The Governor of the State of Illinois is currently deciding on what should happen to the remaining inmates on death row in his state. He has less than two weeks until his term ends. The Governor has agreed with top legal experts that the death penalty system in Illinois is severely flawed after it was found that 13 inmates were released under his term because they were found innocent. Too often in the past law enforcement officials and prosecutors have used tainted evidence and, in some cases, coerced confessions to get convictions. This is our chance to get real justice in the State of Illinois. If you agree with me that the Illinois Death Penalty is a raw deal than please join with me and send Governor George Ryan an email at the address below. You will be glad you did.

governor@state.il.us

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
What Does the Bible Teach on this Vital Subject?



1. Instituted by God Himself
Capital punishment was instituted by God Himself after the worldwide flood. We learn of this in Genesis 9:6--"Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man." This verse speaks of a murderer, one who knowingly and violently sheds another man's blood, resulting in death. God here gives man the authority and the right and the duty to put to death the murderer: "by man shall his blood be shed." The reason given for this is based upon the value and sacredness of human life: "for in the image of God made he man." In this case we have justice being carried out according to the rule: "life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth" (Exodus 21:23-24). The penalty should fit the crime. In this case the crime is murder and the penalty is death. Notice that Genesis 9:6 was given to man even before the law of Moses was given.

2. "Thou Shalt Not Kill"?
Capital punishment is not a violation of the sixth commandment which says, "Thou shalt not kill" (Exodus 20:13). The proper translation of this verb is "Thou shalt not murder." See modern translations (such as the NASB, the NIV and the NKJV) and also see Matthew 19:18 in the KJV. All murder is killing but not all killing is murder. Some examples of killing that would not be considered as murder are as follows: a) killing the enemy in war (Bible examples: David killing Goliath, Joshua and the Israelites when they conquered the land); b) a husband, discovering a man about to kill his wife and/or children, protects and defends his family by having to kill the attacker; c) a policeman who kills in the line of duty in order to protect innocent life; d) the person carrying out capital punishment, such as the man who must pull the switch for the electric chair; e) accidental killing, when the killer never intended to take someone's life. We should also note that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will "judge and make war" at His second coming resulting in countless numbers of deaths (Rev. 19:11-20).

3. Crimes Punishable By Death
We are assured that capital punishment is not a violation of the 10 Commandments. This is evident when on Exodus chapter 21 (the 10 Commandments are found in chapter 20). In chapter 21 we learn that God in His law demanded the death penalty for a number of crimes such as murder, kidnapping, cursing parents, etc. See Exodus 21:12,15,16,17. See also Leviticus 20:10-17 for other crimes punishable by death in the law of Moses.

4. The Executioner As God's Servant
In New Testament times we find that capital punishment was still being practiced. In Romans 13:4 we learn that God has given human governments the authority to execute wrath upon evildoers by means of a sword (a common instrument of capital punishment in New Testament days). The Apostle Paul was living in a day when capital punishment w commonly practiced in the Roman empire (quite unlike our day), and yet he does not condemn this practice. On the contrary he describes the person who bears the sword as being God's servant. Thus the one punishing the person who does evil does so in the exercise of God's delegated authority.

5. An Effective Deterrent
Capital punishment, when consistently practiced, is a very effective deterrent to crime. This is because the fear of death is the greatest fear that man has (see Hebrews 2:14-15). Because death is the king of fears, a man will think twice about committing a crime if he knows it will cost him his life. He will be much less reluctant to murder someone if he knows that the worst that could happen to him is to stay in jail the rest of his life with meals provided, television to watch, etc. When swift justice is carried out then "those who remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil" (Deut.19:20). When the right penalty is not executed speedily, then this is an encouragement to crime (see Eccles. 8:11).

