Inspired by habs

[Wickabee]

Which is why as soon as public executions were introduced to society, crime stopped.

[duane1969]

Which is why as soon as public executions were introduced to society, crime stopped.

Never said that.

[ajcorleone]

ENCORE TO THIS

If life sentences were actually life sentences I would have no problem with doing away with the death penalty. Unfortunately, there are too many cases of convicted killers, rapists, drunk drivers, etc. killing again after their release.

[Wickabee]

Never said that.

What does "deterrent" mean to you?

[Star_Cards]

I'm uncertain of my stance on the death penalty. With people having convictions being overturned 10-15 years after their trials it's hard to say that X should be the death penalty. Even outside of the potential that someone who is innocent could be executed I don't think it's something that can be a blanket punishment for a certain crime. I think it would need to be a case by case type of thing. I personally don't think it's much of a deterrent. It may be for some people but I think most people don't kill due to their moral compass and respect for human life rather than fear of being executed for murder.

[duane1969]

What does "deterrent" mean to you?

Discourages but doesn't prevent. I put moth balls in my garden as a deterrent to keep cats from pooping in it, but if they really want to they still will.

[duane1969]

I'm uncertain of my stance on the death penalty. With people having convictions being overturned 10-15 years after their trials it's hard to say that X should be the death penalty. Even outside of the potential that someone who is innocent could be executed I don't think it's something that can be a blanket punishment for a certain crime. I think it would need to be a case by case type of thing. I personally don't think it's much of a deterrent. It may be for some people but I think most people don't kill due to their moral compass and respect for human life rather than fear of being executed for murder.

I don't disagree with your position. There are certainly instances that bear a deeper look. However, if there are blatant circumstances (multiple witnesses, surveillance camera video, smoking gun on the suspect, etc.) then I see no reason to waste millions of tax payer dollars keeping them alive in a jail cell waiting for them to die in 40 or 50 years.

Most of the instances that you hear of these days where someone was on death row and new evidence proved their innocence is from cases prior to DNA testing. I could be wrong, but I can't recall anyone being placed on death row since DNA testing began and DNA evidence was used in their conviction that has since been found innocent.

As for people not fearing execution, I think there is two parts to that. One, they simply do not comprehend what will happen to them. Sort of like a child that places their hand on a burner. No fear is a result of no knowledge. Second, I think that many of these people, if fully knowing that their life will end if they get caught, will experience self-preservation tendencies.

Ultimately, in my mind, if one execution prevents one senseless murder, mission accomplished.

[shrewsbury]

this is none reason I think a prison sentence will do nothing and we need executions. if it deters others great, but the person getting executed will never do a crime again, and that is the point (plus less money spent to keep alive)

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/...old-steady.htm

In one of the most comprehensive reports of its kind, the Pew Center on the States found that slightly more than four in 10 offenders return to prison within three years, a collective rate that has remained largely unchanged in years, despite huge increases in prison spending that now costs states $52 billion annually.

[Star_Cards]

I don't disagree with your position. There are certainly instances that bear a deeper look. However, if there are blatant circumstances (multiple witnesses, surveillance camera video, smoking gun on the suspect, etc.) then I see no reason to waste millions of tax payer dollars keeping them alive in a jail cell waiting for them to die in 40 or 50 years.

Most of the instances that you hear of these days where someone was on death row and new evidence proved their innocence is from cases prior to DNA testing. I could be wrong, but I can't recall anyone being placed on death row since DNA testing began and DNA evidence was used in their conviction that has since been found innocent.

As for people not fearing execution, I think there is two parts to that. One, they simply do not comprehend what will happen to them. Sort of like a child that places their hand on a burner. No fear is a result of no knowledge. Second, I think that many of these people, if fully knowing that their life will end if they get caught, will experience self-preservation tendencies.

Ultimately, in my mind, if one execution prevents one senseless murder, mission accomplished.

yes, the cases that have smoking gun evidence, that takes out the falsely convicted aspect. And I agree that more of those cases where people have convictions overturned are from the past without DNA analysis. That would still leave me with a case by case decision.

I can't really speak to what keeps people from murdering as I've never even contemplated it. I just don't think there are many people who murder who would have stopped had there been more executions before they murdered. I wouldn't say that no one has ever been deterred by execution, but is it a high percentage. I'm not sure. I'd bet that it's low just based off of by reasons I don't murder.

When you talk about murder cases with smoking guns I don't have an issue with the death penalty in cases, but maybe that's just because it's always been an option during my lifetime. If you want to start expanding that to other crimes I'm just not sure. While Rape and molestation are both horrible horrible crimes that effect the victims drastically and for a lifetime I just don't know about making the death penalty an ultimate penalty for those crimes. Surely there are cases where I would deem it okay, but that would be on a case by case things too.

[Wickabee]

Discourages but doesn't prevent. I put moth balls in my garden as a deterrent to keep cats from pooping in it, but if they really want to they still will.

I honestly don't see it even doing that, but that would be getting speculative.

Don't use moth balls. Take used coffee grounds, dry them out, then sprinkle it in your garden. Unused grounds are too acidic, but brewed coffee doesn't hurt your plants. It's natural, being coffee, does add minute amounts of nutrient to the soil (though most everything has been leeched already in brewing, hence the low acidity) and you can put down as much or as little as it takes to work without it looking stupid (brown like dirt).

Haven't seen cat crap in my garden in 2 years.