Posted by Athena on January 4, 2011, 9:56 pm, in reply to "So the next round"
3 dee says: I would almost support the death penalty in cases where it was pre-meditated and it took some thinking and arranging to pull it off.
I do support the death penalty under those circumstances, if it is proven beyond any doubt!
But if someone is bipolar or schizophrenic or has been proven to have mental retardation or be out of his or her mind, then that's a different situation where one was unable to differentiate what was going on.
Once mental illness is proven, they are not usually given the death penalty.
You all seem to share the outrage over the cost of the death penalty - but yet, that's the reality of this unjust system of today. It's not applied evenly and it's not effecient and I argue there IS ZERO DETERRANT EFFECT to the death penalty.
How can anyone prove that statement??? How do you know the number of individuals who DID NOT commit a crime or murder, due to the punishment. I think those statistics just can't be proven.
You say the death penalty does nothing in the way of healing for the victims families?? How do you know?? If my child was murdered, and the murderer was given the death penalty, I would feel relief that no other parent would ever have to suffer at the hands of this criminal.