Is the Death Penalty Ever Appropriate?

06/22/2011

2 Comments

 
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The Casey Anthony case- in which a FL mother is accused of murdering her 2-year-old daughter- has been dominating the news recently.  If found guilty, Casey Anthony may face the death penalty. 

This brings up an interesting question: is the death penalty ever appropriate?

This actually breaks down into a few questions:
Is it morally correct to kill someone in punishment for a crime?
If so, for which crimes is it appropriate?  Murder only?  Or other crimes also?
If correct for murder, should it be applied to all murders?  Or only some?
If only some, under what circumstances is it appropriate? 

For most people (and with most moral questions, for that matter) it doesn't end up being a simple "yes" or "no." 

What is your opinion? 
Is the death penalty ever appropriate? 
(If I receive a decent response, I will re-post some reader responses along with a link to your side!)

Sources:
DeMarche, Edmund. (2011, June 21). Prosecutors Raise Possibility Casey Anthony Stole Accidental Drowning Defense From Jailmate. Retrieved from Fox News.

Hayes, Ashley. (2011, June 21). Casey Anthony's Drowning Defense Similar to to Inmate's Story. Retrieved from CNN.  

Thank you to Simon Howden (webpage: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=404) for the use of this photo.
 


Comments

Len link
06/22/2011 09:51

I'm not a great believer in the death penalty. There have been too many instances where innocent people have been killed, especially here in Texas. Yes, I live in the state that leads the nation in killing people. But I look at the folks who are being exonerated by DNA testing after having spent ten or twenty years in prison and I have to wonder how many people we've killed who might have had their innocence proven in the same way. Besides, studies have shown that it is way more expensive for the state to kill someone than it is to keep them in prison for life. If they're in prison for life, we can always let them out if a mistake was made. If we kill them, it's kind of difficult to bring them back.

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Keythoughts
09/16/2011 00:24

I am enjoying reading your blog. I want to start one for myself and I've been looking at styles so mine look halfway presentable.

Here are some of my views on the death penalty. I have thought this topic over for many years.

I am in favor of the death penalty and not just for murders. I think if someone commits a crime against another person and our community that is so heinous that it cuts to the very core of our beliefs in what is humane that person should be considered for the death penalty. But more than that the question needs to be asked, will this person ever become a productive member of society. That is why I say not just murderers but really anyone that commits a violent crime. For example this would even apply to a person that sells top secret information to another country. In this case this crime has the potential of causing violence or the downfall of the security of our country. This person if set free in twenty years will not become a peaceful productive member of our society. Why then should we pay to keep this person alive and protected for the rest of his life? Be done with that person and move on putting that money and assistance towards people who really need it.

Keythoughts

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