Do you support the death penalty?

[KissMyAsscroft]

If so, why or why not?

I can think of many reasons I do not and only one reason why I would support it.

The only reason I can think of to support it, is that it can be used as leverage in some cases such as the Gary Ridgeway case.

[Redneck Socialist]

1. Sort of...

I think that there are crimes so heinous that the perpetrator deserves to die. However I don't think it has a deterrent effect and I have grave concerns about how it is implemented. The risk of executing an innocent is far to high and you are far more likely to be sentanced to death if you are poor and/or black. Additionally I am not comfortable with the state having the legal right to kill its citizens.

I guess you can put me down for 98% opposed.

[chimpy the poopthrower]

15. You expressed my feelings as well.

I used to have a moral opposition to the death penalty but I no longer do. I feel that if we can send innocent soldiers off to be killed in a war, we ought to be able to use capital punishment for the most terrible crimes. However, I think it should be very rare, and I think we ought to do much more than we do now to prevent mistakes. Seems like you read a story almost every week about some death-row inmate being cleared through DNA testing. And many more black convicts than white convicts are executed. I also don't think it is very effective as a deterrent. As far as the state being able to take a citizen's life -- we allow the state to deny citizens basic liberties by jailing them after due process, so I guess I don't have as much of a problem with that.

[lagniappe]

58. I agree with you.

If we ever catch Bin Laden, I would like to see him hanged from a tall tree. But, I think threshold needs to be higher than it is now. The disproportionate number of minorities/poor being put to death is disturbing.

[CalebHayes]

2. Never

Deterrence

It has never been shown that the death penalty deters violent crimes more effectively than other punishments.
A survey by the UN on the relation between the death penalty and homicide rates concluded, "Research has failed to provide scientific proof that executions have a greater deterrent effect than life imprisonment and such proof is unlikely to be forthcoming. The evidence as a whole still
gives no positive support to the deterrent hypothesis..."
Recent crime figures from countries which have abolished the death penalty do not show that abolishment had any harmful effects.
Race

83% of capital cases involve white victims, even though only 50% of murder victims are white.
It is much more likely for someone to receive the death penalty when the victim is white, than when the person is not.
Innocence

Since 1973, over 80 people have been released from death row with evidence of their innocence.
Researchers Radelet & Bedau found 23 cases since 1900 where innocent people were executed.
Retiring Florida Supreme Court Justice Gerald Kogan said he had "grave doubts" about the guilt of some of the people executed in Florida: "There are several cases where I had grave doubts as to the guilt of a particular person." . Kogan was a former homicide detective and prosecutor before eventually rising to Chief Justice.
The number of innocent defendants released from death row has been steadily increasing over recent years. Between 1973 and October, 1993, there was an average of 2.5 innocent defendants released. Since then, the average has increased to 4.6 released per year.
According to a 1987 study, three hundred and fifty people convicted of capital crimes in the United States between 1900 and 1985 were innocent of the crimes charged. Some prisoners escaped execution by minutes, but 23 were actually executed.

Costs

One of the most comprehensive studies on the death penalty in the country found the death penalty to cost North Carolina $2.16 million per execution over the costs of a non-death penalty murder case with a sentence of imprisonment for life.
On a national basis, this translates to an extra cost of over $1 billion dollars since 1976.
In Texas, a death penalty case costs an average of $2.3 million, which is about three times the cost of imprisoning someone in a single cell with the highest level of security for forty years.
A 1998 report from the Nebraska Judiciary Committee states that any savings from executing an inmate are outweighed by the financial legal costs. The report concluded that the current death penalty law does not serve the best interest of Nebraskans.
The Judicial Conference of the United States reported that the defense costs in cases where death was sought were about four times higher than in comparable cases where death was not sought. It was also found that the prosecution costs in death cases were 67% higher than the defense costs, without even including the investigative costs provided by law enforcement agencies.


Sources:

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/costs2.html http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/dpicrace.html http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/drowfacts.htm http://www.uscourts.gov/publications.html http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/intcam/dp/dpfacts.htm

From... www.Bushkills.com

[ElsewheresDaughter]

98. "Declaration of Life" ...i have signed and filed it...please do the same?

A Declaration of Life
I, the undersigned, being of sound and disposing mind and memory, do hereby in the presence of witnesses make this Declaration of Life,

I believe that the killing of one human being by another is morally wrong.

I believe it is morally wrong for any state or other governmental entity to take the life of a human being for any reason

I believe that capital punishment is not a deterrent to crime and serves only the purpose of revenge.

THEREFORE, I hereby declare that should I die as a result of a violent crime, I request that the person or persons found guilty of homicide for my killing not be subject to or put in jeopardy of the death penalty under any circumstances, no matter how heinous their crime or how much I may have suffered. The death penalty would only increase my suffering.

I request that the Prosecutor or District Attorney having the jurisdiction of the person or persons alleged to have committed my homicide not file or prosecute an action for capital punishment as a result of my homicide.

I request that this Declaration be made admissible in any trial of any person charged with my homicide, and read and delivered to the jury. I also request the Court to allow this Declaration to be admissible as a statement of the victim at the sentencing of the person or persons charged and convicted of my homicide; and, to pass sentence in accordance with my wishes.