6. Cruel and Inhumane?
Isn't capital punishment very cruel and inhumane? Death is usually not pleasant to witness, and certainly those responsible for putting a criminal to death do not have an enviable task. Nevertheless we need to be careful that we do not focus on the criminal and forget about the victim of the crime. Cold-blooded murder is very cruel and inhumane. Forcible rape is very cruel and inhumane. Hijacking an airplane and endangering the lives of many innocent people is very cruel and inhumane. Pushing life-destroying drugs is very cruel and inhumane. In our zeal to protect the criminal we have lost sight of the terribleness of the crime. Regardless of a person's position on capital punishment, all would have to agree that if a murderer is put to death, he will never murder again. It is remarkable that those people who decry capital punishment as being a cruel and inhumane method of destroying people's lives are often the same people who are strongly in favor of abortion rights. Why does a guilty murderer have a greater right to life than an unborn child?

7. Paul's Own Testimony
What did the Apostle Paul think of capital punishment? Did he consider it to be unfair and cruel and inhumane? We have already considered Paul's teaching in Romans 13, but we should also make note of what the Apostle said in Acts 25:11: "If I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die." Paul knew that there were certain crimes that were worthy of death, and he knew that those guilty of such crimes must be executed. If he was guilty of such, then he would not refuse to die. He would submit to capital punishment if he had done deeds worthy of such. Of course, Paul was innocent of any such crimes, and yet he was eventually executed under Nero. For what crime? For preaching the gospel of the grace of God!

8. Bright Barbarians
Even uncultured men know deep down in their hearts that certain crimes demand the deat This is illustrated in Acts 28 when Paul was shipwrecked upon the island of Melita (Malta) where he met a group of kindly barbarians (v.1-2). As Paul was gathering sticks for the fire, a deadly venomous snake bit him on the hand. Normally such a bite would be fatal in a matter of minutes. When the natives saw this they said, "No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet justice alloweth not to live" (v.4). These natives saw what they thought was the penalty (death) and thus they assumed the crime (he must be a murderer). They soon learned that they were mistaken, but the point is that these barbarians had a built in sense of justice and they knew that murderers shld pay for their crime by death.

9. The Testimony of a Thief (Robber)
In Luke chapter 23 we have the honest testimony of a man who was being put to death for crimes he had done. This was capital punishment by means of Roman crucifixion. This man was an evildoer, he was arrested, and he was found guilty of crimes worthy of death. Modern methods of execution are generally very mild and painless as compared to Roman crucifixion. What did this man think of capital punishment? Was he opposed to it? Did he consider it to be cruel and inhumane? Did he think it to be unfair and unjust? Here is his testimony (his words to the other condemned criminal): "Dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds" (Luke 23:40-41). In other words, he was saying, "We are getting exactly what we deserve: death by crucifixion. What we have done is worthy of death!" Before men and before human government most of us are not guilty of crimes worthy of death. However, before a Holy God every one of us needs to recognize that we have done certain things that are worthy of death (see Romans 1:29-32; 6:23a). As the Old Testament says, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4). How thankful we should be that our Lord Jesus Christ suffered the death penalty for us: "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8).

10. The Death of an Innocent Man
If capital punishment is practiced, would not there be times when an innocent man is pronounced guilty and put to death? Yes, this is true. Our judicial system is far from perfect and there are times when the guilty are justified and the innocent are condemned (compare Deut. 25:1). Even without the death penalty, it is true that occasionally some innocent men are sent to prison even for life. We must remember that there is in heaven a true and righteous Judge who sees all and who knows all and who someday will make right all that is wrong and will straighten out all that is crooked. In eternity, all will be corrected (see Luke 16:25 for an example of this). The greatest example of an innocent man being put to death is that of the Lord Jesus Himself, "who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth" (1 Pet. 2:22). The only sinless Man who ever lived was condemned to death by crucifixion! As we think about Christ's death, we must remember that it was for our sins that He suffered and bled and died (1 Cor. 15:3; Rom. 5:8). "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just (the Righteous One) for the unjust (the unrighteous ones), that he might bring us to God" (1 Pet. 3:18). We are the guilty ones who deserved the death penalty (Rom. 6:23), but Jesus paid it all! He died so that we might live (John 5:24)!

