Do You Think Capital Punishment Is Right?

Question by missy121: Do you think capital punishment is right?
Why or why not? And what do you think of the DC sniper being executed in November?

Best answer:

Answer by patchouli4279
If a jury of your peers whom unanimously agree that you are guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt and that your actions are irredeemable in the eyes of society. Then yes, I do support capital punishment.

Answer by Entropy
I have mixed feelings, but on balance, I would prefer to end capital punishment. I definitely think some states should ‘fix’ their system because way to many folks have made it to death row, and been quite close to execution, and found to be innocent. Some say that shows the system is working, but if the system is BARELY working, how many times has it failed when you haven’t noticed?

I am not convinced that the death penalty has much deterrent effect. Liberals love to say the deterrent has been disproven, but those studies contrasted states with vs those without, and there are WAY more policies and cultural differences at work than just capital punishment. I remember reading about a study that instead compared states where the legality of capital punishment changed and comparing the before & after. Still not perfect methodology, but certainly better. My vague memory is that it was more favorable to the death penalty lobby, but I can’t recall specifics.

But that isn’t central to my thinking anyway. Given that I am a libertarian and am distrustful both of government’s motives and competence, I cannot accept giving the government the power to END ME. I am not a conspiratorial person, but DA’s try to withhold exonerating evidence from juries and defense counsels at times. it’s illegal and they can get disbarred for it, but it still happens. When such errors occur, is it not prefereable that Life in Prison was the mistake since it can be undone (at least partly)?

I think the capital punishment advocate would say that you’re trusting the JURY OF YOUR PEERS, not the government. See above re: prosecutors. The fact is that a jury only sees part of the picture and is FAR from infallible even if they are interested in justice. See the juries from the south during Jim Crow when KKK murderers were let off (jury nullification).

So I cannot entrust a flawed government with the ultimate punishment.

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