I've always been very torn on this issue, I definitely don't have a "yes" or a "no", although I do lean toward being against it.
On one hand, I can understand the hate that the victim's families have for the person who took their loved one's life and caused such distress, and see how putting the murderer to death would bring closure to them. Some people have committed such horrible, monstrous acts that I hardly think that they deserve to breathe the air, (despite all of my reasons below).
On the other, execution obviously can't change in any way what someone did to end up there. It does not prevent any kind of crime- many states that use the death penalty have more murders take place there compared to states that don't enforce it. It costs taxpayers far more to execute someone than for them to spend the rest of their life in prison. The death-row inmate's family who is completely innocent will also have to live knowing that their loved one will be put to death by the state. One of the biggest argument's against is that there is a very slim, but very real possibility that the person on death row is actually innocent. I also personally believe that life in prison with no possible parole or release is a worse punishment than being put to death.
If I was looking at the rest of my life in prison knowing that I would never take a step outside of the walls again, I hope that they go ahead and kill me, before I make it easier and get the job done myself- seriously.
|