Death Penalty Yay or Nay?

[eleanor]

[QUOTE=Gavin]

[SIZE=1]Lethal injection is actually the most sadistic of all executions in my mind, at least of modern ones, the LI actually stops your lungs before it stops your heart, while paralysing you, ergo you actually suffocate to death without being able to alert people to your predicament. Now regardless of a person's crime, suffocating them while they're paralysed is a really screwed up way to kill anyone.[/SIZE][/QUOTE]

[color=dimgray] Well, the thing is they make you unconscious before everything else happens. That way you don't feel any pain. The most common problems that occur during lethal injections are 1) the vein collapses or 2) they can't find the vein.

I'm sure there are complications at times, but I think it's better than dying slowly in excruciating pain if the electric chair malfunctions.[/color]

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR=DarkOrchid]I?m not sure where I stand when it comes to the Death Penalty. On one hand it seems that by killing others or committing terrible crimes they deserve to die and on the other, making sure they aren?t free to commit more crimes seems like a possible solution as well.

So I don?t know if I favor it or not. I really don?t know enough about what crimes could get the Death Penalty. I suppose that if the law is going to insist on giving others the Death Penalty then I would want it to be the most humane way possible, and from what I?ve read it sounds like lethal injection is the best way as the person is put to sleep first.

I just wish we didn?t need it but it seems that there are those out there who don?t care if they hurt other people. So obviously something needs to be done to keep them from hurting other people.

Interestingly enough, in the brief time I read about it online I discovered lots of arguments as to why the Death Penalty is not a deterrent. But their argument seemed flawed to me since when you think about it, though the law doesn?t stop others from killing people in the first place, it does keep them from killing again. So in a way it really does save lives as those who murdered others are kept from doing the same thing again.

And like my mom already mentioned, life without parole isn?t a definite sentence as criminals have been released even though they were originally sentenced to stay in prison for life. So in that respect the justice system is failing the public by letting them free. Which got me thinking about another point. If the Death Penalty is more expensive than life without parole, then isn?t it even more expensive to let them go anyway and end up with more murders and time spent convicting them for new crimes? I wonder if the figures for deciding how expensive it is take that into account or not. [/COLOR]

[Retribution]

[quote name='sakurasuka][size=1']Capital Punishment isn't ideal, but it's a better alternative than life without parole. When given the two options, life without parole just isn't good enough. And since there really are no other options, CP, while flawed, is the best bet as of yet.[/size][/quote]
[size=1]Then why would it be considered a step forward if the new law would be more flawed than the current? Logically, that would seem like a step backwards.[/size]

[Boo]

[size=1]Death penalty is something truck drivers would allow. It's just as savage as allowing people to own arms.

Oh, and on the topic of [i]how[/i] to kill people anyway: Use a guillotine or axe. It's quick and painless, anyway. If the axe is sharp, that is.[/size]

[DeadSeraphim]

[size=1][color=indigo][font=arial]To people who support the death penalty: In Indonesia, [i]drug trafficking[/i] is an executable defense. Is it really justified in that case? They didn't kill anyone (at least not directly), they merely broke a law that would only result in jail time in other countries. If you take the stance that a government is infallible in its dispension of punishment, does that mean you endorse the Indonesian government killing mere drug traffickers for a crime considerably less than murder?

I don't support the death penalty. I think it's a useless and barbaric way to dispense punishment, and speaks volumes about how the human race will never escape it's savage past. We can put a man on the moon, we can make citrus flavoured tooth paste, but we can't think of a way to deal with (some) criminals apart from murder them. Oi. Luckily, Australia has no death penalty, so I don't have to go picket any time soon. Go me.[/font][/color][/size]

[kyandi]

I don't support it. They'd suffer more locked in a cell, wallowing in solitude. Rapists and murderers should suffer like they made their victims suffer.

[Hanabishi Recca]

To Aaryanna,

Excuse me for my ignorance.

To Death Knight,

Alright, I guess you're right. You should pay the penalty. I also ask for you to forgive me for my ignorance. (I also ask everyone to forgive me because that was pretty stupid :o)

I still wouldn't wouldn't want to go on that penalty. I guess the thing is that I'm not going to kill anyone..