I request that the Governor or other executive officer(s) grant pardon, clemency or take whatever action is necessary to stay and prohibit the carrying out of the execution of any person or persons found guilty of my homicide.

This Declaration is not meant to be, and should not be taken as, a statement that the person or persons who have committed my homicide should go unpunished.

I request that my family and friends take whatever actions are necessary to carry out the intent and purpose of this Declaration; and, I further request them to take no action contrary to this Declaration.

I request that, should I die under the circumstances as set forth in the Declaration and the death penalty is requested, my family, friends and personal representative deliver copies of this Declaration as follows: to the Prosecutor or District Attorney having jurisdiction over the person or persons charged with my homicide; to the Attorney representing the person or persons charged with my homicide; to the judge presiding over the case involving my homicide; for recording, to the Recorder of the County in which my homicide took place and to the recorder of the County in which the person or persons charged with my homicide are to be tried; to all newspapers, radio and television stations of general circulation in the County in which my homicide took place and the County in which the person or persons charged with my homicide are to be tried; and, to any other person, persons or entities my family, friends or personal representative deem appropriate in order to carry out my wishes as set forth herein.

I affirm under the pains and penalties for perjury that the above Declaration of Life is true.

WITNESS

_________________________

_________________________ printed name

DECLARANT

_________________________

_________________________
printed name
_________________________
Social Security Number

STATE OF ____________________)

COUNTY OF __________________)

Before me, a Notary Public in and for said county and state, personally appeared the Declarant and acknowledged the execution of the foregoing instrument this_______________day of ______________ 20___.

WITNESS my hand and notarial seal.

__________________________
NOTARY PUBLIC

__________________________
Printed Name

My commission expires: ___________________ County of Residence:______________________

Please send a copy of this notarized form to: Cherish Life Circle, Convent of Mercy, 273 Willoughby Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11205


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Friends Committee to Abolish the Death Penalty is a nationwide coalition of Friends concerned with capital punishment. The purposes of the Committee are to: 1) advocate for the abolition of the death penalty, 2) foster communication and support among Friends throughout the country, 3) encourage increased activism in Friends Meetings, and 4) nurture the process of victim-victimizer reconciliation in the light of God's love.

The FCADP publishes a quarterly newsletter, THE QUAKER ABOLITIONIST. For more information, email to: [e-mail] Last modified: Mon May 14 11:14:58 EDT 2001

[a_random_joel]

3. NO. WAY.

On 2 levels. Ideologically:

If society deems murder unethical, then society must not murder. Additonally, life in prison seems a far harsher punishment to me than death. But that's just my opinion.

Administratively:

It doesn't work. Only 700 odd executions in the last 30 years compared with how many murders? Don't have the exact figure, but 40,000+ at a minimum. There goes your deterrence argeument, your defending society argument, your justice argument, etc. Overwhelmingly, flaws in the process lead to discriminatory, racially unbalanced, and certainly economically unbalanced distributions.

1 innocent man's life is not worth 1000 guilty men's deaths.

There's my 5 cents.

[Raenelle]

91. Never, no way, under no circumstances.

Mostly, because it besmirches the soul, or aura, or character of the people who do it. If you kill, you darken your spirit.

[Nite Owl]

4. I do not support the death penalty.

1. It is vengeful and revenge is not ours to seek.
2. It is not the place of the government to decide to take life.
3. Mistakes have been made.
4. Two wrongs don't make a right.
5. Keeping someone in prison for life is a much worse punishment in
most cases.

[epresley]

5. NO

Reasons are far two many to list here - aside from the moral issues consider

-Rich people don't get executed or even do the same time as the rest of the world.

-The death penalty is sought for minorities in more instances than for whites.

-Its used for political purposes.

All things being UNEQUAL - it can never be equally applied and for those reasons alone should be abolished.

[Az]

6. I do not believe anyone has the right to kill me

By extension the state does not have to right to kill anyone either.

Desire for the death penalty is emotionally driven(typically). The state has no business behaving emotionally. Its job is to protect the community and attempt to rehabilitate the individual. If they are not rehabilitatable then they must hold them to protect the society.

Executing a person removes forever the potential to say oops. The measure of certainty to enable this final and absolute action cannot be met by any reasonable standard.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

7. NO

[stevedeshazer]

8. No

It is barbaric. And even innocent people are sentenced to death.

Let's say Gary Ridgway was sentenced to death. Would it help anything? Or is it better to let some victims families get a charge out of revenge?

A guy like Ridgway should be forced to wake up in prison every day for he rest of his life. Why should he be afforded euthanasia?

[KissMyAsscroft]

17. In the Ridgeway case...

The threat of the death penalty made him tell where the rest of the bodies were, so that familes could have more closure. In that case the death penalty was used as leverage to get information that the state wanted which helped victim's families.

[jmm]

30. True but

if the threat wasn't real then it wouldn't work as leverage. So while his victims families may have had some peace of mind because they could properly bury their loved ones this happened at the expense of other families who potential lose loved ones who were innocent yet still executed.

[Mandate My Ass]

9. Never

Both in theory and in practice, it simply does not work. I will never support the premeditated killing of another human being in my name. I've told my family that if I'm ever murdered they're to let the DA know that I would not have wanted my killer to be executed.

