BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Philosophy Do You Believe In Death Penalty?

Hi Claybird,

Thank you for your post. I too think that death penalty is somehow primitive. Ethically, I struggle with the choice as I do not believe anyone has the right to take away another's life.

However, we cannot forget the reality of the high costs in housing these inmates for life. If knowing our tax money can be better utilized in saving other lives, would you have chosen the same? What do you think about what Michelle said earlier that the death penalty should be done "as humanely as possible" without revenge? To me, this presents a more ethical solution to this difficult question.

I am torn on this subject. at the very heart of me I believe every life put on this earth is sacred, and it is not up to anyone else to decide if it deserves to be here or not... also the term for it is "capitol punishment" which sends a message of punishment. Punishment is suppose to be to teach a lesson so a person can learn from it. In the case of death that's not very likely. perhaps it is just the name for it that needs changed because it doesn't fit the action.
But.. on the other hand. There are times I think when one life must be taken to save the masses. Sacrifice the one for the sake of the whole. In cases where a person is a menace and danger to all others, should that element be removed? Not for punishment, revenge or anger.. but for safety.

But here's the thought that keeps working it's way into my thoughts. 99.9% of us go through life without ever killing even 1 other human being. it's not that hard not to. So... if that is the case should even one murder be tolerated? The thought that someone has to do it three times before they strike out seems like an extreme to me. There are circumstances I guess where we might find ourselves faced with that decision once.. but twice?

Should it be considered for some situations other than murder? Like the man who locked his daughter in the basement for "32" (don't remember the exact #) years and had 4 children by her.
Or a repeating child molester?

I don't have any answers.. only more and more questions.

Some crimes are so heinous that capital punishment is necessary. Timothy McVay, the Oklahoma City bomber, deserved the death penalty. Extremely violent, sadistic and serial killers deserve the same. My daughter opposed the death penalty until a case of a foster child dying of neglect and abuse occurred in our area, the Marcus Fiesel case , The Sad short life of Marcus Fiesel

Now she is unopposed to captial punishment for anyone who would treat a child like that.

The Marcus Fiesel case is definitely a very sad case of extreme neglect, and perhaps ignorant. However, I think death penalty should be reserved for the extreme case of violence where the jury truly believes that the killer is beyond any hope rehabilitation. I have a hard time agreeing on using death penalty lightly.

I don't know how old your daughter is, but I am impressed about her sense of justice towards children. Children are innocent, and a case involves children's murder truly puts it in a different category.

How often have there been convicted killers sentenced to life then, after so many years of "good behaviour" and using up tax-payers money, been released and killed again?

I cannot give an exact answer to that myself, but, I do know that it has happened.

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I know... that's why this question is so hard for me to answer. It is the reality that in many cases, killers were released too early and inevitably killed again.

I don't remember the name, but I remember years ago a man in our community was released after six years in the prison for killing his sister. Within months of his release, he raped and killed a little girl.

I am not sure why "my heart and my head" are just not working together too well on this subject... (Thank God, and I am glad it's not the usual case. )

I guess it's my personal beliefs to value life above most things. However, I have to ask myself, if those murderers didn't value the life of those they killed, why do I still value their lives more?

I definitely am for the death penalty. As Deb said, "some people are not redeemable".

But I think it needs to be properly regulated and left to the most hyenous (?sp) situations. Like serial killers, terrorists, child killers etc...

We've had a number of situations where murderers were convicted and sent away and then 10 years later were released because new evidence proved they didn't do the crime. I'd have hated for that situation to have been the death penalty.

Our current criminal facilities don't allow for rehabilitation and in many cases criminals are released in a worse state than when they went in having had to gone through physical and emotional abuse daily from their inmates around them.

More needs to be done to improve the current situation and while the death penalty takes care of a smaller problem it doesn't cure the big picture which includes thousands upon thousands of criminals that have no reason to improve and have no protection from one another. And staff that is overworked, underpaid and abused daily. Like everything else it comes down to money and what society is willing to do with it to help.

Cara,

My daughter, my middle of three daughters, is a strong child advocate, especially for special needs children. She is studying Early Education and Special Education in her freshman yearin college. Since she was 13 has worked and volunteered ata summer day camp for special needs children. She's only a freshman in college, but already she has more experience with children of autism and many other disabilities than people many yeas older than her. She gets very defense and very angry with anyone that so much as thinks of neglecting or harming children. I am certian she will become, heck she already is, a great advocate for children. Because of all that the Marcus Fiesel case and cases like it make her very sad and extremely angry.

Craig,
It's wonderful that your middle daughter has such a strong desire to protect children. I think children are somehow still very neglected in our society especially with those abuse cases. It is through people like your daughter who has the passion to make a difference in bettering others' life, our society can actually change. You must be very proud of her.

You brought up a good point on our current correctional facilities, and it helps me to think through this. Our prison system has not done a good job in majority of the cases to rehabilitate criminals. Unfortunately, in such a dog eat dog survival driven environment, even the toughest criminals have learned to be even tougher to survive with constant threats.

If we cannot truly rehabilitate criminals in our systems, then it becomes a very costly and purposeless act to keep the vicious criminals alive simply for humanitarian reasons.