"Death" is a terrifying word. It's a topic we don't like thinking about or discussing. It's an issue that encompasses many others -- religion, justice, science and technology. It's an easy way to bring a cloud to a conversation, yet here at Virginia Tech it seems we have encountered it far too often.
The Virginia Senate has approved legislation that will expand capital punishment. If the bill makes it through the House of Delegates and Gov. Tim Kaine, the death penalty could be used for murder accomplices who don't do the actual killing.
The death penalty has been a controversial issue for years, but particularly in our own state. The United States is one of the few industrialized western nations that still employ a death penalty, but 14 states have outlawed it in their own constitutions.
However, capital punishment is strongest in the South, and Virginia has executed more inmates than any other state except Texas since 1976. Now it appears we are looking to increase that number.
Violent crimes have turned into something citizens in our community have become more aware of in the past few years, with obvious examples of April 16 and the recent loss of fellow student Xin Yang. The question is, what is the appropriate reaction to those who have committed serious crimes like these?
On one side there is the "eye for an eye" opinion. If someone takes a life, his or her own life should be taken. Some families of victims have this reaction because they need closure; they need someone to pay for their loss. Other family members, such as a man who lost a daughter in the Oklahoma City bombings, said watching McVeigh die wouldn't bring her back or end his grief. Does the death penalty make everything better, bring things back to even, or just stir up more hate?
Another question to ask American citizens is how much faith we have in our judicial system. Since 1973, more than 120 people have been released from death row after having their innocence proven -- this is after being sentenced to death.
Nobody could ever know how many people have been wrongly executed. The number of course can't be too large with improved DNA testing and better evidence, but the court system can't be perfect. In a ruling of life and death, it begins to matter a lot more.
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WWJD? probably biased against the death penalty.
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Probably biased ???? Nope, biased! All you have to do is look at the one statement "Since 1973, more than 120 people have been released from death row after having their innocence proven -- this is after being sentenced to death." which is not true to begin with. This is an inflated figure which includes being released from death row for a variety of reasons. Better luck in a career not involving accuracy in media.
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don't we do it because we'd spend too much keeping them in the current prison system?
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Actually it costs more money to execute.
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The death penalty saves the state taxpayers from paying for the imprisonment of criminals for life. There is an easy way to fix the budget. The real punishment for all criminals sentenced to more than one year should be to sit in a room and be given books, pen and paper, bread and water...and that's it. Money saved...
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Not true... California taxpayers pay almost $114 Million a year, thats much more than what they would be paying than if the criminals were sentenced to life without parole.
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THat is actually un-true,it costs more to put someone trough the death penalty then to keep them in jail for the rest of their life. do some research dude.
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This is not true. It costs more to execute prisoners, believe it or not.
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The author mentions that there are "issues surrounding juveniles and women." The inference is that women shouldn't be sentenced to execution according to the same standards as men. Yikes. Whether you agree with the death penalty or not, all adults should be subject to the same sentencing guidelines, unless there are extenuating circumstances.
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Michelle, fact checking is important and you should do it next time. The 120 innocents removed from death row is a scam. Possibly 25 innocents have been removed from death row. Innocents are at more risk without the death penalty. Virtually all of the evidence is that murders fear the death penalty more than life, by about 99 to 1. Why don't you read the Duke cost study? In reality (read the Executive Summary) the difference in cost between a murder conviction with a "life" sentence and a death sentence is $163,000. See also paragraph 9 Summing up, page 2.(1) But in the study, a life sentence is only 20 years. You need to add 20-30 years -- or $500,000 - $750,000/prisoner -- to get a real life sentence. The authors also concede leaving out geriatric care, recently found to be $69,000/yr/prisoner. Therefore, life is much more expensive than death. Why don't you fact check Helen Prejean's Death Of Innocents? Start here: Book Review: "Sister Prejean's Lack of Credibility: Review of "The Death of Innocents", by Thomas M. McKenna (New Oxford Review, 12/05). http://www.newoxfordreview.org/reviews.jsp?did=1205-mckenna If you want more details, contact me and I will be happy to supply the, You have my email.
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Michelle , we don't kill people to show that killing people is wrong Even with no sanction, most folks know that committing murder is wrong. The moral confusion exists because some accept the amoral or immoral position that all killing is equal. For those, like some anti death penalty folks, who believe all killing is morally equivalent, they would equate the slaughter of 6 million innocent Jews and 6-7 million additional innocents with the execution of those guilty murderers committing that slaughter. They would also equate the rape and murder of children with the execution of the rapist/murderer. This is what the anti death penalty folks do, morally equate killing (murder) with the punishment for that murder, another killing (execution). For such anti death penalty folks to be consistent, they must also equate holding people against their will (illegal kidnapping) with the sanction for it, the holding people against their will (legal incarceration) or the taking money away from people (illegal robbery) with a sanction for that, taking money away from people (legal restitution). Some anti death penalty folks are either incapable of knowing the moral differences between crime and punishment, guilty criminals and their innocent victims, or they are knowingly using a dishonest slogan by equating killing (murder) with killing (execution).
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Presenting, "How to save money in justice system." Say goodbye to ridiculously expensive prisons and say hello to Army style barracks of WWII era. Build them in the middle of nowhere. Put up big fences. Pay the guards exceptionally well since we save billions in prison building costs. Dedicate some of our vast lands for farming. Prisoners should be working alllllll day. Growing their own food (given back in all possible ways). They would be too tired at night to fight and cause problems, thereby making prisons safer for everyone. Say goodbye to TV, and other luxuries. For gang members (or others) where it is necessary there should be not outside contact. We KNOW they run prisons and continue to run their gang and order killings and such violence from inside. If I am in charge and that is case, bye bye family and friends calls and letters. There are tons of things we COULD do, but don't in today's politically correct and awesome world. If our society could recapture even 10% of the tremendous waste (loss of work, property, etc on victims end, cost to society to keep bas*ards in jail) in current system we would probably have universal healthcare. But don't expect Dems or really anyone else to look at these issues. Society in USA is too far gone to think critically and make wise decisions when it comes to crime and punishment.
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you just described Schindler's List
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This article completely dismisses the fact that many of these capital murderers represent a danger to themselves and other persons for the rest of their lives. Allowing murderers to live, even if they are incarcerated often comes at great risk. Judicial executions are not to be compared with "stooping". Stooping is what you do when you insinuate proven premeditated and aggravated murderers are actually innocent or present the fictions of Sister Prejean as if they were fact.
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I guess one significant difference is we wouldn't starve or kill the prisoners. Nor would they be in prison for being of a certain religion, race, etc, it would be because of crimes against others.
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Personally... I am against the death penalty. If the criminals were sentenced to life without parole the tax payers of America would save much more money. Not only that, but in my eyes the judges and such who are sentencing these men/women to death are practically playing God. I think they should just rot in prison for what they done. And yes, sometimes innocent lives are killed... but the family of the innocents are payed a large sum of money.
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i am all for the death penalty. There has been crimes in prisons such as murders of prison gaurds why keep them alive they did a horrible thing. I say a life for a life
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no,who are we to decided how someone dies and the reason they should die?.oh c'mon.ur not even the judge or should i say,even the lord god.hha
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if you say a life for a life , how would you say if he commit a rape?????will you say a rape for a rape????haha
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if you say a life for a life , how would you say if he commit a rape?????will you say a rape for a rape????haha
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