capital punishment/death punishment (illegal, attorney, activist, Indiana)

[kate angels]

What you think about death punishment ? In the Poland is prohibit and how is in the USA?

[northcountrygirl]

I really don't believe in the death penalty because I believe in "Thou Shalt Not Kill". I do not believe that that kind of punishment is ours to perform. I also know that the legal system is not perfect and when it comes to taking a persons life, you want to be perfectly sure they are guilty. I have heard of person after person who has been found to be not guilty after DNA evidence proved them innocent. Some of those were sitting on death row. I, personaly do not want to be responsible for taking a persons life from them, only to find out later I was wrong.

[shuke]

Texas, the home state of our beloved President Bush, executes lots of people. The deterrent value helps keep crime low in Texas.

[mrdude]

i think it should be abolished simply because there have been occasions when a person was executed and later found to be innocent. if someone is sentenced to life in prison and later found to be innocent, they can be released; that can't happen if they've already been executed.

[mainebrokerman]

if i came home and a strange man was raping my wife or molesting my kids,,id have no problem,,shooting him,
if i came home and found my wife dead, or child dead,,and a strange man in the house, with a knife or gun,,id shoot him,,especially in the act.
if i came home and a strange man was trying to kidnap one of my kids,,,and he had a knife or gun,,if i could shoot him,,i would,,

if i came home and someone was in the house,,,say a burglar,,and he had a gun,,saw me first, pointed it at my head,,,and told me he was going to kill me,,,again,,id kill him if i could,

in all these scenarios,,,if i shot the guy doing this,,,then he wouldnt be raping, kidnapping, my family again, or anyone else's

because i would do this, yes i do believe in the death penalty,,,,

are we too soft on criminals in this country??
a definite yes! how many criminals get out of jail, and then commit another crime,?? how many child molestors, are given a soft sentence,,then repeat the same sick acts??

imagine you come home and some guy is raping your young teenage daughter,,(or abducted her) ,,,then answer the question "do you believe in capital punishment?

[kate angels]

Death too death. Sometime I think that and I tell this my momma and she is reply me : ' but what is will, if your brother cause car accident and who will die?' and I don't know what think abot this.Rapes,robbery,murders,kidnapping.It's horrible. Degenerates must pay a it's crime, but maybe annuity/perpetuity need? I suppose what feel familly victim , but maybe we shouldn't take away anybody life ?

[Mrs.Bewitched]

I believe in an eye for an eye. You raped my child? That would be the last thing you ever did with your p#cker.

Yes, I realize that at time, innocent people might come to harm because "evidence" made them look guilty.

However, I also believe that if we had an eye for an eye policy...there would be less crime...and less killers/rapists on the loose.

The women who drown their children should suffer the same fate. Sorry.

[MB2]

Originally Posted by kate angels

What you think about death punishment ? In the Poland is prohibit and how is in the USA?

I am from Germany, and we don't have the death penalty over there either.
So, the prisons are overfilled, the taxpayers pay...and the inmates live so much better then bums on the street....oh, wait....that's also what it is like here in the USA!!
Some states still have the death penalty, but, only some really enforce it.
I do agree with the death penalty, and the "eye for an eye" theory.
If someone commited a cowardly crime, and is found guilty beyond reasonable doubt....yes, he/ she should be executed!
Why are they allowed to "play" god, take ones life...to live their lifes out in prison, while they victim will never get that chance of living their life?
I also don't believe in that "on deathrow" type time period, because the victims never had "time".....
I also would NOT HESITATE to kill someone forcing entry into my house (burgler etc), or to harm my family or me....... he/ she/ "it", would never, ever get the opportunity to do harm. And, if the person didn't "want to harm", why was he/ she there breaking the law in the first place?
Burglers/ intruders get hurt in someones house, and those scumbags turn around and sue...and WIN!!!!
Well, I'd rather kill, before THAT happends....

Maybe I should move to Texas......

[da jammer]

I believe in the death penalty but oppose it here in the U.S. purely on economical grounds. By the time taxpayers have spent millions on legal fees for those that are condemned they (the bad guys) wind up dying of natural causes, dive head first off the third tier or get beaten to death on the prison playground. Life in a miserable prison environment with crappy food, warm water to drink, Julia Childs reruns on 12" black and white TVs, 24/7 replays of the Rosie O'Donut radio show (all three weeks worth) every day is some punishment that works for me.




...and before you go taking a shot at someone that has illegally entered you home I suggest one look up your particular state laws concerning this scenario. Believe it or not in many states, by law, you are supposed to "retreat or escape" rather than stand your ground and defend yourself and or property. There are some states that have passed versions of what is called a Castle Doctrine or something similar (here in MO it becomes law on August 28th) that allows you under most circumstances to defend yourself anywhere you are lawfully hanging out at. The Castle Doctrine that will go into effect in MO not only provide criminal prosecution protections but covers civil issues as well. DO NOT take it for granted you can legally injure or kill some scumbag that has broken into your home or attempts to rob you out in public....check your state laws on this!

[crashcop]

Originally Posted by mrdude

i think it should be abolished simply because there have been occasions when a person was executed and later found to be innocent. if someone is sentenced to life in prison and later found to be innocent, they can be released; that can't happen if they've already been executed.

Since the advent of DNA testing, there has been no proof of an innocent man/woman being executed in the USA.


No system of justice can produce results which are 100% certain all the time. Mistakes will be made in any system which relies upon human testimony for proof. We should be vigilant to uncover and avoid such mistakes. Our system of justice rightfully demands a higher standard for death penalty cases. However, the risk of making a mistake with the extraordinary due process applied in death penalty cases is very small, and there is no credible evidence to show that any innocent persons have been executed at least since the death penalty was reactivated in 1976. The 100+ death row inmates "innocent", "exonerated" and released, as trumpeted by anti-death penalty activists, is a fraud. The actual number of factually innocent released death row inmates is closer to 40, and in any event should be considered in context of over 7,000 death sentences handed down since 1973. It stands as the most accurate judgment/sentence in any system of justice ever created. The inevitability of a mistake should not serve as grounds to eliminate the death penalty any more than the risk of having a fatal wreck should make automobiles illegal. At the same time, we should never ignore the risks of allowing the inmate to kill again.

Steven D. Stewart
Prosecuting Attorney
Clark County, Indiana
Message from the Prosecuting Attorney