[SunfallE]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][quote name='Hanabishi Recca']I still wouldn't wouldn't want to go on that penalty. I guess the thing is that I'm not going to kill anyone..[/quote]I wish the people who murder would think that way.

I'm not a big supporter of the Death Penalty because the system isn't perfect (and yes I know pretty much nothing is perfect) I just don't understand why someone would murder someone. I can understand self-defense, but just because you either hate them for some reason or are taking something from them, It's just stupid to harm another human being. Makes me wish we had another way to make it impossible for them to ever hurt someone.

Anyway, I agree with what Aaryanna was saying, it may not stop people from doing it in the first place, but if someone is either executed for their crimes or put away for life then it certainly keeps them from ever doing it again. It still seems like a barbaric way to deal with someone though. [/COLOR]

[sakurasuka]

[quote name='Retribution][size=1']Then why would it be considered a step forward if the new law would be more flawed than the current? Logically, that would seem like a step backwards.[/size][/quote]

[FONT=Arial][size=1]It's a step foreward if you are able to find a better alternative.



Noone wants to kill these people, but it's just that it's mostly neccesary and they most definitely shouldn't be allowed the chance to take another breath or laugh another laugh if they'd ripped that right away from another human being.

So. Murdering murderers isn't the best, but allowing them to live is worse. Finding another alternative would be a step foreward.



In my opinion, jail isn't exactly as torturous as people make it out to be. You have food, clothes, TELEVISION for goodness' sake. I mean, why should these people be allowed to continue living thier lives?

Besides, as long as someone is alive they're a threat. As long as they have the ability to move thier limbs, they can escape or get paroled.

[/size][/FONT]

[Retribution]

[quote name='sakurasuka][FONT=Arial][size=1]It's a step foreward if you are able to find a better alternative.[/size'][/font][/quote]
[size=1]But if no better alternative exists, that would not be a step forward. Finding another alternative is a step forward to you [i]once a better alternative is presented[/i]. Until then, the claim makes little sense.

[QUOTE=sakurasuka][FONT=Arial][size=1]In my opinion, jail isn't exactly as torturous as people make it out to be. You have food, clothes, TELEVISION for goodness' sake. I mean, why should these people be allowed to continue living thier lives?

Besides, as long as someone is alive they're a threat. As long as they have the ability to move thier limbs, they can escape or get paroled.[/size][/FONT][/QUOTE]
Imagine you are confined to your house for the rest of your life. [b]The rest of your life.[/b] You can't leave your house and your friends can't come over. You will never go on with your life, and you are doomed to die within your house. Your life has no meaning, and you slowly descend into depression after the first decade inches by.

I think you're not quite grasping the gravity of [i]the rest of your life[/i].

And it's not like the death penalty is a sure thing either. You sit on death row for decades, and if you win an appeal, you're free (or you get life). They don't take you out back and put a bullet in your head once you've been found guilty -- it's a long process, and the probability exists that you won't get the death penalty. Therefore, I don't see it as a valid point.

And they can escape from jail? Unless it's via the legal process, I think you're being unreasonable.[/size]

[sakurasuka]

[FONT=Arial][size=1]

I was trying to answer your question, I didn't make the claim. It makes some sense if you think about it. Capitol Punishment wouldn't be done away with if another better alternative wasn't reached, so until that happens CP is settled for. So, if we were in a position to replace CP with something better, then it would be a step foreward.



And if you [b]kill[/b] someone, you [b]deserve[/b] to be confined for the rest of your life. I'm well aware of what the 'rest of your life' entails. But you only get put in that position if you did something terrible enough to [b]deserve[/b] it.

I think life in prison is a punishment, but not a very good one. Taking the life of another person is worthy of the death penalty because jailtime is the punishment. Once you've killed someone, that's your last strike. You don't get another chance. You don't deserve to live anymore.

But that's only my opinion. If it was up to me, anyone charged with life in prison would get a bullet in the brain rather than take up Earth's recources and space.



And people have escaped from prison before, kiddo. Not likely, but not completely impossible.

[/size][/FONT]

[Boo]

[size=1]Just a small note: If you're dead, you're dead. It's like ...

"You, sir, shall now be killed." [i]Chop[/i]/[i]Zap[/i]/[i]Sting![/i]/[i]Guillotine-noise[/i].

