11-14-2017, 06:41 PM
Yeah, I agree with you user. I'd like to see the death penalty abolished on a national level at this point too.
Put the criminals convicted of capital crimes in the worst prison units and work them hard -- that suggestion works for me.
Prosecuting capital/death penalty cases takes much longer. It's also much more expensive to tax payers. Plus, the automatic appeals processes associated with death penalty sentences adds even more tax payer expense.
Aside from the financial drawbacks, as you noted, the death penalty isn't a deterrent to murderous criminals. AND, perhaps the biggest drawback for me......juries and judges sometimes make mistakes that come to light years down the line. The government can free prisoners (and compensate them when appropriate) if they're locked up for crimes they didn't commit, but obviously not if the government has already executed them.
For now.........it does seem that juries are less apt to dole out death as punishment, mostly reserving that sentence for aggravated murders where there is no doubt or very slim doubt that the defendant is guilty. That's probably the one positive impact of the CSI effect -- if there's no verified confession, no incriminating suspect DNA, no video tape of the crime......juries seem to be less inclined than they once were to condemn convicts to death.
Put the criminals convicted of capital crimes in the worst prison units and work them hard -- that suggestion works for me.
Prosecuting capital/death penalty cases takes much longer. It's also much more expensive to tax payers. Plus, the automatic appeals processes associated with death penalty sentences adds even more tax payer expense.
Aside from the financial drawbacks, as you noted, the death penalty isn't a deterrent to murderous criminals. AND, perhaps the biggest drawback for me......juries and judges sometimes make mistakes that come to light years down the line. The government can free prisoners (and compensate them when appropriate) if they're locked up for crimes they didn't commit, but obviously not if the government has already executed them.
For now.........it does seem that juries are less apt to dole out death as punishment, mostly reserving that sentence for aggravated murders where there is no doubt or very slim doubt that the defendant is guilty. That's probably the one positive impact of the CSI effect -- if there's no verified confession, no incriminating suspect DNA, no video tape of the crime......juries seem to be less inclined than they once were to condemn convicts to death.