Although I think capital punishment is no longer appropriate or necessary nor does it serve as a deterent, I do think that prisoners serving life sentences for capital offenses should serve their time in hard labor camps in North Korea or China. It would be much, much cheaper for us to contract with these countries to take over the care and housing of our worst case offenders.

I don't believe in "an eye for an eye". If someone I loved was killed I would probably initially want them to die, but if they did I would regret it and be no better than the person I hated.

I can see no valid argument for it personally. Sure, there are some criminals out there who deserve it more than most, but that still does not make it right. To take any life, by whatever means and for whatever reason is "murder" in my eyes. How is the judge (who passes the death sentence), or the executioner (who carries it out) any better than the criminals themselves? It is a heinous and barbaric act, life in prison is sufficient enough punishment.

Only if you catch the person doing it (in the act) what can i say.... there are alot of people sitting in prison or death who did not do the crime .... sooooo .....

I feel that as long as it is totally obvious that the convict is guilty, then they deserve punishment (in the cases of rapists/molesters/murderers). I think that they should receive punishment similar to the crimes they committed (ex. Manny makes Vinny sleep with the fishes, Manny should be punished by drowning or an imitation of it, such as waterboarding- that's right, I'm for that too)

Uh ya? Why the hell should we give criminals a nice cushy cell with food. GOd we are fucking rewarding criminals not punishing them.

Obviously texas is over enforcing the law
wonder how much of this is all about money?

In the state of Georgia, we have the death penalty.
Six years ago my fiance was murdered. He was badly beaten and then stabbed forty times. I was crushed...and pissed. I began to fantasize what I would do if I ever found the bastard who did this. The death penalty never crossed my mind, but I did dream of beating the dude with baseball bats, locking him in jail surrounded by pictures of Hernando, (my fiance), shooting him in the knees, and other acts of random violence. Then one day, it hit me; nothing I did would ever bring 'Nando back. He was dead, and always will be. That realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I mean it completely deflated me. I felt empty. My thunder had been stolen. I still hope they find the son of a bitch, but at this point it is highly unlikely. If nothing else, they need to get a very violent criminal off the street. I hope he does not ever kill again. I hope that they find him and lock him up forever, where he can suffer and rot inside a 6X6 cage all his life, and then he can rot in hell. Hanging is too good for the son of a bitch.
Here in Georgia, we have the dealth penalty. Here in Georgia there were 44,823 cases of violent crime in 2007. It obviously did not work as crime prevention.

In states where you have the death penalty, we have not seen a dramatic decrease in violent crime. In fact some of the most dangerous cities in America (Houston, L.A. etc) are from states that have the death penalty. So I have to assume that its not an effective deterant.
The only reason that I hear in favor of capitol punishment is that "Those folks deserved to die." Maybe so, but what do we hope to accompish from this. Revenge? Hanging is too good for some people. 'In death comes sweet relief' the old saying goes. If we are out for revenge, let them rot in jail or in solitary confinement. If the purpose of Capitol Punishment is not revenge, then again, what is our goal? Killing someone teaches them nothing, and the stats prove that it is not a deterrent. So What is the Goal? As one reviewer pointed out, innocent people have been killed. Our system is not perfect and mistakes have been made. I do not believe the ends justify the means in this regard.

I see many, many valid arguments for capital punishment, but to me the risk of ending innocent lives is too great to justify it. Our judicial system is too imperfect.

I love my Texas

I'm not gonna lie, some people deserve to die. but there are also many who deserve life.

Some people may deserve the death penalty but there has to be 100% certianty that they are guilty.

I don't know how i feel on this one........ if a person, such as a serial killer, is sentenced to death....... Because they took the lives of others, they should be put to death, why should the tax payers have to pay for them to be kept........ but its an iffy subject... there have been a couple cases where an innocent person was executed....... so I sit on the fence

100% yes!! Too many cold blooded murderers are given a pass. Only for extreme hainous crimes tho. I have no sympathy for people that take inocent lives. Call me crazy.

