Should the death penalty be illegal in this country?

[Bluzmann57]

I live in a metropolitan area of about 300,000 people and we have our share of dirty freaks. The area I live in spans two states, Iowa and Illinois. Iowa doesn't have the death penalty, Illinois does. Here in Iowa, first degree murder is punishable by life in prison, without parole. To me, thats about the worst way a person could spend a life. No freedom ever. I wish that maybe the worst of the worst would get no privileges whatsoever though. No visitors, no contact at all with the world, solitary for life. Thats worse than death IMO. Anyway, just thought I'd throw that out there.

[LearnedHand]

1. Abolished COMPLETELY!

No exceptions. Just because I FEEL like killing someone who commits a horrible crime doesn't mean we SHOULD do so. I agree that lifetime prison is the proper punishment. We also should change prison sentencing guidelines such that the convicted perp spends a lifetime repaying his or her victims or their families.

[sallyseven]

2. The death penalty gets it over too quick

how aboput life forever in jail. I think that people would like that idea. No parole ever. No freedoms. Let them think about what they did.

[arewethereyet]

4. isn't that cruel and unusual ?

[Frank_Person]

3. Last time I checked humans were imperfect...

and capable of making a mistake. Guilty or not guilty?

[Bluzmann57]

6. Well what I was thinking of was a couple of cases

One was a thing who raped and murdered a SIX year old girl. They found pieces of glass in her head where this thing broke a light bulb and buried in her, and another one was an execution style slaying of the daughter of an acquaintance of mine. Those creatures absolutely shouldn't get privileges while serving their life sentences. They do not deserve it. Guilty all the way.

[Toronto Ron]

5. Compare the countries who do and do nor execute

http://web.amnesty.org/pages/deathpenalty-countries-eng

[billbuckhead]

7. Yes, but I wouldn't lose any elections to today's Republicans over it

It shouldn't be a litmus test. But it sure is a test. Give me a good reason, individually and as a class.

[A HERETIC I AM]

8. Answering violence with violence is barbarism.

If this country wants to continue to execute folks, they should be public, televised events. Once a hundred million or so Americans watch a few guys die, the argument would be over. There is a reason our system no longer does public executions. It is a horrendously barbaric way to mete out justice and in my opinion, the ONLY reason it is still practiced in this country is because of the large percentage of American Christians that cling to the "Eye for an eye" concept of justice, and as a result, think it is religiously justifiable.

The astronomical financial cost of a death penalty sentence is more than the cost of keeping a criminal locked up for life and it doesn't speak very highly of a supposedly civilized nation that we kill even our most unsavory citizens merely because we can.

[MrSlayer]

9. No. I'm for it.

I would like to see it expanded to include pedophiles.

[Silverhair]

10. The problem is that life still isn't LIFE!!!

As the lifer gets old, there will ALWAYS be those who will beg for mercy for the lifer. On of Hitler's inner circle, (I think it was Hess) was given life, and as he got to be old, there were those who petitioned for clemency for him. Only the old Soviet Union stood firm and refused to let him out. He died in prison.

So if the bleeding hearts will cry for mercy for a GENUINE NAZI WAR CRIMINAL, they will definitely cry for mercy for anyone guilty of any lesser crime.

Here in Texas there is a dope dealer who shot and killed a Texas Ranger while being arrested. He was given life. No the always-mercy-for-everybody (Except for the victims of the criminals)are wanting him released. He is damn lucky to be alive. Usually when you shoot a cop in the presence of other cops, you get filled full of holes instantly.

That's the problem with a life sentence - it isn't really a genuine honest to God, stay in prison until you drop dead sentence.

[tobius]

11. Do you wonder which the convicted would choose?

I don't think you would get a majority that agreed with you-"Thats worse than death IMO."

Many spend decades fighting the death penalty for the hope that they could live in prison.