I agree with Hillary. Capital punishment should remain an OPTION for brutal criminals.

[RBInMaine]

I see no need to keep cold blooded murderers around. Imagine YOUR child being murdered. There is true evil in the world. Now, I also think there needs to be serious criminal justice reform, and more than anything we need economic reforms to address the underlying poverty that fuels many of our crime problems. At the same time, outright cold blooded murder in simply inexcusable, and if my own child or loved one was murdered, I would be there to pull the switch myself. I'm not going to be hypocritical about that. At the same time, we need to UP the penalties for white collar crime too in a big way.

I went to school with a guy who was simply vacationing in CA in the 90's. He and a friend were confronted by criminals on the street one night while leaving a restaurant. One was able to run away. The other got thrown to the ground, robbed, and shot in the back of the head. A cold blooded assassination. They finally caught who did it. The investigation showed the ring leader just wanted to "kill someone" that night. They did. I would have them put to sleep forever, but they're sitting in jail. NO excuse for that. NONE !

How about Dahmer? He got killed in jail, but they should have put him to sleep.

[merrily]

1. LOL!

[wundermaus]

2. I too believe there should be capital punishment but...

the taking of a life as a form of justice is in itself unjust.
If we were perfect in our justice, where an innocent person was never executed, then I could agree.
If somebody killed someone that I loved I would want them put to death but...
If someone killed someone I hated then I would not want them to be put to death.
Do we or anybody have the right to selective put to death anyone because of our personal motives, bias, or circumstances? Because it does happen.

Tis better to error in favor of mercy than to act in vengeance and put to death an innocent.
Yes, there are cold blooded killers among us. Maybe the murderer is a result of poverty, or mental illness, or genetics, or a combination there of? Wouldn't it be more just to study and learn how to minimize the factors that contribute to the profile of a murderer? Capital punishment has solved nothing. We have learned nothing. Isn't it time we stopped acting in vengeance and started to learn how to stop murdering each other?

[Recursion]

3. Must disagree there

O'Malley was right to abolish capital punishment in MD, and I hope as President he will do the same nationally.

[Eric J in MN]

4. How about the need to keep innocent people

...who were railroaded around until they can clear their names?

Our criminal justice system allows "jailhouse informant" testimony. After someone is arrested, a prosecutor can get someone who shared his jail cell to testify that he confessed.

[kelliekat44]

5. I agree with the need to keep innocent people off death row but more than that we need to work

to keep innocent people out of jail, PERIOD!!!

[longship]

6. As usual, the Onion comes through.

No more death penalty!

[BlueMTexpat]

7. I am a Hillary supporter,

but I believe that the death penalty should be abolished. I also believe that Hillary's thinking more likely represents the mainstream view - your post is an example - even when I personally disagree. Perhaps someday mainstream thinking will reflect my POV, but today is not that time, IMO, and that time will not occur before 2016, I am most sure. I am glad that the issue is being raised, however.

Yes, some crimes are so heinous and brutal that whoever has committed them may not deserve to live, but I do not believe that is a choice for society to make. There are too many dishonorable agendas and the most vulnerable in society cannot afford the best defenses.

Spending one's life in prison, removed from society with no chance of parole, has got to be worse than simply dying. And death penalty cases are not simple ones. There is a complex and expensive appeals process that can draw out time and resources and clog the court system for years. Besides, there is always the chance - however remote it may seem - than a given individual could be innocent of the crime for which the death penalty was the sentence.

But I also believe that any individual in a situation of life in prison without parole who chooses to die instead of living a life in prison should be assisted to do so as humanely as possible.

IMO, the US should join the civilized world and abolish the death penalty.

[Recursion]

9. What was Gandalf's quote?

"Many who live deserve to die. Some who die deserve life. Can you give it to them?"

I think Governor O'Malley is absolutely right on this: there is not a just, rational, or effective way to deliver the death penalty.

It needs to be abolished, and O'Malley has been a leader on this issue.

[BlueMTexpat]

10. I concur

with both your points.

[Recursion]

11. Glad to hear!

I'm not a believer in magic unicorns: O'Malley could not end the death penalty nationwide. But, he has said it is a priority.

At any rate: I've said frequently that the actual policy differences among the Democratic candidates are minuscule, but this is one of the ones that makes me back O'Malley. Clinton and Sanders are arguing about it, but O'Malley has actually ended it in a fairly populous state.

[left-of-center2012]

8. I agree with Hillary

While I oppose the death penalty in most cases,
primarily because we see more and more convicts being set free who were convicted on bad evidence or faulty DNA,
there are just some times when death is the appropriate penalty.
Mass killings being one example.