Oh my, these are giving me a lot of writing opportunities. This is another issue that I am conflicted on. Since I am pro-life, I do kinda consider this to be part of that issue.

The problem is, sometimes innocent people die because of capital punishment. Also, I feel like two wrongs don't make a right, therefore, execution really doesn't solve anything.

The only way I can look at it is, if someone killed someone I loved, the first thing I'd think is, I want them dead. But if I thought it through rationally, I'd be like, "will that bring them back?", "will that really make me feel better?". The answer is no, actually, I'd prefer to see the person get life imprisonment without the chance of parole, and let them suffer. It kinda seems like killing them is giving them the easy way out, but knowing they are sitting in prison forever, until God says it's their time to die, just seems like much more justice to me, that way I'd know that they would suffer punishment on earth, and then God would punish them for their acts. Like I said before, I'm not really a religious person, but I do believe in an afterlife and in God, therefore, to me, living behind bars for half a lifetime would make me feel better.

So again, on this issue I guess I am not necessarily for making it illegal, but I'm also not a hardcore capital punishment person. Actually, my rating for this is consistent with my stance on abortion, which is something that is actually pretty rare for a pro-lifer, from what I've seen.

It really depends for me....But I sit on the side of favor more than opposistion.

I don't think capital punishment is just. I think it's an easy way out for criminals. Some even committ crimes, expecting capital punishment. I think serving time, is an extended punishment.

Wow I can't believe some of these reviews. From my point of view this should not be legal. No matter how evil someone may be. I could never sit on a death penalty case,I think having a person who has been convicted of a crime sit in prison the rest of his life. This is a very tough issue there are no easy answers,but as for me I'm totally against it.

1)  The death penalty encourages murder. Many homicidal individuals are also suicidal and depend on execution to save them from life in a prison cell.

2) We know a percentage of those executed will later be found to have been innocent of the crime they were killed for. Therefore, if we support capital punishment, we also support the murder of innocents.

rapists and murders should die, the only people that don't think so are the people that hasnt had it happen to them

There are certain acts someone can commit where they have given up their right to be treated like a human being. I am definitely in favor of capital punishment.

depends on the situation....

A totally barbaric practice that has nothing to do with justice, but is in place to placate the cranage-loving revenge crowd, those mentally deranged a-wipes. It's sick that the U.S. is the only major developed Western nation that allows the state to murder its citizens for the questionable sake of protecting society-at-large. To begin with, it is cruel and unusual punishment, so, it's unconstitional, and thereby illegal, yet, that hasn't dissuaded institutional murders like Handjob Bush from throwing the switch, with relish. Secondly, any political state that has the power to execute its citizens for any reason whatsoever is a state with too much power. Thirdly, capital punishment has been shown to not only have no deterrent effect on crime, but actually sends out the negative message that extreme violence is justifiable. The deranged illogic that is promoted by this practice is: If the state reserves the right to murder its citizens, then, those citizens, being entities of the state, should have no compunction with killing each other. It's a downward spiral of negative reinforcement. The answer to violence shouldn't be more violence with the governmental seal of approval attached. Finally, advances in DNA technology have lead to many murder convictions, and death sentences, being overturned due to the fact that the authorities, in oink oink and prosecutorial overzealousness and misconduct, got the wrong man. The state of Illinois placed a moratorium on executions when it was found that several condemned men were actually innocent. The same thing held true in Florida. If capital punishment cannot be applied with the absolute certainty of guilt on the part of the condemned, first time and every time, then the practice isn't worth a sh*t.

  I'm absolutely certain that the recidivism rate for instances of child sexual abuse, for example, far exceeds my capacity to give a sweet flyin' fig of compassion or ounce of human kindness to the perpetrator.  I say fry 'em, poke 'em with a needle, hang 'em, or if you don't believe in the state being involved, hand him over to the victim's family. 

