# Are you for the death penalty or not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 17, 2009, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-for-the-death-penalty-or-not/506686 "2009-08-17T02:47:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sometimes\_Sober\_Sometimes\_Not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sometimes\_Sober\_Sometimes\_Not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sometimes_Sober_Sometimes_Not)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-for-the-death-penalty-or-not/506686/1 "2009-08-17T02:47:42Z")
I’m a firm believer if there isn’t a “top pillar of justice”, then you have no justice at all. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-for-the-death-penalty-or-not/506686/2 "2009-08-17T03:01:59Z")
No; it’s unnecessary, pointless at best, wastefully expensive, and tends to be handled unjustly. It tends to have more to do with your race/gender/bank account than what crime you are accused of. And I don’t trust the government with the right to kill people. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-for-the-death-penalty-or-not/506686/3 "2009-08-17T03:06:37Z")
Absolutely not. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-for-the-death-penalty-or-not/506686/4 "2009-08-17T03:09:10Z")
Generally, not. There are too many instances of executing the wrong individual for it to be justified. “Better to let ten guilty men go free” and all that. THAT is what frightens me the most about it. The idea of executing an innocent man is far, far too high a price to pay. The ONLY exceptions would be in extremes like say, the Nazis at the Nuremberg trials, or if they ever catch Osama Bin Laden. (Although I wouldn’t mind putting him on display somewhere and then people can throw things like tomatoes, or water balloons at him) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-for-the-death-penalty-or-not/506686/5 "2009-08-17T03:11:42Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Absolutely not. Not, but not absolutely not. That is a contradiction. There are criminals who ‘deserve’ to be killed. But I’m seriously creeped out by the government killing people. That’s enough to make me against capital punishment, let alone the possibility of killing an innocent person. We have the means to permanently remove dangerous criminals from society without killing them. So there is no need for CP. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-for-the-death-penalty-or-not/506686/6 "2009-08-17T03:13:08Z")
I have no moral qualms, but in practicality there seem to be an awful lot of innocent people on death row. The only really compelling exception is for people who commit murder or armed assault in prison. Fuck em. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-for-the-death-penalty-or-not/506686/7 "2009-08-17T03:14:16Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > there seem to be an awful lot of innocent people on death row. Didn’t you know? _Everyone_ on Death Row is innocent! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-for-the-death-penalty-or-not/506686/8 "2009-08-17T03:21:39Z")
I am vehemently, 100% opposed to the death penalty. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-for-the-death-penalty-or-not/506686/9 "2009-08-17T03:31:23Z")
No. Practically speaking, it costs a lot in both money and resources, and doesn’t really accomplish anything. Also, giving the government permission to kill someone who does not pose an immediate threat to anyone is really, really uncomfortable. ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-for-the-death-penalty-or-not/506686/10 "2009-08-17T03:38:33Z")
Definitely not. The government has no more right to kill people than people have to kill people. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-for-the-death-penalty-or-not/506686/11 "2009-08-17T03:41:31Z")
I’m against the death penalty because it doesn’t deter crime and it’s applied arbitrarily and unfairly. Our justice system is not perfect (nor could any justice system ever be, but ours isn’t anywhere close) and that’s too big of a gamble to take when it’s an undisputable fact that mistakes will be made. That said, even though I could never have any part in deciding it or carrying it out, when I hear about a really horrible person being executed, I don’t feel sad about it. But that’s only for truly evil people who seemingly have no humanity at all in them. If someone did a really stupid and bad thing but they’re not sociopathic monsters through-and-through, then it makes me very sad. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-for-the-death-penalty-or-not/506686/12 "2009-08-17T03:52:25Z")
Is this not a Great Debate? I’m for the death penalty for murder. I’m against it for everything else. ---
**Author:** ![Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-for-the-death-penalty-or-not/506686/13 "2009-08-17T03:56:07Z")
I oppose it in all instances. Its imperfections are legion: the death penalty is expensive, effort-intensive, prone to put innocent people to death, discriminatorily-administered, and quite without any real moral justification for its use (usually people repair to vaguely mystical pronouncements such as “if there is no ‘top pillar of justice’ (?!) then there is no justice at all” or similar horseshit). ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-for-the-death-penalty-or-not/506686/14 "2009-08-17T04:25:29Z")
Opposed, but as a practical matter rather than a philosophical one. Too expensive, and too many wrongful convictions. > [@](#): > > I’m a firm believer if there isn’t a “top pillar of justice”, then you have no justice at all. I presume this is supposed to be an argument for the death penalty, since as **K\_G** notes people on the pro-side tend to make incomprehensible philosophical claims like this one. However, it could equally be an argument _against_ the death penalty- the top pillar of justice being the right of appeal and redress, which is obviously somewhat stunted by the the application of death. If it _is_ a pro-death penalty argument, I think life imprisonment is a perfectly sound “pillar of justice”. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-for-the-death-penalty-or-not/506686/15 "2009-08-17T07:34:18Z")
As imposed by the courts? Absolutely not. It’s impossible to apologise to someone who’s dead. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-for-the-death-penalty-or-not/506686/16 "2009-08-17T07:45:41Z")
Not one bit. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-for-the-death-penalty-or-not/506686/17 "2009-08-17T07:49:19Z")
Completely. I’m in favor of death for murder, rape, armed robbery and treason to the country. I think there should be one appeal, and after that, death by hanging. It wouldn’t be expensive if they just did the damn thing in an efficient way. I don’t have any sympathy for felons whatsoever; I don’t think they should be allowed to spend years in “crime college,” raping other inmates, doing drugs and joining gangs, on the taxpayer’s dime. I have a very strong conviction in the idea of a social contract and I believe those who do malicious harm to others have violated this social contract and therefore forfeited all of their rights. I would be happy to see convicted murderers, armed robbers and rapists killed very swiftly. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-for-the-death-penalty-or-not/506686/18 "2009-08-17T07:54:25Z")
> [@antechinus](#): > > Definitely not. > > The government has no more right to kill people than people have to kill people. Quoted because it’s succinct and true. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-for-the-death-penalty-or-not/506686/19 "2009-08-17T07:55:40Z")
People have a right to kill people if the person’s life is being threatened. You realize that, right? If someone breaks into my home with a gun, and I shoot him in the heart with a crossbow and kill him, I am within my rights to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abby_Emma_Sasha)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2009, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-for-the-death-penalty-or-not/506686/20 "2009-08-17T08:11:39Z")
Against in all cases because I believe the government has no business adjudicating death for any citizen. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-for-the-death-penalty-or-not/506686.md?page=2)