Death Penalty

[Conan71]

Corey Hamilton's execution this week for the Lee's Famous Chicken slayings solved absolutely nothing other than alleviating Hamilton's pain of being confined to a cramped, dimly lit cell 23 hours a day on OSP's death row.  The pain continues for the family's of his victims and will till their own dying day.

I'm a life-long Republican and as you all know, us Republicans are reputed to be pro-life until it comes to what we do with murderers.

As I get older, I fail to see the point in the death penalty.  The death penalty is billed as a deterrent to violent crime.  So far as I know, homicide rates have not gone down since capital punishment was re-instated so that pretty much de-bunks the deterrent theory.  There are many sociopaths on death rows around the country to whom life has no meaning.  So taking their own life is pretty much meaningless.

So far as I know, if a convicted criminal is handed a death sentence, they are also guaranteed legal representation throughout years and years of appeals, all at taxpayer expense if they cannot afford an attorney of their own.

Those handed a life sentence, are not afforded an extensive appeals process at taxpayer expense.  Instead, they must file their own appeals pro-se, if they cannot afford an attorney.

To me, I would think of a life without parole term as basically a sentence in Hell.  All putting criminals to death does is give them the easy way out after 10 to 15 years whilst dragging victim's families through a series of painful appeals and re-trials.  We put our criminals to death with far more compassion than they showed their victims.

There is also no doubt that there have been innocent people put to death.  

I recently read John Grisham's "The Innocent Man" and Dennis Fritz's "Journey Toward Justice".  Both books offer a very good inside look at post-conviction relief and the appeals process.  In Grisham's book, he intimates that the average cost to house inmates in general population in Oklahoma is about $20,000 per year.  

However, most death row inmates with their use of the public defense system and additional security for death row can cost the state well over $1 million by the time they are executed, assuming it takes about 12 to 15 years to put someone to death in Oklahoma.  

I believe the death penalty is an archaic form of punishment which might have been a deterrent back in the days when criminals were hung or shot in public, but that is no longer the case.  I don't consider the need to abolish it to be compassionate toward criminals, quite the contrary.  I believe a life behind bars and losing all freedom as we know it on the outside to be the ultimate punishment.

[rwarn17588]

I agree.

At least 10 percent of Illinois' death-row inmates were exonerated -- before they were put to death, thankfully. That led to the governor doing the only sensible thing -- commuting all the death sentences to life in prison.

I'm no longer confident that the death penalty metes out genuine justice, especially when you have innocent people being executed.

[jamesrage]

I think the scum should be executed.As long as they are alive they present a danger to others around them whether it be guard,another inmate or to other people the rare chance they escape. Corey Hamilton is a rat who should have been executed within a few years after his conviction.When a judge is sentencing these vermin they should consider the victim and the victim's family.

[deinstein]

The Bill of Rights is pretty clear.

Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

[sgrizzle]

While I'd like to say I'm against the death penalty, I don't really like the idea of providing food, water, shelter, medical care, education and cable TV to people like Saddam Hussein or Timothy McVeigh. While many may be exonerated, I'd like to see how many of those were on a technicality, and not because they were actually innocent. Besides, commuting those to life sentences doesn't solve the problem of wrongful conviction.

Texas has the policy of death penalty crimes with multiple credible eye witnesses not being allowed extensive appeals. Pretty much takes care of the wrongful prosecution part. When a crack-addicted prostitute kills an 85yr old man with a lamp and silverware, I'm pretty okay with them being sentenced to death.

Torture is cruel and unusual. Placed in a room full of angry chickens is cruel and unusual. Lethal injection is painless and pretty common.

[jdb]

"Lethal injection is painless and pretty common." - sgrizzle

Yeah, nightly event over here.
jdb

[aoxamaxoa]

All of us were in on the execution....I don't like being forced into participating.

[Ibanez]

Sure the death penatly is a deterrent. He won't be murdering anyone again.

The problem with the death penalty is the crawl at which it is carried out.

As for the prisons being cramped, dimply lit, etc.....when was the last time you were in one. I have a cousin who is a corrections officer and I've seen the inside of some of these places. Hell they are nicer than the dorm room I live in in college. Plus with all the places like Amnesty Intl and the ACLU forcing the prisoners to be made more and more comfortable the prisions are turning more and more hotel like.

It sickens me that criminals in prision have it better than many hard working people.

[aoxamaxoa]

^now that's reducing our topic here significantly.

What do you think of rehabilitation?

How do you define cruel?

Who should be dehumanized for victimless crimes?

Do you believe in a woman's right to choose?

[MH2010]

quote:Originally posted by aoxamaxoa

^now that's reducing our topic here significantly.

What do you think of rehabilitation?

How do you define cruel?

Who should be dehumanized for victimless crimes?

Do you believe in a woman's right to choose?

There are no victimless crimes.

[MichaelC]

quote:Originally posted by wavoka

Sure the death penatly is a deterrent. He won't be murdering anyone again.

By definition, the only way the death penalty could be considered a deterrent is if the homocide rate would be higher without the death penalty.

At best, the death penalty could be described as some form of punishment.  Capital, I'd say.

At worst it is some version of state sanctioned homocide.

[sgrizzle]

Maybe everyone should get a crystal in their hand. When they commit a capital crime, the crystal starts blinking and they are ordered to go to Carousel to "renew."

[MichaelC]

Heck, if we're going to keep up the executions, we might as well start a recycling program.  We can call it Soylent Green, help feed the homeless.

[aoxamaxoa]

quote:Originally posted by MH2010

quote:Originally posted by aoxamaxoa

^now that's reducing our topic here significantly.

What do you think of rehabilitation?

How do you define cruel?

Who should be dehumanized for victimless crimes?

Do you believe in a woman's right to choose?

There are no victimless crimes.

Cliche aside, there are.... just depends how you define the term.

[jamesrage]

quote:Originally posted by deinstein

The Bill of Rights is pretty clear.

Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Considering the fact they were still executing criminals with firing squad,burning at the stake and other forms of execution back during when and after they wrote the 8th amendment lethal injection is not cruel nor is it unusual to execute anyone.