[RiverLover]

12. Jeezus, why have 2 parties?

Democrats need to stand firm for something or we stand for nothing.

The death penalty is immoral. It doesn't right a wrong in any circumstance, it only makes us as bad as them.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

13. Are we so fucked up as a nation that retribution,

a biblical eye for an eye should be the law? Hell, why not adopt the whole Ye Olde Testament crap while we are at it?

The vast majority of cases that involve the death penalty also involve:

A. Lying prosecution, or having exculpatory evidence hidden
B. Incompetent defense counsel
C. Fake forensic evidence (see the many FBI lab scandals, the whole hair ID travesty, and more)
D. Bought off "witnesses" who testify because the state is cutting a deal with them for other crimes.
E. Bad or pathetic judges (see texas, Florida, S. Carolina, generally)

In Illinois, when an independent committee reviewed every death row sentence and defendant, they found that the majority there were INNOCENT of the crimes for which they were convicted. The majority! And you want to play a dyslexic dog and demand the blood of someone just because your fee fees were hurt and and know someone who knows someone who got killed? And you want us to swallow the fiction that the prosecution painted in their effort to convict?

What a bloodthirsty, irrational, unthinking, uninformed post.

[99Forever]

14. I guessing if you were wrongly convicted of a capital crime...

...and were facing it yourself, you might have a different view. It happens in our flawed "justice" system far more often than any of us know. That puts our government in the business of murdering innocents. No thanks.

But then, Hillary doesn't place much value on human lives beyond her peer group, so it doesn't surprise me even a little that she takes the authoritarian side of this. Apparently, so do you. It's morally repugnant.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

16. I thought her campaign calls them focus groups.

[Ichingcarpenter]

15. My name is Richard Glossip, a death row inmate who received a last-minute stay of execution,

My name is Richard Glossip, a death row inmate who received a last-minute stay of execution, AMA.

My name is Don Knight and I am Richard Glossip's lawyer. Oklahoma is preparing to execute Richard for a murder he did not commit, based solely on the testimony from the actual, admitted killer.
Earlier this month, I answered your questions in an AMA about Richard's case and today I will be collecting some of your questions for Richard to answer himself.
Because of the constraints involved with communication through the prison system, your questions will unfortunately not be answered immediately. I will be working with Reddit & the mods of r/IAmA to open this thread in advance to gather your questions. Richard will answer a handful of your queries when he is allowed to speak via telephone with Upvoted reporter Gabrielle Canon, who will then be transcribing responses for this AMA and I'll be posting the replies here.


https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/3qmqx5/my_name_is_richard_glossip_a_death_row_inmate_who/

[NCTraveler]

17. I don't. It simply isn't a deterrent.

And I'm not big into state supported punishment. Until we change our thought process to rehabilitation we are fucked in this area. To this point not one candidate running for President is speaking to this nor would what they have discussed with their plans start that transformation. I believe it is the core of who we are as a people.

For the most part, non violent offenders have no need to be locked up.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

19. Especially the pro-lifers.

[RiverLover]

22. Don't you mean the anti-choicers? And what do you even mean here? /nt

[NCTraveler]

26. See my post #25. I am pretty confident that is the point they were making. nt.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

38. same thing, I suppose. I am quite confused why

someone can be anti-abortion, and still strongly support killing an adult, be it wholesale with drones or invasions, or retail, with the death penalty.

Does that even compute?

[RiverLover]

40. Republicans call it pro-life when it is anti-choice.

A human life begins at birth.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

41. and in some cases, I would need a lot of convincing of even that.

[NCTraveler]

25. If I understand you correctly, and I think I do....

There is no greater display that the conservative stance in this area is completely about controlling women. It falls in line with their yearning to decimate the social safety net.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

39. I clicked on the wrong post to respond to, and you got it right.

[bigtree]

18. I think the death penalty is cold-blooded murder

...countless studies have shown it's not an effective deterrent, and our government shouldn't be in the vengeance business.

[eridani]

20. I guess that means that black people tend to be brutal criminals, then

Why else would people on death row be 42% black?

Or could racism be involved somehow? Just sayin'

[Nye Bevan]

21. And if, after "pulling the switch yourself", it turned out that the person was innocent,

how would you feel then? At least someone who has been wrongly imprisoned can be released and paid generous compensation.

[jomin41]

23. Our justice system is too far from perfect to

include the death penalty. No amount of faux outrage can change that.

[Puglover]

24. Of course you do.

I love how you keep using the phrase...."put him to sleep".

[daleanime]

27. Another case where I disagree with Hillary.

[Teagan]

28. Life without parole in a solitary confinement

is worse than death. Legal too. Take a look at SuperMAX in Florence, Colorado.

