Debate: That capital punishment should be introduced?

Question

do u have any idea's for and against this statement??

Answer 1

Yes.  There is a website that is designed specifically for students getting ready for a debate on this topic.  It is at http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article....  It has links to both sides (click on curriculum) and is easy to navigate.  

By the way, El Guapo's answer is terrific.

Answer 2

I supported capital punishment for a long time, but the more I learned about it, the more I came to oppose it. In the end, several factors changed my mind:

1. By far the most compelling is this: Sometimes the legal system gets it wrong. In the last 30 years in the U.S. alone, over 100 people have been released from death row because they were exonerated by DNA evidence. These are ALL people who were found guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt."  Unfortunately, DNA evidence is not available in most cases. No matter how rare it is, the government should not risk executing one single innocent person.

Really, that should be reason enough for most people to oppose it. If you need more, read on:

2. Because of higher pre-trial expenses, longer trials, jury sequestration, extra expenses associated with prosecuting a DP case, and the appeals process (which is necessary - see reason #1), it costs taxpayers MUCH more to execute prisoners than to imprison them for life.

3. The deterrent effect is questionable at best. Violent crime rates are actually higher in death penalty jurisdictions. This may seem counterintuitive, and there are many theories about why this is (Ted Bundy saw it as a challenge, so he chose Florida – the most active execution state at the time – to carry out his final murder spree). Personally, I think it has to do with the hypocrisy of taking a stand against murder…by killing people. The government fosters a culture of violence by saying, ‘do as I say, not as I do.’

4. There’s also an argument to be made that death is too good for the worst criminals. Let them wake up and go to bed every day of their lives in a prison cell, and think about the freedom they DON’T have, until they rot of old age. When Ted Bundy was finally arrested in 1978, he told the police officer, “I wish you had killed me.” Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (the architect of the 9/11 attacks) would love nothing better than to be put to death. In his words, "I have been looking to be a martyr [for a] long time."

5. Most governments are supposed to be secular, but for those who invoke Christian law in this debate, you can find arguments both for AND against the death penalty in the Bible. For example, Matthew 5:38-39 insists that violence shall not beget violence. James 4:12 says that God is the only one who can take a life in the name of justice. Leviticus 19:18 warns against vengeance (which, really, is what the death penalty amounts to). In John 8:7, Jesus himself says, "let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

Answer 3

There are 2 thoughts.  Why should we be the same monstrous people who are putting someone to death because they put someone to death?  It is almost an oxymoron.  However, why should a civilized society keep a person who destroys that very civilized society by killing innocent humans?

Answer 4

It costs more in the USA to sentence someone to death .

Overall the existence of capital punishment does not reduce the crime of murder .

Death is usually an easier choice than being confined for life .

It sends a  message that the people who judge to implement any sort of physical punishment are just as barbaric as the criminals .

Who is excused from punishment murder ? It is all in a context . Soldiers are usually not considered criminals . There are degrees of murder . Capital punishment is also murder . Only Murder in self defence should considered for non punishment . How will we punish the people who sentence a criminal to death ?

The purpose of justice should be to confine (Separate from society) , rehabilitate , and compensate the injured parties .

The "King" concept allows for using criminals for medical research and organ donations if the crime warrants it . This falls under restitution and rehabilitation . As does manual labor .

Answer 5

To support capital punishment:

1. Talk about the nature of a heinous crime as something morbid and planned with malicious intent. Murderers or even rapists tend to plan their killings or to the very least intend to do major harm on their victims. In taking away the fundamental right to life of his/her victim, the criminal also forfeits his right to life.

2. Talk about it as a deterrence to future criminals because they know that they might die if they get caught. Even if their crimes are methodically planned at times, the thought of their lives being in danger if caught plays a role in weather or not they choose to execute their crime

3. Talk about the Government's fundamental role to protect its citizens from such criminals and how that duty extends to killing them to ensure that they can no longer kill/rape again and ensure proper justice is accorded

To go against it:

1. Talk about how criminals need to retain some of their rights in the first place. Debunk the eye for an eye idea.

2. Justify that life imprisonment already compensates for said heinous crime. At least they are locked up under tight security with little chance of escaping.