I will most likely get flamed for what I am a bout to say, so here it goes.
I am not in favor of the Death Penalty, but not for the reasons you may think. I oppose the Death Penalty because I think it is the easy way out. I belive a "REAL" life sentence should be imposed for murderers, rapists and child molesters. A "REAL" life sentence should mean the scumbag spends the rest of his/her existance in a 10x10 cell with no outside contact period. No tv, radio, magazines, books, of visitors. Any human contact should be minimal. The inmate would never leave his cell, he eats there, exercises there, and if he needs medical attention the Dr comes to him. The only way he leaves the cell is in a bodybag in the back of a hearse.
I have no problem with the death penalty per se, but like you am against it...I think the chances of someone innocent being executed are too high to justify it...
That said, if there were some way to eliminate that possibility, I'd be all for it. Either way, these scumbags need to go away for life, with no possibility of parole.
If I coul;d be sure that was what he'd get, I'd agree.
But as long as a convicted killer is alive, SOMEWHERE out there, there is a slithery, slimy barrister all to willing to make the big time with his peers and future clients by springing the villain on a legal technicality. And there will alwys be those hoards of goody-two shoes leftist liberals whinning to free him - as in the case of that Mummia Al-Jabar or whatever he called himself, who brutally murdered that cop in Philly years ago.
So, I still vote for the rope, or as another poster suggested, the nitrogen dose to recylce the villain's organs.
I got a better idea..........take 10000 of 'em, give them each a dollar, put them on a deserted island, and tell them it takes 10000 dollars to get off the island.....when they have killed themselves off, and 1 guy with 10000 is left, simply say " sorry pal, we lied, here are 10000 more. now it takes 20000 to get off"...............
No flame from me. I know what you mean about life without parole. Hard labor in Alaska, etc. I guess the concern is that someday the sentence could be altered in some way.
And I think that there's some class of criminals, however small, that society has a right to say "you have forfeited your right to breathe our air and live among us." Timothy McVeigh comes to mind. But again that may have been too easy.
I wonder what was considered cruel and unusual in 1789? That might be the best starting point.
I don't think that you'll get flamed for your opinion.
I'd guess that 30% of Freepers are against the death penalty (in one form or another), and close to 100% of Freepers believe that prisoners are coddled.
Also Clinton and Gore were in favor of the death penalty, so its really not a conservative/liberal argument.
That's cruel and unusual punishment for the tax payers.