At the risk of sounding rude.... Can it, Banky. This is about the death penalty being faulty/flawwed/ineffective, NOT immoral.

First of all, very few of us care what the bible says about capital punishment, and second of all, it's off topic in this thread. Save it for your bible group.

Originally posted by Banky
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
What Does the Bible Teach on this Vital Subject?



1. Instituted by God Himself
Capital punishment was instituted by God Himself after the worldwide flood. We learn of this in Genesis 9:6--"Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man." This verse speaks of a murderer, one who knowingly and violently sheds another man's blood, resulting in death. God here gives man the authority and the right and the duty to put to death the murderer: "by man shall his blood be shed." The reason given for this is based upon the value and sacredness of human life: "for in the image of God made he man." In this case we have justice being carried out according to the rule: "life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth" (Exodus 21:23-24). The penalty should fit the crime. In this case the crime is murder and the penalty is death. Notice that Genesis 9:6 was given to man even before the law of Moses was given.

2. "Thou Shalt Not Kill"?
Capital punishment is not a violation of the sixth commandment which says, "Thou shalt not kill" (Exodus 20:13). The proper translation of this verb is "Thou shalt not murder." See modern translations (such as the NASB, the NIV and the NKJV) and also see Matthew 19:18 in the KJV. All murder is killing but not all killing is murder. Some examples of killing that would not be considered as murder are as follows: a) killing the enemy in war (Bible examples: David killing Goliath, Joshua and the Israelites when they conquered the land); b) a husband, discovering a man about to kill his wife and/or children, protects and defends his family by having to kill the attacker; c) a policeman who kills in the line of duty in order to protect innocent life; d) the person carrying out capital punishment, such as the man who must pull the switch for the electric chair; e) accidental killing, when the killer never intended to take someone's life. We should also note that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will "judge and make war" at His second coming resulting in countless numbers of deaths (Rev. 19:11-20).

3. Crimes Punishable By Death
We are assured that capital punishment is not a violation of the 10 Commandments. This is evident when on Exodus chapter 21 (the 10 Commandments are found in chapter 20). In chapter 21 we learn that God in His law demanded the death penalty for a number of crimes such as murder, kidnapping, cursing parents, etc. See Exodus 21:12,15,16,17. See also Leviticus 20:10-17 for other crimes punishable by death in the law of Moses.

4. The Executioner As God's Servant
In New Testament times we find that capital punishment was still being practiced. In Romans 13:4 we learn that God has given human governments the authority to execute wrath upon evildoers by means of a sword (a common instrument of capital punishment in New Testament days). The Apostle Paul was living in a day when capital punishment w commonly practiced in the Roman empire (quite unlike our day), and yet he does not condemn this practice. On the contrary he describes the person who bears the sword as being God's servant. Thus the one punishing the person who does evil does so in the exercise of God's delegated authority.

5. An Effective Deterrent
Capital punishment, when consistently practiced, is a very effective deterrent to crime. This is because the fear of death is the greatest fear that man has (see Hebrews 2:14-15). Because death is the king of fears, a man will think twice about committing a crime if he knows it will cost him his life. He will be much less reluctant to murder someone if he knows that the worst that could happen to him is to stay in jail the rest of his life with meals provided, television to watch, etc. When swift justice is carried out then "those who remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil" (Deut.19:20). When the right penalty is not executed speedily, then this is an encouragement to crime (see Eccles. 8:11).

