoot someone to death someone shoots you to death,
if you strangle someone to death someone strangles you to death.

They have one of the lowest murder rates around.

I always find it ironic when folks call for capital punishment instead of having the prisoner waste public tax money, because what they don't realize is that putting someone on death row allows so many appeals before the sentence is carried out that the tax payers lose thousands upon thousands of dollars in court expenses.

This just came to my mind as the Peterson case verdict recently came out.
So if we waste millions of dollars to prevent someone from murdering again, you agree we shouldn't do it?

Different situations call for different responses. McVeigh or OBL types might be just given the Gotti treatment. Stick 'em in max locked down 23 hours a day. It saves on appeals and has the same net effect.

A mahone like Petersen? Just give him life without possibility of parole. He'll be out of the limelight in a year or so with none of the occasional Manson like popping up at parole time.

So if we waste millions of dollars to prevent someone from murdering again, you agree we shouldn't do it?

I'm saying why waste the millions of dollars when we could just lock them up in jail forever for less money?

I bet it feels nice to be innocent on the death row. But that's impossible, right? :D

I'm against the death penalty too. It almost seems too good a punishment for murder

In the British Virgin Islands,
if you kill someone someone kills you,
if you stab someone to death someone stabs you to death,
if you shoot someone to death someone shoots you to death,
if you strangle someone to death someone strangles you to death.


But would'nt that set off a chain reaction meaning people would be shooting the person who shot the other guy. Then someone would have to shoot them, and them, and them and so on for infinite?

:mp5: :sniper: :mp5: :sniper: :mp5: ect...

If murder is such a heinous and despicable crime, why commit exactly the same crime to deal with it?

It's either hypocritical or the govt. are represented by murderers
It is not murder to execute a murderer. Maybe that's hard for some people to understand. Think about it like this: if you violate someone's right to live, you lose yours.

It is not murder to execute a murderer. Maybe that's hard for some people to understand. Think about it like this: if you violate someone's right to live, you lose yours.

But isn't capital punishment just another violation of someone's right to live?

I thought we had certain "God-given" rights that cannot be taken away from us by the government.

It is not murder to execute a murderer. Maybe that's hard for some people to understand. Think about it like this: if you violate someone's right to live, you lose yours.

No. No one should ever have the right to live taken away from them.

I'm saying why waste the millions of dollars when we could just lock them up in jail forever for less money?

The original trial is the big expense. After that prisoners can file an appeal. An appeal simply means that a higher court looks at the findings and decides if there were any mistakes made in the proceedings that would indicate a new trial is warrented. If there were no errors the judgement stands and the prisoner can file an appeal to the next higher court. It does not mean they automatically try the case all over. So the appeal expense is relatively minor. Any prisoner can appeal their sentence robbers, rapists or whoever and they reguarly do so.
Even if this person got life in jail most likely he would appeal. So that expense would still exist. If I recall correctly the figures back in the 1980s (Sorry thats the last time I was involved in such things) the cost to house one prisoner was something like $20,000 per year (Probably on the low side and much higher now). If the prisoner is young and stays in jail 50 years that is a million dollars for just one prisoner. So it is cheaper by far to execute.
My problem with the death penalty is that it is not applied fairly. A lot depends on whether the D.A. wants to go after the death penalty, what kind of jury is selected, how much money the accused has, and what guidelines are set by the judge. In my mind if someone commits first degree murder they have forfetted their right to exist. in any case Everyone convicted of first degree murder should receive the same penalty - death. If that is impossible then they all should get life with no parole. But it needs to be applied fairly.