I think it's nonsense that people view jail as a place to re-educate/reform when we all know it's a breeding house for more violence and future crimes.  Prisoners don't sit in jail wringing their hands and looking about saying, "Gee, I have given it some thought and I really did a bad thing".  You don't give a murder, abuser a social time out by telling him to sit on a cot and not come out until he apologizes. 

The only gps monitoring device that would work is one that would bring the criminal to his knees should he venture anywhere near the perimeter of his holding pen.   Probation/Parole/Police services are overwhelmed as it is.   Who's going to monitor these people out on the streets and then garauntee response times to address breaches?  

I saw a movie once where a prisoner had a collar around his neck and if he tried to escape his head would explode.  I suppose that would take the issue of the state being responsible for the prisoner's death and put it back in the criminal's hands. Hmm.

You know, I'm going to start a business that matches up convicts with the bleeding heart liberal minded folk and we can move a couple of gang-banger/baby killer/rapists into their homes with ankle bracelets.  I'll be sure to put the criminals in the homes of people who don't believe in another person's right to own guns to protect themselves.

Protect the rights of the innocent over those of the criminal.  Governments are and have always been in the business of death as have humans, hence all the wars we've fought over the ages.  We need to get over this issue that somehow we are more civilized with greatly refined sensibilities than our earthly predecessors. 

Sure, it'd be nice if we could strive to be better, but we have some defective people in the heard.  Don't expect these people to mirror your own feelings, compassion, belief in human kindness and goodness.  We're talking about glassy-eyed, heartless, emotionless, self-indulgent sociopathic predators who gain emotional and physical gratification at having their needs met at the expense of others. 

Long winded, sorry :)

We can't return a person's life if we screw up, and we're not perfect. Mortal human beings have no business imparting such an absolute punishment, as there cannot be absolute certainty.

We don't use it often enough.

  Although I firmly believe many crimes deserve death or worse, I disagree with State sanctioned executions of any kind. Now for probably many of you this deserves explanation, the State should be above the criminal element, and State sanctioned executions brings down the State to the same ethical level as the criminal it's killing. Now if somebody raped, mutilated, or commited other horrific acts on someone I knew and loved I wouldn't bat an eye about killing them myself or hiring somebody to do it for me. However if caught I would be expect to be punished to the full extent of the law.

I agree that it should be a state by state choice, but I also feel that a nation that endorses barbarous means, becomes itself barbarous.

Its a tricky argument, and not a comfortable one. 

I'm unsure about this right now

Murders, rapists, and pedaphiles do not have the right to life.

PEDOPHILES AND RAPISTS SHOULD GET ZAPPED STRAIGHT TO HELL.

If you murder or rape, I say "death".

i don't know...I really don't

I am a firm believer in capital punishment, however I do think that there are some fundamental flaws in its application. I think we need to look at changing some things especially the appeals process

you bet....if there is undeniable evidence against someone then fry their butts......in fact, I think they should die in the manor that their victims did.

Their are people out there that do some pretty violent acts and a life in prison is no way to punish someone. I think that is capital punishment, if it was me I would rather die.

The entire Bush Administration needs to be publicly executed!

some people do bad things like taking lives for no reason, and i think if you kill someone you should be able to sit in jail and think about what they did, and how many people they have effected.

KILL! KILL!

What is it now, recreational?

There are things in life far far worse than death...

Why should we pay good money tokeep them educated and doing better than alot of good honest people. They don't deserve to be treatedso well. They should be sentenced todie the same way they killed

Depends on each circumstance

Only because the appeals process involved cost FAR more then life in prison

states rights.. states rights.. let them choose individually..

for child rapist, serial killers, etc. If you don't know or care of the difference between right or wrong you have no place in iour society.

Depends on what you did

Only if the victims and/or the victims' families have the final say so and not the state and as long as they know that the person they're convicting is really guilty. Without a shadow of doubt. Too many have died off death row who weren't guilty.

do the crime, pay the price