6. Cruel and Inhumane?
Isn't capital punishment very cruel and inhumane? Death is usually not pleasant to witness, and certainly those responsible for putting a criminal to death do not have an enviable task. Nevertheless we need to be careful that we do not focus on the criminal and forget about the victim of the crime. Cold-blooded murder is very cruel and inhumane. Forcible rape is very cruel and inhumane. Hijacking an airplane and endangering the lives of many innocent people is very cruel and inhumane. Pushing life-destroying drugs is very cruel and inhumane. In our zeal to protect the criminal we have lost sight of the terribleness of the crime. Regardless of a person's position on capital punishment, all would have to agree that if a murderer is put to death, he will never murder again. It is remarkable that those people who decry capital punishment as being a cruel and inhumane method of destroying people's lives are often the same people who are strongly in favor of abortion rights. Why does a guilty murderer have a greater right to life than an unborn child?

7. Paul's Own Testimony
What did the Apostle Paul think of capital punishment? Did he consider it to be unfair and cruel and inhumane? We have already considered Paul's teaching in Romans 13, but we should also make note of what the Apostle said in Acts 25:11: "If I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die." Paul knew that there were certain crimes that were worthy of death, and he knew that those guilty of such crimes must be executed. If he was guilty of such, then he would not refuse to die. He would submit to capital punishment if he had done deeds worthy of such. Of course, Paul was innocent of any such crimes, and yet he was eventually executed under Nero. For what crime? For preaching the gospel of the grace of God!

8. Bright Barbarians
Even uncultured men know deep down in their hearts that certain crimes demand the deat This is illustrated in Acts 28 when Paul was shipwrecked upon the island of Melita (Malta) where he met a group of kindly barbarians (v.1-2). As Paul was gathering sticks for the fire, a deadly venomous snake bit him on the hand. Normally such a bite would be fatal in a matter of minutes. When the natives saw this they said, "No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet justice alloweth not to live" (v.4). These natives saw what they thought was the penalty (death) and thus they assumed the crime (he must be a murderer). They soon learned that they were mistaken, but the point is that these barbarians had a built in sense of justice and they knew that murderers shld pay for their crime by death.

9. The Testimony of a Thief (Robber)
In Luke chapter 23 we have the honest testimony of a man who was being put to death for crimes he had done. This was capital punishment by means of Roman crucifixion. This man was an evildoer, he was arrested, and he was found guilty of crimes worthy of death. Modern methods of execution are generally very mild and painless as compared to Roman crucifixion. What did this man think of capital punishment? Was he opposed to it? Did he consider it to be cruel and inhumane? Did he think it to be unfair and unjust? Here is his testimony (his words to the other condemned criminal): "Dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds" (Luke 23:40-41). In other words, he was saying, "We are getting exactly what we deserve: death by crucifixion. What we have done is worthy of death!" Before men and before human government most of us are not guilty of crimes worthy of death. However, before a Holy God every one of us needs to recognize that we have done certain things that are worthy of death (see Romans 1:29-32; 6:23a). As the Old Testament says, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4). How thankful we should be that our Lord Jesus Christ suffered the death penalty for us: "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8).

10. The Death of an Innocent Man
If capital punishment is practiced, would not there be times when an innocent man is pronounced guilty and put to death? Yes, this is true. Our judicial system is far from perfect and there are times when the guilty are justified and the innocent are condemned (compare Deut. 25:1). Even without the death penalty, it is true that occasionally some innocent men are sent to prison even for life. We must remember that there is in heaven a true and righteous Judge who sees all and who knows all and who someday will make right all that is wrong and will straighten out all that is crooked. In eternity, all will be corrected (see Luke 16:25 for an example of this). The greatest example of an innocent man being put to death is that of the Lord Jesus Himself, "who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth" (1 Pet. 2:22). The only sinless Man who ever lived was condemned to death by crucifixion! As we think about Christ's death, we must remember that it was for our sins that He suffered and bled and died (1 Cor. 15:3; Rom. 5:8). "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just (the Righteous One) for the unjust (the unrighteous ones), that he might bring us to God" (1 Pet. 3:18). We are the guilty ones who deserved the death penalty (Rom. 6:23), but Jesus paid it all! He died so that we might live (John 5:24)!
First of all the Old Testiment was the law for the Isrealites at the time of Moses. Are we to then say that anyone who works on the Sabath shall die?

