@KTC: Good point, but if the system worked efficiently then the death sentence would be far cheaper than a sentence in prison.

@ipink: true, but since it doesn't, its quite expensive (understatement) to sentence someone to death.

I don't want to live in a country where the death sentence is that easy to pass. I don't have much faith in the vast majority of people who are called to jury duty and I *certainly* don't have much faith in lawyers.

The death penalty isn't saved for the worst crimes, but for defendants with the worst attorneys. It doesn't apply to people with money either - When was the last time a wealthy person born with a silver spoon in his mouth put on death row, let alone executed?

Yeah, like OJ should have been. Oh well, at least hes back in jail and off the streets I guess for robbing that bank.

And OJ is...?

orange juice :3

lol. Very funny :/. I mean seriously, who’s OJ?

Deserving death... Hmmm.... Well, to answer that you would have to have a definition of 'murder'. I see murder as when someone wilfully takes the life of another human being without the intent of sparing him/her pain as the result (example: doctor pulling the plug on a terminal patient). However, I also don't see it as murder if the person being killed asked the other to do it. Assisted suicide may hurt many other people, but if the person truly wanted to end his/her life, then I think they would have done it anyway, with or without any one else's help.

I thought the reason for incarceration is not only punishment, but to keep them from the general population as well. Hypothetical situation: Someone murders someone else, and gets caught and sent to jail (not to death). He escapes, murders again, and is caught again. Now, lets say this happens a few times, so what to do? To send him back to prison, only to escape again, wouldn't work. So the only thing left is the death penalty.

I'm not saying I condone it, just that sometimes it's the only way to avoid the death of others.

@ lovinlife: O J Simpson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._J._Simpson

@goldgall: Mercy killing doesn't really fall into the murder category.

I don't think anyone actually deserves to die, life is sacred, but some deserve it more than others.

@playpink

Your statement doesn't make sense. First you say people don't deserve to die, that life is scared, but then you say some people deserve to die. So which is it?

I think she (hopefully it is she, I always make mistakes)is trying to say is that everyone deserves to live but some deserve that right more. Though the statement does contradict it self. Why do you think some people deserve it more?

Because taking evil lives preserves others

I think playpink whats to say life is sacred, not scared

My thoughts echo Connie's earlier post...I don't think I can judge whether anyone deserves to die or not.

If I happened to be an omnipresent being that could look into people's minds to understand what their true intent is/was, (are they true evil?) perhaps I could pass judgment, however I obviously can't do that. I can't really understand intent nor implication and how would I be all that different from a murderer to begin with by deciding someone's life/death? Just because I think my intent is in good faith? And that doesn't even begin to touch upon the amount of times it has turned out an innocent has actually been given the death penalty after a wrongful conviction (even once is too many).

Uhhhh what? In that case, who are we to decide ANYTHING? Any punishment for anybody? Locking them in a cell for life is still interfering with THEIR lives just because you think your intent is in good faith.

The death penalty has been given to innocent people a little over 100 times. However, people out on parole have murdered again more than 1000 times.

@kipani This is my personal opinion, however I feel that the ultimate decision is life vs. death, and that we aren't qualified to decide whether a person lives or dies. My statement is not black and white-because I feel that I can't judge whether someone's life is taken away, does not mean that I don't think we can't judge punishments on anything or anyone. Judgments where we can't change the results, or at least compensate for them should we be proven wrong at a later date are in my eyes too extreme. If I judge someone should die and later find out evidence to prove that I was mistaken it's not like I can bring them back to life. However we could release someone from jail or compensate for the time lost.

Quote: The death penalty has been given to innocent people a little over 100 times. However, people out on parole have murdered again more than 1000 times.

That is 100 people too many that have lost their lives by mistake. The fact that people on parole have murdered more than 1000 times is irrelevant. It does not make it right that 100 innocent people were killed through the wrong judgment of others. Had they instead been given a life sentence the wrong judgments could have been altered. People out on parole who have murdered is a whole other mistake altogether. Clearly they should not have been given parole.

Eh Im not okay with paying for a killers meals, tv, exercise machines, props for outdoor games etc and basically just grounding them for being bad. If you dont want to kill em, fine. But why should I have to pay out of my pocket for a murderers food & CONVENIENCES? And another thing - THEY passed judgement on someones life. We cant? Lastly the countries with the harshest laws have made enough examples of what happens to killers its made would be killers think twice thus preventing future murders THEREFORE saving far many MORE lives than those who were wrongly executed.