And it's over. There is almost no pain involved. Just the iny tiny bit of fear (and perhaps pain) right before it happens. How does that scare anyone from committing a crime? It does not. Crime does not decrease with death penalty.

I myself would much rather not live, than live for the rest of my life focusing on only the thought to not drop anything slippery. Just a personal opinion, of course.[/size]

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[color=#9933ff][font=lucida calligraphy]I think we should bring back public humiliation. That alone could reduce crime. I mean think of it, you'd be sitting in the stocks or walking around wearing a sign displaying your crime and people would be allowed to point, laugh and throw rotten produce at you.

That said I am on the fence about the death penalty. Yes I believe that if it were in place in more states it would be a deterant to an individual who would otherwise consider commiting a violent crime. But then I think of how violent Texas is and they have one of the highest execution rates in the country.

So I'm still not sure how I feel about the death penalty. I just think that there needs to be something to deter people from becoming violent enough to be considered for the death penalty.[/color][/font]

[Retribution]

[quote name='ChibiHorsewoman][color=#9933ff][font=lucida calligraphy]So I'm still not sure how I feel about the death penalty. I just think that there needs to be something to deter people from becoming violent enough to be considered for the death penalty.[/color'][/font][/quote]
[size=1]For the last time, [B]the death penalty is not a deterrent.[/B][/size]

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[quote name='Retribution][size=1]For the last time, [B]the death penalty is not a deterrent.[/B'][/size][/quote]

[color=#9933ff][font=lucida calligraphy]Well, not for everyone. But one of the accomplisses (Sp?) to this shooting in New York State told the judge that his friend had told him he was going to shoot a troop because New York doesn't have the death penalty. So now the guy shot a trooper, the trooper is dead and this guy is going to cost NYS taxpayers money by watching TV and getting college degrees.

So, who's to say that maybe for some people the fact that there is a death penalty makes someone think twice about commiting a crime. Maybe there would be less rapes if rapist were given harsher penalties as well.[/color][/font]

[Retribution]

[quote name='ChibiHorsewoman][color=#9933ff][font=lucida calligraphy]So, who's to say that maybe for some people the fact that there is a death penalty makes someone think twice about commiting a crime. Maybe there would be less rapes if rapist were given harsher penalties as well.[/color'][/font][/quote]
[size=1]Perhaps it deters one or two people,

[quote name='FBI Preliminary Uniform Crime Report 2002, June 16, 2003']According to the FBI's Preliminary Uniform Crime Report for 2002, the murder rate in the South increased by 2.1% while the murder rate in the Northeast decreased by almost 5%. The South accounts for 82% of all executions since 1976; the Northeast accounts for less than 1%.[/quote]

but the numbers speak for themselves.[/size]

[dog dancing1]

Well I think in stend of just killing them fast and almost pain less. They should execut them slowly or slower. Like depending on the crime the worse it is the slower they die and so if you killed a raped 5 people the kill you slowly with very painful ways for like 30-40 minutes. Then they might think twice about it because how would want to have that happen to them. Well thats my way of thinking for you but some of you might think that I'm mean but if your the on whos getting murdered/raped ect... How would you feel.
Well thats my ~logiK~
:animestun

[Andy]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed]Hmmm....well it's really hard for me to say, because I could say that I oppose it now and would totally agree with it later, depending on my situation. Suppose this man was a mass murderer and killed every one of my friends, would I agree with the death penalty then? Yes. I would, but say he hadn't of, I wouldn't agree as much with the death penalty. But I kinda agree with Gavin on the point he made, it's not right for one man to sentence another man to death.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[sakurasuka]

[QUOTE=Retribution][size=1]Perhaps it deters one or two people,

but the numbers speak for themselves.[/size][/QUOTE]

[FONT=Arial][size=1]I stand by the idea that Capital Punishment is neccesary in those states [i]because[/i] of a higher murder rate. But either one's an empty argument.

Chicken or the egg, people.

