The Death Penalty - are you for or against it and why?

[Anymouse]

I agree with SummerQueen..

Why should we keep murderers alive at the expense of society and our hard earned tax $$$

This is my thinking

Because the death penalty is so irreversible, the system is (generally) designed to ensure that the convicted have all possible avenues for appeal/presentation of new evidence. It costs far more to keep someone on death row than simply to sentence them to jail, as the government (usually) is keen on not denying that basic right which trumps all rights: the right to life.

And since governments (including the USA's) are notorious for killing the wrong person, that causes two problems: A) they killed the wrong person and close the case B) the real criminal is still free and now not being sought.

Any government which claims the right to kill its citizens in the name of any "cause" is no longer a humanist government, and if taken over by religious or political zealots can use that death penalty in the name of religion or politics.