WE DON'T KILL PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY

[Harper_is_Bush]

That's something I can say in Canada. We have no death penalty, and I like it. It calms me.

Even though I would never commit the crime of murder, it is calming to me to know we have no death penalty. Seems strange, but seems natural also.

This causes me to believe the death penalty has a powerful negative psychological impact on a society.

If your nation sends the message that in some cases it's acceptable to kill a helpless/defenseless human being then what will you reap from that? How does that filter down to the micro level?

[johnnie]

1. At least some Americans got it right

The Americans in the US are a little behind.

[rodeodance]

2. This issue is not amongst 'lessons learned" for many in the US.

[mr_hat]

3. Well, sure. It may calm you. But it emboldens ask murderers.

[ret5hd]

5. are you sure?

[RaleighNCDUer]

6. I sincerely doubt that.

Nobody commits murder with the expectation of being caught, so logically the penalty does not weigh into the murder.

Do you really think they think "They won't execute me, so I might as well kill -- at worst I'm going to die at 78 in a penitentiary"?

Study after study has shown that the DP is not a deterrent, that, in fact, those states which have the DP have higher murder rates than those which do not. To "ask the murderers" is nonsense -- because you are asking those who have been caught to make rational sense of what they did while it was an inherently irrational act, IOW, rationalize in hindsight. And face it, most murderers aren't exactly the brightest bulbs on the marquee, and rationalizing is not their strong point.

[Midlodemocrat]

7. I disagree. If the death penalty were actually a deterrent

the first person put to death in this country would also be the last.

[Harper_is_Bush]

12. Is that someone who asks before they murder?

Seriously, if you're talking about deterent effect that's pretty much put to bed by the facts out there.

If you're talking about people who ask before they murder, anything probably emboldens them.

[mr_hat]

13. Just being sarcastic, guys. Plus, I've always wanted to use

"ask murderer" and have someone axe what I meant.

Get your smilies on.

[Harper_is_Bush]

14. I kinda figured that.

I have a hard time yukin' it up over this issue I guess.

[libodem]

4. You are right

it does send a message that life is expendable, not precious, not important. I don't think it deters anyone from killing. And it seems it varies from state to state how heinous the crime must be to warrant the death penalty. In some cases its a convenience store clerk killed in a robbery and some cases it's a whole family that has been, raped, sodomized and tortured before they are killed. Most of our prisons are bursting at the seams. Death is death and somehow it does not seem very evolved to kill someone as the punishment for killing someone else. It's like having a parent who comes over and slaps a kid silly for hitting. I said don't hit your sister...wap!.. that will teach you not to hit. But the other side of this is our country is stock full of guns. Bowling For Columbine, is a good movie for helping to understand the cultural aspects of a heavily armed society and the resulting criminal mindset of certain groups.

[Fierce]

8. A man was executed in Ohio a couple days ago.

They used lethal injection. They couldn't find a vein, and once they did and got the drugs flowing, Joseph Clark sat up and said, "It's not working."

He could *feel* it not working.

[Sinti]

9. We like revenge in this country :(

It's the only reason for murderous death penalty. It deters nothing, at best, it actually increases the homicide rate at worst (depends on whose numbers you use). They actually want to extend the use of the death penalty to crimes other than 1st degree murder in some states, unconscionable.

Capital punishment is another example of us not valuing life. Only *some* lives are truly valuable in the U.S., mostly the wealthy and the unborn. This lack of value, in terms of life, is probably a psychological reinforcement to commit violent acts, and not give a damn about your fellowman generally.

Maybe in 100 years we will learn better. It took almost 200 to get civil/equal rights going.

[derby378]

10. Here's the problem with the death penalty in America...

We've tried to make it more humane - nowadays our standard means of execution is poisoning with an overdose of potassium chloride to stop the heart. Two other chemicals are introduced into the bloodstream first in order to ease the condemned into unconsciousness before the fatal dose is administered. At least we're doing this much.

But it is still too easy to send someone to Death Row. We've even executed the mentally ill and/or disabled now. And there is still a disproportionate number of non-whites who are sentenced to death.

Should we scrap the death penalty? We've tried it once, but then brought it back - it'll be a tough sell for many Americans. But we must make the system work fairly and equitably.

[SmokingJacket]

11. It means you live in a sane country.

That would be a very calming feeling...

I would never commit the crime of murder either -- but who's to say I won't be falsely accused some day? I certainly would like to remain alive to try and prove my innocence.

[Squeech]

15. Cultural values

We like violence in this country. Our favorite entertainments are action-adventure movies with lots of explosions and car chases, and first person shooter video games. A significant proportion of our rap stars got famous for shooting somebody else, or being shot.

This is not a new condition foisted upon us by a Godless librul Hollywood media culture. We nearly exterminated our aboriginals. We used to lynch black people, not only as a tactic of social control, but as a festive occasion. And then there's Dick Cheney.

I'm not at all superior. I wanted to kill several other commuters on the subway this morning. In my view, a decade in prison is as big a deterrent as the death penalty-- at least, sufficient to deter me and my pipsqueak little violent impulses. There's also some Golden Rule considerations.

Not only is the death penalty not a deterrent, but in some cases it seems to be an attraction. This is also the culture that invented the concept of "suicide by cop." Do we not imagine that "suicide by jury" also exists?