[/size][/FONT]

[DeadSeraphim]

[QUOTE=dog dancing1]Well I think in stend of just killing them fast and almost pain less. They should execut them slowly or slower. Like depending on the crime the worse it is the slower they die and so if you killed a raped 5 people the kill you slowly with very painful ways for like 30-40 minutes. Then they might think twice about it because how would want to have that happen to them. Well thats my way of thinking for you but some of you might think that I'm mean but if your the on whos getting murdered/raped ect... How would you feel.
Well thats my ~logiK~
:animestun[/QUOTE]
[size=1][color=indigo][font=arial]Dude, that is sick. I mean, death penalty is usually applied quickly or while they're asleep. You're suggesting having them awake the whole time, and dragging out the process depending on their sins. That is more inhumane than just killing them, that's [i]torturing them to death[/i]. Noone deserves that.[/font][/color][/size]

[Retribution]

[QUOTE=sakurasuka][FONT=Arial][size=1]I stand by the idea that Capital Punishment is neccesary in those states [i]because[/i] of a higher murder rate. But either one's an empty argument.

Chicken or the egg, people.

[/size][/FONT][/QUOTE]
[size=1]It's really not the chicken or the egg.

Capital Punishment has existed for quite a while, and it has done nothing to stop homicide.

[IMG]http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/i/homiciderates.gif[/IMG]

Capital Punishment is obviously doing nothing to stop homicide.[/size]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]I think it?s a pity that the Death Penalty isn?t use more than it already is. If you murder someone then what right do you have to continue living? Especially when criminals who murder can and will murder again given the chance.

I hear all the same old arguments about how it?s revenge about how it?s savage and yet it?s like people are so concerned with their personal image that they don?t care of others end up dead just so we can maintain the illusion that the human race is more civilized. If we were really [I]civilized[/I] then people wouldn?t murder others in the first place.

If someone kills another human being I see no point in turning around and giving them another chance to do it again. It?s like saying here I?m a door mat come and walk all over me again because you missed a spot!

It?s easy to think that the families of loved ones are only after revenge when you yourself have never experienced the horror of realizing that the blood splattered all over your clothes are not yours but the blood of your loved one. That the one pulling the trigger didn?t care if you got in the way of their attempt to kill another person. Wanting the death penalty is about wanting to make sure no one else has to go through what you did, that another life is not ended. That another family does not have to suffer as you did when your loved one was murdered.

It?s easy to think life without parole is the answer, but the justice system is horrible flawed in that criminals often make deals to lesson their charges, or often end up being paroled anyway. And many end up back on the streets and kill yet again.

The death penalty isn?t a deterrent against keeping it from happening in the first place, it?s a deterrent to stop the murderer from killing again. How many innocent people have died because we were too soft and unwilling to deal with those who will kill if given a chance? Our world isn?t perfect and doing away with the death penalty won?t magically make people quit killing. Strengthening the level of prosecution and sentence to keep the killers from getting back on the streets will. And if a murderer is dead, then no one else will die at their hands. [/COLOR]

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[QUOTE=Retribution][size=1]It's really not the chicken or the egg.

Capital Punishment has existed for quite a while, and it has done nothing to stop homicide.

[IMG]http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/i/homiciderates.gif[/IMG]

Capital Punishment is obviously doing nothing to stop homicide.[/size][/QUOTE]

[color=#9933ff][font=Lucida calligraphy]I'm just staring at that graph and noticing that one state that doesn't have the death penalty is not on there, New York. And last year there seemed to be a rise in homicides. Rochester, which is the third largest city in New York state out ranked New York City in 2005. I'm not sure if that has much to do with your graph.

But I think that maybe issuing a curfew (my city is trying that) for minors or employing more police officers may help. Also more after school programs.[/color][/font]

[Gavin]

[quote name='indifference][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue']I think it?s a pity that the Death Penalty isn?t use more than it already is. If you murder someone then what right do you have to continue living? Especially when criminals who murder can and will murder again given the chance.[/COLOR][/quote]

[SIZE=1]Yes... because we all know that no criminal has ever felt remorse for their crimes, or why it is the case that so many criminals before their execution ask for the forgiveness of the family of their victim/s. You've basically stated plainly there that all murderers invariably go out and murder again on their release, typically however, those criminals who do represent a continued threat to society do not make parole, thus keeping them off the streets. In fact I've noticed that nobody has even made reference to parole boards yet.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=indifference][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]I hear all the same old arguments about how it?s revenge about how it?s savage and yet it?s like people are so concerned with their personal image that they don?t care of others end up dead just so we can maintain the illusion that the human race is more civilized. If we were really [I]civilized[/I] then people wouldn?t murder others in the first place.

