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QotD: Capital Punishment

Question: Do you believe in capital punishment?

My Answer: I used to, but then I read some statistics: it costs more to kill someone in our government than it does to lock them away for life. I don't mean one of those "life with a chance for parole in two years" either - I mean one of those "twenty-seven life sentences" sentences. So, just let 'em rot in prison. Neither seem to deter crime, but one of them costs me a whole lot less. I choose that one.

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.

5 Responses to "QotD: Capital Punishment"

  1. Don't forget the chance that they could be wrongly accused. Personally I'd hate to have the guilt of ending an innocent persons life. That's something you can't take back. Freeing someone from prison and giving them (well deserved if they were wrongly accused) money is something that can be done to make ammends.

    Apparently the US is the only first world nation that has the death penalty. That's scary. Americans are the only "modern" country that kills their own people. Lets think about this for a bit.

    I say let the bad, horrible, guilty ones rot as well.

  2. No. I actually bought into GE's whole 6 Sigma thing when I worked there. If they can't produce lightbulbs with fewer than 3 defects per million there's no way in hell our 'justice' system can assure me that they don't kill innocent people.

    The US fascination with retribution, vengence and punishment is deeply disturbing to me. To a very minor extent I can understand the desire to punish, but punishment without reform is worthless. Ultimately it's rule by terror. Don't do this or you'll suffer. I can't get behind that.

  3. Yes.

    Some people can still do damage to soceity even while they are in prison. Prison gangs are a reality that would end if the gang leaders were put to death.

    The cost-based "statistics" for the capital punishment vs. prison for life issues seem extremely counter-intuitive. I've heard references to 'them' many times, but I have not actually seen them. I'm the kind of guy that would appreciate that sort of thing and would double check them before I bought into it.

    Some of the capitally punished have donated their otherwise perfectly healthy bodies to science, which is an academic resource that isn't normally available to us.

    Gary: Interesting thought/point. Though I'd like to add that our government doesn't try millions of people for death penalty worthy crimes. Also, getting convictions is a much different process than to making a few hunrded million light bulbs.

    I think that we should have a wider range of options for punishments, but capital punishment should still be among them especially for crimes against humanity, assisinating the president, treason, assault/rapes of minors, etc.

    Castration would be an interesting alternative, but would probably not fly these days.

  4. Lies, damn lies and statistics. You can make them say anything, or support any side of any argument you care to make. I ignore them most of the time personally, well, 83% of the time anyway.

  5. i think that we should see more nudity