Columbia law school profs did a study all DP cases in the country over a 23-year span that demonstrated that serious, reversible error occurs in nearly 70% of all capital trials in this country. When we're talking about life and death, getting three of ten right is unacceptable to say the least.

http://www2.law.columbia.edu/instructionalservices/liebman/index.html

[GreenPartyVoter]

10. No

Much as I would love for pederasts to be maimed and tortured, we have major flaws in our justice system. Evidence can be suppressed or tossed out. Juries have no way of knowing if they are getting the whole story or not.

So even if we do manage to put to death 1 person who truly deserved it, we'll still be at risk of killing many people who do not.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

11. No way

too many mistakes. Applied more often to minorities. It is worse for someone to rot in prison with their conscience than let them off easy.

[lovedems]

24. I was going to say those things! At the risk of being repetative, I'll

just agree with you!

[movonne]

12. No..only the poor get the death penalty. Never see the wealthy getting the

death penalty.

[YankeyMCC]

20. No

My position has always been that I do not support the idea that the state has the right to take a life. I still do not support the death penalty but I do have to say that my position about the state's right to take a life is changed, not a complete turn around, but where the state can be said to fairly represent the will of the community there may be cases it would be acceptable. Such cases would be the murder of government officials such as policy and fireman as well as elected officials when the murder is intended to hinder their execution of their duties in the common good of the community. Also, multiple murders and murder of children.

This change was due to a lot of thought provoked by reading the following book:

"The Death Penalty : An American History" by Stuart Banner

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the ideas and controversy over the death penalty in America.

I still do not support the death penalty but my reasoning now leans more towards practical matters. I'm not 100% sure that we can enact a permanent law and ensure that the government that executes it will always be a fair reflection of the will of the community on this issue. But also the seemingly impossibility of fairly carrying out the executions, with no bias and no chance of error seems to me to make it impractical. And it is unnecessary, we now have the resources and ability to deal with criminals without having to resort to this ultimate punishment.

[LeahMira]

76. Sometimes...

Never see the wealthy getting the death penalty.

Well, Tom Capano is in a Delaware prison sentenced to death at the moment. It remains to be seen whether the state will execute him eventually or not, but there he sits. He is pretty wealthy.

[JasonDeter]

13. No human being is unredeemable. As a Christian I abhor the death penalty.

[wysimdnwyg]

14. HELL NO!!!

There are many reasons to be opposed to capital punishment, not the least of which is the danger of carrying out sentence on someone wrongly convicted. The biggest thing for me is an old saying: "Why do we kill people who kill people? Is it to show that killing is wrong?" I have never heard a counter argument to that question that made any sense.

[Superfly]

16. Yes I do...

for various crimes.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

22. No surprise there

:eyes:

[Superfly]

23. What's that supposed to mean?

:shrug:

[Kathy in Cambridge]

27. You've argued it before

so no surprise

[Superfly]

28. So....

I'm consistent, then, is that your point?

[IrateCitizen]

18. Not at all

It's state-sanctioned murder. It has no deterrent value. It does nothing to rectify the wrong done when a crime is committed.

[AZCat]

19. Absolutely not.

[MrSlayer]

21. Yes.

And I think it should be expanded to include pedophiles.

[KamaAina]

25. N. O.

"Killing people is wrong. And in order to show you exactly how wrong it is --

WE"RE GONNA KILL YOU!"

:dunce:

[ThomWV]

26. No

I'm not a wild man about it, I just generally think that it is not right for the state to take a life. We don't allow individuals to do it, so why would the state be any different.

Thom

[many a good man]

29. No. Its barbaric.

100 years from now people will look back on the death penalty here the same way we look at slavery today.

[Muddleoftheroad]

41. You must be kidding

The two have no relation to one another.

In slavery, you have a captive population of innocents used at the whim of their masters who beat them, rape them, force them to work and, if they wish, kill them.

In capital punishment, you have convicted murderers who are so heinous that they were deemed by society to be too dangerous to be kept alive.

[many a good man]

49. Too dangerous?

How are murderers a threat to society when they are locked behind bars for the rest of their lives?

Who's kidding who? Capital punishment is a base act of vengeance. State-sanctioned murder and slavery have both been with us for thousands of years. Just as this country was among the last to outlaw slavery it seems it will be among the last to outlaw capital punishment.

[Muddleoftheroad]

82. I guess you've never visited prison

Or known anyone who has gone.

You see, along with the murderers, they have all sorts of other people who don't deserve to die:

* Staff
* Guards
* Visitors
* Even other prisoners.

Then of course you can't guarantee they won't escape either.

[PVnRT]

63. "Deemed by society"

Of course, society never makes a mistake in these cases either...

[Muddleoftheroad]

83. Yes it does

It lets way too many murderers live.

[leftchick]

31. Would I condone the ability of our Government to kill an innocent human?

Absolutely NOT! That is one of the reasons I hate the death penalty and it needs to be abolished.

[jmm]

32. Judges and juries should not play God.

Humans will never be perfect. I don't trust people enough to let them make this time of decision. I do believe in life in prison for many criminals. If our criminal justice system can't be trusted to lock them up and preventing them from hurting others then that is yet another example of how it is flawed and should not be trusted to take lives.

