Thread: capital punishment

A 2003 legislative audit in Kansas found that the estimated cost of a death penalty case was 70% more than the cost of a comparable non-death penalty case. Death penalty case costs were counted through to execution (median cost $1.26 million). Non-death penalty case costs were counted through to the end of incarceration (median cost $740,000).

I would imagine they would cost more. There are a great many appeals that are automatically heard in a death penalty case. More time in court means a higher cost.

Does capital punishment really work?

Under the current system? No. There has been to much 'politicking' of the death penalty issue. To many proponents and opponents getting in the way fo the system. On paper, it's a pretty easy process. You get your case, if your found guilty you get an automatic appeal (sometimes more then one). It can take decades for a case to make it through the court system. If cases could be processed faster and the punishment administered in a more timley manner, we might see more 'desired' results then we do now.

Anyway, here's an interesting article on lethal injection from "How Stuff Works". It takes a good look at the whole process. Definatly worth reading.

Howstuffworks "How Lethal Injection Works"

Yeah, I'd have to agree that if the time between conviction and execution were sped up, it might create a more desired effect. Of course, then it'd be argued that there's no time for the convicted to prove their innocence.

I think that if the death penalty were allowed in Canada, it should only be for cases where the convicted are proven guilty 100%, where there is no doubt that they were involved. Like, if you're caught standing by a dead body with a knife in your hand.....chances are you did it. I think hard evidence in serious crimes should allow for the death penalty, depending on the severity of the crime.

To give an example of how stupid our system is up here, there was an member of the Saskatchewan legislature who hired hitmen to kill his wife....he got duped by the hitmen then decided to do the job himself, so he beat his wife, then shot her in the head in their garage.

He was convicted of first-degree murder, with no chance of parole of 25 years. Apparently the RCMP botched the job, and they could have nailed him with more evidence, but they still managed to get the first degree murder conviction.

Originally he was sent to jail in Saskatchewan, but he complained about the conditions there, so the government had him shipped over to BC, which cost taxpayers a pretty penny.

Then, not too long ago, he actually had the government PAY to ship his horses that he owned over to BC, so that he could ride them while out on his recreation breaks, and the government complied. That cost the taxpayers even more money.

I mean...you have to stop and think....why is the government allowing him all this leeway, when he was convicted of first degree murder?? Like....lock him in a dank cell for 25 years and leave him there. We shouldn't have to pay for his horses or any of that.....he shouldn't be allowed access to any of that.

Getting the Death Penalty is not an easy thing here. Assuming the prosicuter can even pursue it, he has a greater responsibility to prove the defendant did it. He MUST have a rock solid case to get the conviction for death. Once the conviction is given, the defendant AUTOMATICLY is given an appeal so the case can be reviewed on a number of grounds.

The founding fathers were very werry of government wrongfully imprisoning/excuting people. There are a number of safeguards in the death penatly system. Here's what a prosicutor must be able to do in the states to get a death sentence convition.

1. Must prove beyond any reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crime. This standard is more diffucult to prove for a death penalty case then a life in prison case. He's effectivley made is case harder but feels there is enough evidence to get the conviction.

2. A jury of 12 people must find the defendant guilty, and then agree that death is an appropriate punishment.

3. There is an automatic appeal for the case. The appeal looks not only at the evidence again, but also at the proecedues of the case. If any inproprities are found there is usually a new trial.

4. Depending on the state, lawyers can keep appealing a case over and over and over again unitl the state finally says enough is enough. Considering taht each appeal can take 2-4 years, you can see how someone can end up on death row for decades.

The point is, we just don't casualy exicute someone. There is a lot that goes into it. But they have been finding that some inmates are innocent and exhonorate them. I'm not sure what the percentages are though. I havn't been able to find any online.

I used to work as a correctional officer and i am for the death penalty all they do is sit around and do nothing not even think about what they have done to be put there behind bars

I would hate the death penalty coz it takes your life away more quicker.sure if u were imprisioned for life,its more boring but u still live and have the chance 2 repent from your life of crimes.

Originally Posted by JefferyXie

I would hate the death penalty coz it takes your life away more quicker.sure if u were imprisioned for life,its more boring but u still live and have the chance 2 repent from your life of crimes.

The fact that you are losing your life is the point. The crime you commited was so horrible that you are pretty much deemed unworthy of re-intering society.

Repentance is between you and God. Death Row will not get in the way of that. If you truly have repented of those crimes that landed you there, then you will have no fear of death when that time comes. But part of repentance is accepting the consiquences of your sin. If one of those conciquences is death then you will fully accept it as part of your repentance process.

Well, I was avoiding this thread because I just came from a forum with alot of vindictive people on it discussing the same topic. This seems to have been a rather civil discussion however.

I am for the death penalty myself and Barronmore has covered most of the points. The only thing left to say is that it is not about mercy, it is not about vengance, it is about justice and protecting the civil society from others. I do not believe in 'cruel and unusual' punishment and in my opinion maximun security prisons have become just that by the very presence of the prisoners incarcerated there. We have an entirely new set of words to describe the experience from 'prison bitch' to 'prison bait' to other ones not fit for company. If they are that dangerous they should be executed for both societies sake and their own/other prisoners.

Of course I also believe that minimum security prisons should return to being work camps where they support their own living.

Originally Posted by silverskater145

The United States is the only civilized country in the world that has established capital punishment of some kind. The United States is also the nation with the most murders in the world, and it has nothing to do with the population size. Think about that. Does capital punishment really work?

Correct me if I'm wrong, as I'm sure someone like Len just might do. I have not proof-checked my info, I'll give you guys that much.

Two points.

Define civilized. And here's your link to the countries that do and do not have capitol punishment. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0777460.html

Second. There is a direct corelation between population density and violent crime. I can't find it ( ) but there is a chart that shows that and actually correlates homicide with population. It's very illuminating and once you take 'suicides' into account shows very little differnce in the rates between the US and Japan (one of the 'safest' countries).