executions

I was just reading about this case:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/21/troy-davis-executed_n_975109.html?
and it made me feel so frustrated and sad,
and made me think about how certain people should certainly be eligible for the death penalty,
but even moreso, about those on death row that can't even imagine being put to death for a crime they had nothing to do with...
so if anyone has anything to say about it, this is your chance!
( i just keep thinking of the WM3)

I really don't think death penalty is justifiable in any condition, it's just stupid trying to solve the problem ignoring the causes and they should have learned that a long time ago since killing people is not doing anything to crime rate.

What are they going to do with this case now? Just assume the man was not innocent because he's now dead and they can't afford to admit they killed an innocent man?

i dunno...my thoughts on the death penalty are complicated and maybe confused. some cases where the evidence seems so certain, i would have no problem knowing that person is put to death. and sometimes i think that if someone i love were raped/tortured/murdered, that might be the one instance that would put me in a state of mind that i would want to kill someone with my bare hands...but there are always cases where someone is up for death by lethal injection where there are questionable circumstances and it makes me question everything. i guess my overall opinion would be that, in certain cases where there is absolutely no doubt about the person's guilt, whether that entails admission of guilt and/or DNA proof, whatever, then, i would probly be okay with it. the problem here for me is that too many people are sentenced too way to many years in jail for a tax evasion crime or something like that, and way too many people convicted and admitted to sexually abusing a child are simply held in prison for a few years and released, and go on to rape and murder others...i personally think anyone that is guilty of sexual assault of any kind should be castrated. im overall very liberal and whatnot but...certain things, you can't just serve a prison term for and be absolved of. i think in general therapy over just simple imprisonment. ugh...i just wanna watch "american history x" now...

Sigh... this is a tough one. For the most part, I agree with Steph. If someone I knew was the victim, I don't think I'd have a problem killing the monster myself, and anyone who abuses a child in any way should not simply be confined to a jail cell. It's not enough. I also tend to be pretty liberal, but sometimes I do think the death penalty is justified. Sometimes.

Then there are times like the story linked above. If there is that much doubt, lack of physical evidence, witnesses recanting their testimonies, etc., the execution should not have taken place. The justice system is far from perfect, and this is just one example. Another example, a few years ago my cousin was killed by a drunk driver. Her husband and two young children survived, and the drunk driver was unharmed. The driverwho killed my cousin only got one year in the county jail and gets to live out the rest of her life. In fact, she is already out. How is that fair to my two little cousins who have to grow up without a mom? It's not. I wouldn't have minded at all if that driver had been sentenced to death.

I don't know, this is a topic that I struggle with. On one hand I think it's wrong for people to play God and determine when or how someone will die, but on the other, it really bothers me that rapists, child molesters, and murderers are allowed to live, working out in the prison gym, watching HBO, and getting to communicate with their families when they commited terrible crimes. Maybe there just isn't a right answer to this...

^ i think what you talked about is ...so important. i think most people probably feel like we do...unfortunately, when it comes to our justice system, it's not as nuanced as we would like, but i think many people would probably agree to the death penalty in certain extreme cases, but in other cases where there is much doubt of guilt, people would shy away from that...i think most people would probably agree with that...the problem is that we can't take a vote of every person in the country on every case, and so some people end up with unfair sentences...but i think overall, certain crimes like tax evasion/minor drug-related crimes should not end up with longer sentences than child molesters. and there are certain crimes (like sexual abuses) that require not just jail time, but therapy. it's just so obvious that being in jail does not right a truly sick mind. maybe a few people might learn better from being in jail, people who would have had a chance at a better life had they been born into better circumstances, yeah...but overall, throwing someone into jail for a few years doesn't teach them a better way of life.

i dunno. it's complicated.

i feel for your cousin's children, not having a mother to grow up with... just imagining the relationship i have with my mom, not having that person there as you grow up, that is terrible that they have been deprived of that relationship...i hope they are doing okay.

plugga wrote:

I really don't think death penalty is justifiable in any condition, it's just stupid trying to solve the problem ignoring the causes and they should have learned that a long time ago since killing people is not doing anything to crime rate.

What are they going to do with this case now? Just assume the man was not innocent because he's now dead and they can't afford to admit they killed an innocent man?

i think now that they have executed the person, they will assume justice has been served, unless some forensic evidence can prove his innocence (and even then), they won't admit they may have done the wrong thing.

Thanks for your comments, Steph. My cousin's kids had a hard time for a while, especially her seven year old daughter, but it has been four years now and they are doing much better. With everything that happened in the courts, it just made me think of the justice system in an entirely different (negative) light.

I totally agree with you on the need for therapy, especially for those imprisoned for sexual abuse or child abuse. They are obviously very sick people and need professional help, and just sitting in a cell won't fix anything. It's scary to think of all of the evils out there in the world. It makes me want to protect the children in my life (nieces, nephew, kids I nanny for, etc.) even more fiercely than I already do.