[Tims]

33. Not really

Our system of justice should not be based on retribution. Executions only serve to satisfy the public's desire for vengeance and the belief that the criminal somehow "pay" for his crime.

We have certain obligations in regard to our handling of any convicted criminal.

1) We must protect the pubic
2) We must attempt to rehabilitate
3) We must make the consequences of conviction a reasonable deterrent to crime

The death penalty does indeed work for the first case but is excessive and unnecessary. It completely voids any possibility of achieving the second and every study ever undertaken has shown that the type of violent crimes subject to the death penalty are not detered by it.

One can imagine cases where the danger posed by a particularly violent criminal is so great and where there was no hope rehabilitation or even a lessening of those violent tendancies, that it would be unconscionable to take any chance that the person could ever be released or escape or even allowed to endanger other prisoners and prison workers. In such case I could agree that the destruction of that life, in the same way we would destroy a rabid animal, would be justified. This would not be punishment, though, simply a form of self preservation.

We can think of this in much the same way we would think of nuclear disarmament. Do we really feel safe when these arms are simply deactivated and stored away under lock and key or do we require that they be destroyed to really be and feel safe. But, can we really distinguish who of those sitting on death row are bombs simply waiting for the right stimulus to detonate and the ones whose explosive material was used up at the time of their crime? Probably not, so I believe it is better to err on the side incarceration over death.

[LeahMira]

80. Opposed...

We have certain obligations in regard to our handling of any convicted criminal.
1) We must protect the pubic
2) We must attempt to rehabilitate
3) We must make the consequences of conviction a reasonable deterrent to crime

I have no problem with point one. Isolating an individual in a prison protects the public.

I do have a problem with two and three, though.

Usually a person has committed crimes before the crime that gets him sentenced to death. Generally, though, there isn't much of an effort to rehabilitate. We seem to think that deprivation of freedom is sufficient incentive for someone to change his ways, but sometimes deprivation of freedom just makes for an angrier prisoner, particularly when that prisoner has no hope of his life being any better than it was before he committed his crime.

Finally, I don't think very many people stop to consider what might happen to them if they get caught committing a crime or that the possible consequences make them any less likely to go ahead and do whatever they are going to do. I think most criminals are already so bereft of any ties to anything or anyone else, except maybe their "gang," that they just don't much care.

I totally oppose capital punishment.

At one time Phil Donohue wanted to televise an execution because he thought that if we saw it, society would realize just how brutal the deliberate, ritualized killing of a human being really is. Surprisingly (to me), Sister Helen Prejean was one who supported that idea. Of course it didn't happen, but I wonder why states typically execute criminals around midnight or in the wee hours of the morning and limit the numbers of witnesses.

[SheilaT]

34. No.

Oddly enough, every other industrialized nation in the world (except Japan) manages without a death penalty. Ever wonder why?

[Democrats unite]

35. Yes

People will argue if it's a deterrent or not. Well heres one for ya, it's a deterrent to the one getting the death penalty.

[Pithlet]

40. How is it a deterrent after the fact?

If he or she is getting the death penalty, then I guess that didn't stop him/her. That's assuming they're even guilty of the crime.

[Democrats unite]

59. It's a deterrent because he won't be able to kill again.

eom

[Pithlet]

61. That's what jail is for.

Life without parole. Cheaper, and you can let them go if it turns out they're innocent. Can't undo dead.

[robcon]

36. There's a fourth reason...

Tims wrote: "We have certain obligations in regard to our handling of any convicted criminal.

1) We must protect the pubic
2) We must attempt to rehabilitate
3) We must make the consequences of conviction a reasonable deterrent to crime..."

The other reason is to support out culture's abhorrence to certain crimes. This is why the death penalty is acceptable in a lot of cases to me.

[Silverhair]

72. Are you willing to allow "life in jail" to really mean LIFE IN JAIL?

That is the problem I have with the anti-death penalty crowd. I would not mind doing away with the death penalty and using life as a punishment, but life somehow turns out to mean just a few years.

[petrock2004]

37. either we outlaw the death penalty

or bring back "weregild." :eyes:

i don't really know, i mean, i understand people's need to feel avenged on someone who has brutally assaulted and murdered someone they love, but... i don't know, something about the state sanctioning it makes me uneasy.

i think murder is something that has happened since the beginning of time. it happens in all societies, and even in some other species. how to deal with the perpetrators isn't an easy question, and i think it's one that can't be answered by any one person or any one movement.

maybe it's just my opinion, but i don't think this issue will be resolved any time soon. maybe it never will...?

but for now: the death penatly is outdated and barbaric in our country. the system is set up incorrectly, and it is merely an extension of personal power over the destiny of other people. so, no. keep them in prison. (in which case we need to end the drug war and get some space back in our prisons)

[happyslug]

38. Only rarely: Modern Catholic Position on the Death Penalty:

I have problems with a complete abolishment of the Death Penalty. The issue is what do you do when you have no alternative punishment? Leave the person walk the streets? The classic problem is an Attempted coup that fails. What do you do with the ringleaders? If you jail them for life, and a subsequent coup succeeds, their punishment of life imprisonment is made null and void. Thus treason has almost always been treated with Death, for no other punishment is possible (in the example I give).