If someone kills another human being I see no point in turning around and giving them another chance to do it again. It?s like saying here I?m a door mat come and walk all over me again because you missed a spot! [/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[SIZE=1]There is no illusion of civilisation, most people generally strive to become better and that's civilisation in it's purest form. And we do care plenty when someone kills someone else, if we didn't, there'd be no punishment for the murderer, instead they face lengthy prison sentences, or even as the case you're pushing remains, the death penalty. In fact the illusion of civilisation will only be maintained as long as we actively put down our fallen members of society like some kind of rabid animal.

Of course it's far easier to look at someone who's killed as less than human, they're shed whatever right they had to be treated with some semblance of mercy, because you know civilisation is just a facade and behind it we're still the frightened primitives we were a hundred thousand years ago. We punish people for killing, and yet on the other hand say that if someone commits a grievous enough crime, then we're legally entitled as a group to have them executed, that smacks of hypocrisy whatever way you look at it.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=indifference][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue]It?s easy to think that the families of loved ones are only after revenge when you yourself have never experienced the horror of realizing that the blood splattered all over your clothes are not yours but the blood of your loved one. That the one pulling the trigger didn?t care if you got in the way of their attempt to kill another person. Wanting the death penalty is about wanting to make sure no one else has to go through what you did, that another life is not ended. That another family does not have to suffer as you did when your loved one was murdered.

It?s easy to think life without parole is the answer, but the justice system is horrible flawed in that criminals often make deals to lesson their charges, or often end up being paroled anyway. And many end up back on the streets and kill yet again.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[SIZE=1]So what, you're saying that effectively because the criminal didn't care about his victims that we should just put him down in case some fancy lawyer might be able to cut a deal with the police and have him freed after a short stay in one of our more pleasant maximum security prisons ? You do realise indifference that it is often poorer, less educated individuals who end up on death row, as the rich can generally buy their way to a lower sentence, and if these same people can't even get a decent lawyer to defend them, there's a far less significant chance they'll be able to cut a deal with the police for a shorter or commuted sentence.

Maybe we should just allow the family to set the sentence, or better yet, let them carry it out as well. I'm pretty sure we could find new depths to plumb with that option. [/SIZE]

[quote name='indifference][COLOR=DeepSkyBlue']The death penalty isn?t a deterrent against keeping it from happening in the first place, it?s a deterrent to stop the murderer from killing again. How many innocent people have died because we were too soft and unwilling to deal with those who will kill if given a chance? Our world isn?t perfect and doing away with the death penalty won?t magically make people quit killing. Strengthening the level of prosecution and sentence to keep the killers from getting back on the streets will. And if a murderer is dead, then no one else will die at their hands. [/COLOR][/quote]
[SIZE=1]
Again we're back to the treating them like an animal, because they can't possibly learn from what they've done, after all they're savage creatures who's only purpose is to continue to perpetrate a system so draconian and uncivilised that no truly civilised country in the world continues it, and on that note I'll add this dandy little hyperlink to illustrate my point.

[url]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Death_Penalty_World_Map.png[/url]

[[b]Edit[/b]] Another useful hyperlink.

[URL]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Use_of_capital_punishment_worldwide[/URL]

As for whether the death penalty has any effect on crime rates, the tackling of the source of crime, poverty and a lack of education would have a far greater effect, as opposed to us debating the morality of putting our criminals "to sleep".[/SIZE]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR=DeepSkyBlue][quote name='Gavin][SIZE=1']Yes... because we all know that no criminal has ever felt remorse for their crimes, or why it is the case that so many criminals before their execution ask for the forgiveness of the family of their victim/s. You've basically stated plainly there that all murderers invariably go out and murder again on their release, typically however, those criminals who do represent a continued threat to society do not make parole, thus keeping them off the streets. In fact I've noticed that nobody has even made reference to parole boards yet.[/SIZE][/quote]Actually, many criminals who do post a threat do get back on the streets, and they do kill again. The percentage is small, but it does happen. Even though some of them were originally sentenced to life with out parole. And for the record I was not intending to imply that no criminal felt remorse, some do and some do not. To set things straight, I?m referring to the more hard core vicious criminals not those who given a chance would never harm anyone again. [QUOTE=Gavin][SIZE=1]There is no illusion of civilisation, most people generally strive to become better and that's civilisation in it's purest form. And we do care plenty when someone kills someone else, if we didn't, there'd be no punishment for the murderer, instead they face lengthy prison sentences, or even as the case you're pushing remains, the death penalty. In fact the illusion of civilisation will only be maintained as long as we actively put down our fallen members of society like some kind of rabid animal

