Should there be more or less executions in the USA for capital crimes? Is Amnesty International just perpetuating propaganda from the West by “estimating” that China executes thousands? How do they know?
You will find more statistics at Statista
According to a recent report from human rights group Amnesty International, 2015 saw a huge rise in the number of executions globally, the highest total since 1989. At least 1,634 people were executed worldwide with 90 percent of that number occurring in just three countries: Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
That’s excluding China and North Korea where precise numbers are a state secret. However, Amnesty still believes China executes thousands every year, making it the world’s top executioner. Despite the spike in executions, Amnesty reported that there is still some hope with four countries expunging the death penalty for good last year.
I’m torn on this issue. On one hand, I don’t like for the government, especially one in a state of rapid moral decay like ours, to have the authority over life and death. On the other hand, I don’t like using tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars per prisoner to house, feed, clothe, etc. a convicted murderer in perpetuity. Instead of them sitting in a cell to rot or going to the prison gym, watching cable TV, and having a relatively comfortable life (besides the rape, obviously…) I think they should earn their keep. There are many uses for unskilled laborers. The danger in that proposal is if the state can get “free” labor, they’re more likely to look for ways to apprehend “free laborers.” Maybe England had the right idea with an island prison colony far away, today known as Australia. Now that we’re buddy buddy with Cuba again, maybe we can send some cheap labor their way.
Not to worry! There are plenty of Chinese.
I also am torn. But, for different reasons.
My faith in the Amerikan Justice System is approaching zero. Once a prosecutor decides to prosecute it is no longer about “justice” — including finding truth — but, only WINNING. Truth be damned. Any new evidence showing the defendant’s innocence will be suppressed using every legal trick in the book. Copfuks will outright lie, or plant evidence. Experts will be brought in to confuse the jury … and these experts are chosen based on the influence the prosecutor has on them. “I want you to say THIS!”. Evidence in favor of the defendant is very often deemed “inadmissible”. Both sides treat witnesses as scum … as their first step is too sling mud and find anything they can to discredit their testimony. Prosecutorial misconduct is now epidemic … and they suffer ZERO consequences.
The entire thing is a fucking joke. We know this as a fact because groups such as Project Innocence has been successful in exonerating dozens, perhaps now approaching hundreds, of “felons”. And, guess what? Even after being PROVED innocent, there is never a case of a shitfuk prosecutor admitting the State made a mistake. Never.
Therefore, it is hard for me to give the State a blank check to execute.
However, if there is such a thing as “100% unquestionable proof”, then I’m on board for MORE executions. I think — but not sure — that DNA qualifies as such proof.
I can immediately think of one category of criminal who deserves death; child rapists, child killers. If DNA proves they did it, they should be executed within a year of their conviction. No other punishment should even be considered. Premeditated first degree murderers? Same deal. People who say “vote your best interests”? Possibly.
As long as the government and judicial system in the US remains as corrupt and inept as is it I am strongly against the death penalty. Very few people are found guilty beyond what I consider to be a reasonable doubt by this system. When I was on jury duty the supposed offense was minor. The judge wouldn’t let us take notes, wouldn’t let us ask questions before or after the testimony, and wouldn’t let us review the transcripts when we had disagreements about some of the testimony. None of the other people on the jury had even heard of jury nullification and thought I was a crazy cop hater for even bringing up the fact that I thought that the police response to the supposed offense (swearing and flicking a cigarette) was overkill (multiple cops swarmed the apartment balcony, slammed the elderly man to the floor, dumped him head first over the railing into thorny bushes, and charged him with assault and resisting arrest).
Item 2, as long as it costs us more to execute someone instead of keeping them in prison for life I am against the death penalty.
Araven
GREAT job standing up to those asshole jury members! Really.
A bullet costs a couple bucks. Same with a jolt of electricity, or a few ounces of chemicals. Seems pretty cheap to me.
Unless, you’re talking about the appeals process. But, those are sunk costs. Those state lawyers get paid regardless.
It shouldn’t always be about the money. Some evil pedophile shitfuk asshole who rapes a 12 year old girl deserves DEATH … no matter what the cost.
I’m in agreement with the above posters. I have no moral problems with a murderer getting killed in return, but I have a lot of practical ones. I too do not trust this justice system at sll, zero, nada. I don’t trust them to do the right thing with minor offenses such as what a raven listed above, so I damn sure don’t trust them to kill people like that.
Stucky, you’re right, I was talking about the appeals process. I wouldn’t call those sunk costs – If we didn’t have the death penalty and the death row appeals process we wouldn’t need all those special death row prosecutors and judges and court costs. But, if we don’t clean up the judicial system the appeals process is critical because of the number of innocent people on death row. But then again we’re trusting (and paying) the same people who screwed everything up in the first place to “fix” it. I think it’s best to just outlaw the death penalty until we fix the judicial system.
I have no qualms about killing an evil pedophile shitfuk asshole who violently rapes a 12 year old girl, hell I’d vote to torture him first! The problem is how do we decide that is what happened? What if the sex was consensual instead of violent and the 12 year old lied about her age and/or situation? I know someone who thought he was in a loving consensual relationship with a woman who is now in prison for 30 years because it turned out that she wasn’t loving or an adult woman. Admittedly it was bad judgement on his part, but was it 30 years worth of criminal? The current system is totally unreliable. Until the system gets fixed I’d have a hard time finding someone guilty of anything, much less send them to the gas chamber.
I’m really glad that I got on the “assault” jury rather than the murder jury. It’s easy to make a blanket statement that I wouldn’t find anybody guilty because of the corrupt system, but if it’s someone that I know is a guilty slimebucket and should be put away I don’t know what I would do.
As long as we have a bifurcated system of justice, one for poor people, another for rich, then no, we should not have a death penalty. Let’s not forget, O.J. got off because of the “Dream Team”. Nor should we have privatized prisons, the profit motive should not be allowed to enter into our system of justice in any way.
China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan all have lower rates of incarceration than the United States.
Wonder why?
“no matter what the cost.”
It costs about .06 cents when you put it in the hands of an angry father.
America executes the most people without due process – via its military.
“We droned some folks.” ~ Prez. Peace Prize
“Yer either with us or ag’in’ us.” ~ Dubya
I actually sorta agree with westcoaster omg wtf ..
the world is going to end
How can someon so fucked up like west have a coherhent thought ?
Wait I am drinking tequila will look at this again tomorrow I must be massively drunk or something .
whatever
“How can someon so fucked up like west have a coherhent thought ?”
See, cynic, if you’re drunk, then one of West’s thoughts would bust your head wide open.
That’s why I stay sober.