Now the example I give is based on a government barely holding onto power, not a government where the coup plotters have no real chance of ever getting into power, but my point was even today you can have a situation where the only real punishment is death.

On the other hand those situation are rare and I see no such weak government in the US today. I do see reasonable alternative punishment. Since such punishment exists, Death I no longer needed. This is the same position the Catholic Church has taken with the Death Penalty as shown in the Catholic Catechism:

Catechism of the Catholic Church, No 2266:

The efforts of the state to curb the spread of behavior harmful to people's rights and to the basic rules of civil society correspond to the requirement of safeguarding the common good. Legitimate public authority has the right and duty to inflict punishment proportionate to the gravity of the offense. Punishment has the primary aim of redressing the disorder introduced by the offense. When it is willingly accepted by the guilty party, it assumes the value of expiation. Punishment then, in addition to defending public order and protecting people's safety, has a medicinal purpose: as far as possible, it must contribute to the correction of the guilty party.67

2267 Assuming that the guilty party's identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.

If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people's safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity to the dignity of the human person.

Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm - without definitely taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself - the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity "are very rare, if not practically nonexistent."68

Catechism of the Catholic Church:
http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c2a5.htm#I

[IowaBiker]

39. In limited cases.

For example, should a former President, his staff and supporters be found guilty of starting a war without cause, then we need the death penalty.

Same holds true for his propagandists.

In case they are found guilty for misleading the public into an unwarrented invasion, then the Death penalty is not only needed, but preferred.

Of course they should first get a very quick but fair trial.

--Brian

[Jacobin]

42. No. No civilized countries do. Courts make BIG mistakes and then

try to cover them up. Hell, not even ISRAEL has the death penalty (well, except for the troops mowing down Palestinians with bulldozers and helicopters)

1st degree murder, lock em up for life

[if it comes from the whitehouse it must be true]

43. IMO feelings change if someone close to you is murdered

I was fully against the death penalty up until a close friend was murdered by his wifes scum bag lover, and finding out she was in on it! Just thinking about the times we had fished, hunted, bar hopped and not to mention our family get togethers where the lover (not known at that time) was present!!!

Both sit in jail now the killer for life and the scummy bitch for 30 years!

So yes I am for the penalty now.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

97. NOT true..i have signed and filed "Declaration of Life" ...read it

A Declaration of Life
I, the undersigned, being of sound and disposing mind and memory, do hereby in the presence of witnesses make this Declaration of Life,

I believe that the killing of one human being by another is morally wrong.

I believe it is morally wrong for any state or other governmental entity to take the life of a human being for any reason

I believe that capital punishment is not a deterrent to crime and serves only the purpose of revenge.

THEREFORE, I hereby declare that should I die as a result of a violent crime, I request that the person or persons found guilty of homicide for my killing not be subject to or put in jeopardy of the death penalty under any circumstances, no matter how heinous their crime or how much I may have suffered. The death penalty would only increase my suffering.

I request that the Prosecutor or District Attorney having the jurisdiction of the person or persons alleged to have committed my homicide not file or prosecute an action for capital punishment as a result of my homicide.

I request that this Declaration be made admissible in any trial of any person charged with my homicide, and read and delivered to the jury. I also request the Court to allow this Declaration to be admissible as a statement of the victim at the sentencing of the person or persons charged and convicted of my homicide; and, to pass sentence in accordance with my wishes.

I request that the Governor or other executive officer(s) grant pardon, clemency or take whatever action is necessary to stay and prohibit the carrying out of the execution of any person or persons found guilty of my homicide.

This Declaration is not meant to be, and should not be taken as, a statement that the person or persons who have committed my homicide should go unpunished.

I request that my family and friends take whatever actions are necessary to carry out the intent and purpose of this Declaration; and, I further request them to take no action contrary to this Declaration.

I request that, should I die under the circumstances as set forth in the Declaration and the death penalty is requested, my family, friends and personal representative deliver copies of this Declaration as follows: to the Prosecutor or District Attorney having jurisdiction over the person or persons charged with my homicide; to the Attorney representing the person or persons charged with my homicide; to the judge presiding over the case involving my homicide; for recording, to the Recorder of the County in which my homicide took place and to the recorder of the County in which the person or persons charged with my homicide are to be tried; to all newspapers, radio and television stations of general circulation in the County in which my homicide took place and the County in which the person or persons charged with my homicide are to be tried; and, to any other person, persons or entities my family, friends or personal representative deem appropriate in order to carry out my wishes as set forth herein.

I affirm under the pains and penalties for perjury that the above Declaration of Life is true.

WITNESS

_________________________

_________________________ printed name

DECLARANT

_________________________

_________________________
printed name
_________________________
Social Security Number

STATE OF ____________________)

COUNTY OF __________________)

Before me, a Notary Public in and for said county and state, personally appeared the Declarant and acknowledged the execution of the foregoing instrument this_______________day of ______________ 20___.

WITNESS my hand and notarial seal.