Of course it's far easier to look at someone who's killed as less than human, they're shed whatever right they had to be treated with some semblance of mercy, because you know civilisation is just a facade and behind it we're still the frightened primitives we were a hundred thousand years ago. We punish people for killing, and yet on the other hand say that if someone commits a grievous enough crime, then we're legally entitled as a group to have them executed, that smacks of hypocrisy whatever way you look at it.[/SIZE][/QUOTE]Then I guess we differ on our opinion as to what we considered civilized. To me being civilized means that we do not take the stand that we are better somehow by not going to their level and killing in return. To me it means we have the courage to make sure those who truly are vicious are dealt with in a manner that insures they will never harm another person again. I suspect that you and I will not agree on this point so I?ll just leave it at that. [QUOTE=Gavin][SIZE=1]So what, you're saying that effectively because the criminal didn't care about his victims that we should just put him down in case some fancy lawyer might be able to cut a deal with the police and have him freed after a short stay in one of our more pleasant maximum security prisons ? You do realise indifference that it is often poorer, less educated individuals who end up on death row, as the rich can generally buy their way to a lower sentence, and if these same people can't even get a decent lawyer to defend them, there's a far less significant chance they'll be able to cut a deal with the police for a shorter or commuted sentence.

Maybe we should just allow the family to set the sentence, or better yet, let them carry it out as well. I'm pretty sure we could find new depths to plumb with that option. [/SIZE][/QUOTE]Actually that?s not correct either, being rich doesn?t mean you can?t cut a deal. Often criminals will get a deal by providing information to the police that they want to know. You don?t need money or a fancy lawyer for something like that. As for the other, yes I do know that the rich often get away with stuff that others do not due to money. A fact that is sad as it just shows even more how uncivilized we really are. Or rather how far we have yet to go to become more civilized.

As for allowing the family to set the sentence, you are misunderstanding me at this point. Though a family can request it, I do not think they should have the right to choose the sentence and carry it out. Just because I support the death penalty does not mean I think we should skip following the legal procedures, everyone is entitled to a trial by peers. [QUOTE=Gavin][SIZE=1]Again we're back to the treating them like an animal, because they can't possibly learn from what they've done, after all they're savage creatures who's only purpose is to continue to perpetrate a system so draconian and uncivilised that no truly civilised country in the world continues it, and on that note I'll add this dandy little hyperlink to illustrate my point.

[url]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Death_Penalty_World_Map.png[/url]

[[b]Edit[/b]] Another useful hyperlink.

[URL]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Use_of_capital_punishment_worldwide[/URL]

As for whether the death penalty has any effect on crime rates, the tackling of the source of crime, poverty and a lack of education would have a far greater effect, as opposed to us debating the morality of putting our criminals "to sleep".[/SIZE][/QUOTE]Not once did I say they can?t learn from their mistakes, and that is my mistake in not being more clear. People who are sentenced to the death penalty have often committed more vicious crimes than others and often a psychological evaluation will show that they should not be back among the regular population. And those are the type of people who will kill again if given a chance.

As for your colorful chart, so nice of you to take the moral high ground of others are more [I] civilized [/I] just because they do not use the death penalty. I could say the same, thank you for giving those wonderful members of society an incentive to come and live in your country as they know they can escape being punished for their heinous crimes. You?ll clothe them, feed them and provide them a nice comfortable little cell so they can live the rest of their lives knowing that on some level they got away with what they did.

You along with so many others are misunderstanding the reason the death penalty is even used. It has never been a tool to reduce crime rates. It is a tool to keep murderers from killing again. And contrary to popular belief, lots of things are being done to help reduce poverty and improve education. But as you already pointed out, many of the more richer members of society just use their money to buy their way out of getting in trouble, so even though they were educated and not poor, they still murdered others. Sounds like a contradiction to me to say that more education and less poverty would help when those who are not poor and have an education murder as well. [/COLOR]