[Luminous Animal]

44. Which, of course is torture and should never be used and

abolished where it is used.

[portlander23]

29. I get real nervous

When someone in government refers to something the could end in someone's death as an "option" or a "tool" whether it's the death penalty, drones, or government sanctioned torture.

And let's stop saying Mrs. Clinton is "against abolishing the death penalty". She is for and supports the death penalty. No need to soft pedal it.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

30. The death penalty is barbaric and should never be used, ever, for anybody.

Even if the person was convicted of some really terrible crime (e.g., Jeffrey Dahmer). It isn't about the bad guy; it's about what our values are as a society. And it's also about the fact that the legal system is very fallible, and nobody's life should be placed in jeopardy by a system that has so many failures and injustices, especially where the defendant is poor and/or black or Latino.

[Amimnoch]

31. Hillary supporter as well. Disagree with her on this.

The justice system is too flawed, and too many have been put to death through government sponsored assassination, and later found innocent.

As long as there is a chance that even 1 person could be put to death while innocent, or put to death when they had no reasonable idea what they were doing (murder due to side effects of prescription medications, especially for mental disorders have happened), then this form of legal punishment is too barbaric for a civilized society.

Personally, I'd rather focus on curing social and financial inequalities.. a REAL driver and root cause of many outright murders. Focus on curing the disease itself and not just a pill that covers up the symptoms.

[cantbeserious]

32. Then You Are A Cruel Person At Heart - Thank You For Sharing

eom

[Smarmie Doofus]

33. Understandable emotions but strictly superficial when subject to hard analysis.

Where do you... and Mrs. Clinton ....wish to draw the line? Dahmer was mentally ill. ( I don't care what the shrinks say... someone who kills other people and puts them in the fridge for later consumption is mentally ill.)

What about government officials who KNOWINGLY unleash wars of conquest and aggression. (OK...ahem.... so no one on this site is needlessly offended, let's say "the Nuremberg defendants".?) What about people in legislative bodies that give them legal permission to do so? Knowing full well exactly what will happen. Should the death penalty include "acting in concert." If so.... before or after the fact?


Too many complexities and contradictions on this issue. Yeah. I'd like to see some truly evil people burn. But you can't give the gov't this kind of power. It will INEVITABLY abuse it. And make errors. And execute the wrong people. It's happened all through human history and including our own very recent USA history. And Clinton is fully aware of this.

Sounds like Clinton's found an issue she can profitably demagogue. ( What a shock! She's never done THAT before.)


>>>There is true evil in the world>>>>>
Whoa. You got THIS part right.

[bullwinkle428]

34. Sorry - can't go along with this.

[drray23]

35. this is because

you view the death penalty as a mean to get revenge. It is just as effective to jail somebody as far as removing them from society is concerned.

We had too many cases of suppositely brutal murderers who later turned out not guilty.

[ibegurpard]

36. And what about DNA evidence that has exonerated

People on death row? Are you asking me to believe that corrupt prosecutors desperate for a win haven't put innocent people in harm's way? Sorry. I'm willing to accept the possibility of someone guilty walking if it means we aren't taking chances on executing innocent people. It has nothing to do with what perps deserve or not.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

37. Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster.

Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you. Friedrich Nietzsche

[IVoteDFL]

42. What if my child murdered someone?

I don't have kids, nor do I plan to, but since we are imagining things who is it to say my child doesn't commit a heinous crime? I'm sure a lot of the parents of murderers didn't think that could happen to them. It could really go either way.

I don't believe in the death penalty in any circumstances. The government shouldn't be in charge of who lives and dies. It's not humane. Not for anyone, not even the worst murderer.

[frylock]

43. Should it remain an OPTION for the wrongfully convicted as well?

[in_cog_ni_to]

45. BARBARISM! It's sick! There's no place for it in a CIVILIZED society. n/t

[cherokeeprogressive]

46. Not only no, but FUCK NO.

As IF there weren't enough reasons not to vote for Hillary Clinton... this might be the biggest one of all.

Predict she'll change her tune on this. More likely that some campaign minder will "clarify" her position away from EVER supporting the DP.

[UglyGreed]

47. Murdering murderers

good example to set. We should chop off the hands of shoplifters also, that will teach them real good

[aidbo]

48. Said it once, I'll say it again.

The death penalty is fiscally stupid, and when one considers that..

..our justice system is far from perfect, and systemically racist, no moral citizen should want their government killing possibly innocent people in their name.

[BootinUp]

49. While I am personally against the death penalty (evolved over time)

The President is supposed to represent the country. And I do not believe (someone correct me if I am wrong) that the country has yet reached the same evolution that most of us have.