Death Penalty

[Elskidor]

Death penalty just doesn't bother me, but I would prefer to keep it fast, cheap and painless. If I committed a terrible crime that gave me either life in prison or death, I would so pick death, and skip all those 7, 9 or 11 painfully long years sitting on death row. If I'm sentenced to death then deliver it to me as fast as possible, even within that week. I think the death penalty, if anything, is a short cut for the criminal, but it also saves the tax payer money. Everyone wins. The guillotine seems cheaper and faster than lethal injection, so why not just use that? I'm not trying to be insensitive to the poor soul that is on death row, but I really don't understand the big deal here and I'm a liberal...I guess I just disagree with the tradition anti-death penalty liberal stance on it.

Actually, I've read that (in the US, at least) it costs quite a bit more to execute someone that to keep them locked up for life.

Boru

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Death penalty just doesn't bother me, but I would prefer to keep it fast, cheap and painless. If I committed a terrible crime that gave me either life in prison or death, I would so pick death, and skip all those 7, 9 or 11 painfully long years sitting on death row. If I'm sentenced to death then deliver it to me as fast as possible, even within that week. I think the death penalty, if anything, is a short cut for the criminal, but it also saves the tax payer money. Everyone wins. The guillotine seems cheaper and faster than lethal injection, so why not just use that? I'm not trying to be insensitive to the poor soul that is on death row, but I really don't understand the big deal here and I'm a liberal...I guess I just disagree with the tradition anti-death penalty liberal stance on it.

But suppose for the moment that you have NOT committed that terrible crime - you were deliberately framed, or the cops or witnesses made an honest mistake. Perhaps the jury was tainted, or the judge didn't like you looks. Wouldn't you, as an innocent man, prefer a system wherein significant time is built into an appeals process, to give you a chance to prove your innocence?

Boru

That is true. The steps taken to prove they are guilty need to be concrete and absolutely solid. If there is a shed or possibility of innocence they shouldn't even be on death row. I agree with that.