__________________________
NOTARY PUBLIC

__________________________
Printed Name

My commission expires: ___________________ County of Residence:______________________

Please send a copy of this notarized form to: Cherish Life Circle, Convent of Mercy, 273 Willoughby Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11205


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Friends Committee to Abolish the Death Penalty is a nationwide coalition of Friends concerned with capital punishment. The purposes of the Committee are to: 1) advocate for the abolition of the death penalty, 2) foster communication and support among Friends throughout the country, 3) encourage increased activism in Friends Meetings, and 4) nurture the process of victim-victimizer reconciliation in the light of God's love.

The FCADP publishes a quarterly newsletter, THE QUAKER ABOLITIONIST. For more information, email to: [e-mail] Last modified: Mon May 14 11:14:58 EDT 2001

[TexasMexican]

44. Yes I support the death penalty.

I maybe be a democrat, but I am no pacifist.

I have certain religious beliefs, but my support of the death peantly has nothing to do with my religion.

If someone were to murder any of my loved ones I would expect them to be killed in kind.

[MrsMatt]

45. No.

I think it's barbaric.

Two wrongs do not equal a right.

[TexasMexican]

46. BTW My take on the racial problems with the death penalty.

IMO the problem isnt that too many minorities are executed.

The real problem is that not enough whites are executed.

People always say stuff like, oh its because whites can afford better lawyers and whatnot.

I dont really see how that works though, if they guy is already convicted its up to the jury to decide if the criminal deserves to live or die.

I dont know why white juries would be less likely to give out the death penalty to white criminals, but I think thats what the real problem is.

[tom_paine]

47. Yes, but the procedures need to be upgraded with more safeguards

I can think of at least one other reason to support it. Dead people can't escape from prison and commit crimes again. Dead people cost nothing to feed and house.

There are some serious issues with the Death Penalty, not the least of which is it's unequal application to impoverished minorities.

So, while I'm not saying I 100% agree with the way it is handled, I am absolutely in favor of it so long as the safeguards are strong against unequal applications and executing innocent people.

[KayLaw]

48. Never ever

No matter what. The government should not have the right to kill its citizens - period!

[chimpy the poopthrower]

50. Should the government have the right to imprison people?

If you have no problem with the government taking away a person's freedom for 40 years, why would you have a problem with the government taking away a person's life, assuming due process has been applied in both cases?

[mulethree]

56. absolutely

A life sentence takes away a life, why should a slow death weigh less on our concious than a quick death?

No long sentence should be without parole options. If someone is in for 40 years and has been eligible for parole for 25 years and not been paroled, do you really want to set them loose at the end of 40 years?

[Sandpiper]

57. I think the idea is

That if someone is released after 40 years in prison, most likely they would be too old to be a menace to society.

[KayLaw]

74. That's not it

It's if and when it's discovered the person was wronglfully convicted, recourse can be taken, but only if the person is alive.

[mulethree]

84. Yeah

So you can take their life away, or a few decades of it, without all the guilt associated with killing someone. Less guilt if you take freedom and rights instead of life, less guilt if you take only half a life. Stone them without anyone to actually throw that first stone.

Kind of lowers the standard for reasonable doubt.

What if you raised the expectations that the corrections system might actually correct? Instead of just being a penal (punishment) system, or a prison (keep the hazardous waste away from me and mine) system?

[KayLaw]

92. All for it

I just think it's a different issue.

[TreasonousBastard]

89. In the event of a mistake...

restitution can only be made to the living.

[Sandpiper]

51. Depends

While they are in the minority, there are criminals like Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, John Allen Muhammad and people of the like, who have taken the lives of others purely for sport. I have no moral opposition towards capital punishment for this type of people.

Ditto for remorseless, unrepentant mass murderers like Timothy McVeigh.

On the other hand, I think the way that capital punishment is practiced in this country is grossly unequitable and is skewed disproportionately towards minorities and the poor. Such being the case, I feel that we should have a national moratorium on the death penalty until these issues are adequately addressed.

[ulysses]

52. no. simply no.

It serves no purpose except revenge, and revenge is not justice.

[0007]

53. No

Slavery was a form of ignorance that we came to understand and rose above the barbaric aspect of humanity.

The death penalty is an ignorance that most of the world has out grown except for a few counties.

If my family were to be wiped out by a heinous crime tonight. My world and feelings would be shattered, no doubt! But I trust myself that revenge wouldn't be a death sentence as the final payment for the crime.

[Astarho]

54. No

There is a difference between justice and vengeance. I think the state should be above vengeance.

[Dr Fate]

55. What has the Death Penalty ever done for me?

First one has to show me that it works and that it's the best way to fight crime before I support it.

While I dont lose sleep over the executions of men like T. McVeigh, I cant support the DP if we cant even prove it works...

What has the Death Penalty ever done for me?

[buddhamama]

60. no.

n/t

[arewethereyet]

62. of course

and the justifications were established long ago and have not changed, only the deterioration of justice has changed.

[Kimber Scott]

64. I used to

for people like Richard Allen Davis. I think when it comes to life and death, though, it's better to err on the side of caution. Killing one innocent man is killing one too many. However, as in the case of Richard Allen Davis, he was released one too many times for Polly Klass. So, though I do not favor the death penalty, I do favor releasing people from prison who are there for non-violent offenses and KEEPING people like Richard Allen Davis behind bars forever. The prison systems in this country have turned into nothing more than another industrial machine and do not serve the public well.

What I want to know is why does it seem the very people are so anti-abortion are so pro-death penalty?

[Lindsey]

65. I don't support the death penalty

under any circumstance. #1 - too many mistakes are made and innocent people die, #2 - it hasn't been proven to be a determent, #3 - It's simply barbaric.

[corporatewhore]

66. No it is a barbaric and racist institution

[question everything]

67. It is barbaric

1. It does not bring back the victim
2. It does not deter future crimes
3. It does not bring closure to the families of the victims
4. Too many innocent, or victims of incompetent representation are sent to death row
5. The U.S. is the only industrialized nation in the world with the death penalty, which brings it closer to Syria and Iraq then to Great Britain
6. Some may feel revenge, but this is not a goal of the penal system

[mdmc]

68. No, I want to go to heaven

Cath o lic

[AlFrankenFan]

69. Nope...

I personally think by getting the needle, they get out the easy way. Let 'em suffer. Besides, if we make mistakes, we don't kill the innocent.

[Name removed]

70. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Seldona]

71. No.

Are there people out there who deserve to quit sucking air? There sure are.

But until we can stop jailing and executing innocent men and women, we just cannot take that chance imo.

It isn't worth executing a single innocent person, even if we rid ourselves of the responsibility of jailing 100 Dalmers or whatever.

Lock em up if they are that bad.

At least if a mistake is made it can be corrected.

Edit typo

[quaker bill]

73. No.

It supports the belief that killing people is an effective way to solve problems. This is the underlying theme behind most 'crimes of passion'.

[VOX]

75. No.

It's applied unfairly, it doesn't undo a crime or bring a victim back to life, it's state-sanctioned killing.

Looking at it another way -- I would never serve on a firing squad, and therefore cannot wish that my government do so in my place.

[aintitfunny]

77. NO I DO NOT

Institutional Barbarity should be eliminated from civilized society.

[spanone]

78. NO, thou shalt not kill. no asteriks. Thou shalt not kill.

[arewethereyet]

86. actually 'thou shalt do no murder' its not the same as kill

murder being defined as taking innocent life.

Capital punishment does not fit the definition.

You are free to not support it but you should not use that excuse.

If you want a valid Christian excuse use 'let he who is without sin cast the first stone'.

[SHRED]

79. Keep them alive

Why do them the favor of execution?

If your looking for the ultimate price to pay, wouldn't that be life in prison until old age and death?

This is coming from a "payback" point of view of course.

[TahitiNut]

81. Only for corporations.

:shrug:

[bhunt70]

85. No I do not. too many flaws.

[reprobate]

87. When judges and juries are infallible, I'll support the death penalty.

Until then, I'll still consider it barbaric and uncivilized.

[ButterflyBlood]

88. no

n/t

[TreasonousBastard]

90. I agree with everyone here who said "No"

Most of my reasons have been well covered.

Over a hundred years ago a Quaker whose name I have forgotten, was discussing matters of crime and punishment, life and death.

When asked if he would kill in self-defense, he said he would not.

He said he would rather die and meet whatever reward was in store for him than take the life of another and deny the chance for that other person to repent.

The conscious taking of another's life may not always be the worst we can do, but it is something we can always avoid.

[Speed8098]

93. No

There is not ANY justification for the death penalty.

Murder is murder, even when it's the state doing the killing.

I am not a religious man, I just don't condone killing people.
Especially with the justice system we have. Barry Scheck has proved over and over that there are too many flaws in the system.

I wonder how many innocent people have been put to death over the years.

Imagine...You are accused of something you didn't do, get convicted, and die in the death chamber. 2 years later, the real culprit is caught. Kinda late for an "Oops" isn't it.

The Death penalty should be abolished. It is not the deterrent it is touted to be.

[Lost4words]

94. Not at all.

I used to but not after seeing how many cases have been overturned by DNA and retrials by competent lawyers. Will we ever know who assisted Tim McVie.

the system is flawed IMHO.

[Why Knot]

95. NO to the death penalty

Absolutely not. Our justice system is flawed and sometimes corrupt. The death penalty cannot be reversed for obvious reasons. Proponents claims that it is more efficient are wrong. Too many people have been wrongly convicted, especially if they couldn't afford an astronomically expensive defense. Those are just a few of the many, many reasons that I am against the death penalty...

[ecstatic]

96. To be honest, it wouldn't matter as much if we had a fair system

Right now we don't have a fair judicial system-- not because of the actual system but because of the biases in the people who drive the system. The death penalty is also not administered in a consistent fashion.

[LWolf]

99. No.

If it's not ok to take life, it's not ok to take life.

Killing someone to punish them for killing is hypocrisy.

I think you model the values and behaviors you want to see enacted. Therefore you don't kill people.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

100. "A Declaration of Life"...........

A Declaration of Life
I, the undersigned, being of sound and disposing mind and memory, do hereby in the presence of witnesses make this Declaration of Life,

I believe that the killing of one human being by another is morally wrong.

I believe it is morally wrong for any state or other governmental entity to take the life of a human being for any reason

I believe that capital punishment is not a deterrent to crime and serves only the purpose of revenge.

THEREFORE, I hereby declare that should I die as a result of a violent crime, I request that the person or persons found guilty of homicide for my killing not be subject to or put in jeopardy of the death penalty under any circumstances, no matter how heinous their crime or how much I may have suffered. The death penalty would only increase my suffering.

I request that the Prosecutor or District Attorney having the jurisdiction of the person or persons alleged to have committed my homicide not file or prosecute an action for capital punishment as a result of my homicide.

I request that this Declaration be made admissible in any trial of any person charged with my homicide, and read and delivered to the jury. I also request the Court to allow this Declaration to be admissible as a statement of the victim at the sentencing of the person or persons charged and convicted of my homicide; and, to pass sentence in accordance with my wishes.

I request that the Governor or other executive officer(s) grant pardon, clemency or take whatever action is necessary to stay and prohibit the carrying out of the execution of any person or persons found guilty of my homicide.

This Declaration is not meant to be, and should not be taken as, a statement that the person or persons who have committed my homicide should go unpunished.

I request that my family and friends take whatever actions are necessary to carry out the intent and purpose of this Declaration; and, I further request them to take no action contrary to this Declaration.

I request that, should I die under the circumstances as set forth in the Declaration and the death penalty is requested, my family, friends and personal representative deliver copies of this Declaration as follows: to the Prosecutor or District Attorney having jurisdiction over the person or persons charged with my homicide; to the Attorney representing the person or persons charged with my homicide; to the judge presiding over the case involving my homicide; for recording, to the Recorder of the County in which my homicide took place and to the recorder of the County in which the person or persons charged with my homicide are to be tried; to all newspapers, radio and television stations of general circulation in the County in which my homicide took place and the County in which the person or persons charged with my homicide are to be tried; and, to any other person, persons or entities my family, friends or personal representative deem appropriate in order to carry out my wishes as set forth herein.

I affirm under the pains and penalties for perjury that the above Declaration of Life is true.

WITNESS

_________________________

_________________________ printed name

DECLARANT

_________________________

_________________________
printed name
_________________________
Social Security Number

STATE OF ____________________)

COUNTY OF __________________)

Before me, a Notary Public in and for said county and state, personally appeared the Declarant and acknowledged the execution of the foregoing instrument this_______________day of ______________ 20___.

WITNESS my hand and notarial seal.

__________________________
NOTARY PUBLIC

__________________________
Printed Name

My commission expires: ___________________ County of Residence:______________________

Please send a copy of this notarized form to: Cherish Life Circle, Convent of Mercy, 273 Willoughby Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11205


----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Friends Committee to Abolish the Death Penalty is a nationwide coalition of Friends concerned with capital punishment. The purposes of the Committee are to: 1) advocate for the abolition of the death penalty, 2) foster communication and support among Friends throughout the country, 3) encourage increased activism in Friends Meetings, and 4) nurture the process of victim-victimizer reconciliation in the light of God's love.

The FCADP publishes a quarterly newsletter, THE QUAKER ABOLITIONIST. For more information, email to: [e-mail] Last modified: Mon May 14 11:14:58 EDT 2001

[Freddie Stubbs]

101. Yes

There is a 0% recidivism rate in those who receive the death penalty.

[Az]

103. There is a 0%

release rate of individuals falsely convicted and executed for capital crimes.

[redqueen]

102. No

Primitive.

[mac56]

104. 100% opposed to the death penalty.

Many have tried to change my mind. None have succeeded.

Somebody kills someone else, because he doesn't like that other person's behavior.
So next the government kills the killer, because it doesn't like his behavior?

:wtf:

[beyurslf]

105. I support the idea that some crimes are so terrible that those

who committed do deserve to die. I can think of 2 examples off the top of my head.

I lived in NYC in 2000. A wendy's was robbed late at night and the staff were bound and shot execution style. One person miraculously lived to call the police. The person who did it was a former employee who took the video tapes. He was caught with the money, weapons, and tapes. The witness also lived to tell his story.

In Wichita, KS where I am from a similiar story happened at about the same time. Two men robbed a home. 5 people were home. They bound them drove them to ATM's to get their money, raped the women, and took them to a field to shoot them. One lived. They were caught. They had also killed one other woman. They were on tape at the ATM. (I was actually worried I would be called for the jury since I moved back to Wichita after the case and knew nothing about it.)

These people certainly deserve to die. I think anti death penalty zealots lose their arguements when people bring up cases like this. Yes, they are rare. But they do happen. How can we defend them as "worthy" of living? They aren't. They are terrible horrible people who deserve far worse than death.

But, in our desire to see these men get what they deserve, are we willing to kill innocent people? I think that is what we ask. Are we willing to see the death penalty used against the poor, against minorities? Are we willing to say a poor black killer in Houston is certain to have a capital case while a wealthy white killer in MA is certain not to? Is access to underpaid and under funded attorneys with nothing invested in the case not a reason to be alarmed or concerned?

This is where we concentrate. Don't try to justify the life of a cold blooded killer who certainly doesn't deserve pity or life. But just because someone deserves death, doesn't mean that others do. Just because they deserve it, doesn't mean that we have to give it to them. A sign of a truly fair society is that we recognize some people deserve to die and don't kill them anyway.

[ChiefJoseph]

106. Absolutely not.

Life without parole will do nicely.