He who is without sin let him cast the first stone.

Judge not and ye shal not be judged.

.... Can it, Banky. ... very few of us care what the bible says about capital punishment.... Save it for your bible group.
Yay Igofast! Bible thumpers are always clutterring up discussion with quotes which are useless at persuading anyone who doesn't take the Bible literally. You have spoken for every one of us who is tired of wading through Bible quotes.

I'm personally against the Death Penalty, since I don't like the idea of an inept government which can't balance its own budget having the power of life and death over me.

That said, however, having known criminals and spoken to those who would know, if you set foot in court as the defendent for a criminal trial, chances are that you are guilty - maybe not of what you're being charged with, but you're guilty of something. If you don't want to get charged with murder, my best advice is just to stay clean. With this in mind, I'm not going to stick my neck out to tell the people of Illinois that they shouldn't be executing their felons.

--Mark

Originally posted by Criminal

First of all the Old Testiment was the law for the Isrealites at the time of Moses. Are we to then say that anyone who works on the Sabath shall die?

He who is without sin let him cast the first stone.

Judge not and ye shal not be judged.
The Death Penalty did not come from the Law handed down to Moses, it came from God to Noah, so, this is for the world, not just Israel, so your arguement is false.

Second, the Law was designed to show mankind they were incapable of achieving a good standing with God through their own works and efforts and was supposed to make them turn to God and cry out for mercy, for no one can do all the works of the Law.

Third, this is not a case of a hippocritical person judging another in an unrighteous manner, this is about a clear case of taking someon's life and the penalty God called for in this case, therefore, in your misquote of Jesus, you show you do not understand what Jesus meant. Jesus was speaking of selfish judgements, not judgement in entirety.

4th, even if it was from the Law, there is a clear commandment in the law, THOU SHALT NOT KILL, which literally translated in the Hebrew says THOU SHALL NOT MURDER and the penalty for killing is for the killer to be put to death, therefore, some killing is acceptable, such as in war, and some killing is wrong, such as in murder.

Bacon is not the only thing cured by hanging.
People are entitled to be protected from savage crimes and victims entitled to be avenged.

Originally posted by NachtWolf

Yay Igofast! Bible thumpers are always clutterring up discussion with quotes which are useless at persuading anyone who doesn't take the Bible literally. You have spoken for every one of us who is tired of wading through Bible quotes.

I'm personally against the Death Penalty, since I don't like the idea of an inept government which can't balance its own budget having the power of life and death over me.

That said, however, having known criminals and spoken to those who would know, if you set foot in court as the defendent for a criminal trial, chances are that you are guilty - maybe not of what you're being charged with, but you're guilty of something. If you don't want to get charged with murder, my best advice is just to stay clean. With this in mind, I'm not going to stick my neck out to tell the people of Illinois that they shouldn't be executing their felons.

--Mark
Thanks Mark. The system is indeed flawed and needs to be fixed. End of story.

Originally posted by Banky

The Death Penalty did not come from the Law handed down to Moses, it came from God to Noah, so, this is for the world, not just Israel, so your arguement is false.

Second, the Law was designed to show mankind they were incapable of achieving a good standing with God through their own works and efforts and was supposed to make them turn to God and cry out for mercy, for no one can do all the works of the Law.

Third, this is not a case of a hippocritical person judging another in an unrighteous manner, this is about a clear case of taking someon's life and the penalty God called for in this case, therefore, in your misquote of Jesus, you show you do not understand what Jesus meant. Jesus was speaking of selfish judgements, not judgement in entirety.

4th, even if it was from the Law, there is a clear commandment in the law, THOU SHALT NOT KILL, which literally translated in the Hebrew says THOU SHALL NOT MURDER and the penalty for killing is for the killer to be put to death, therefore, some killing is acceptable, such as in war, and some killing is wrong, such as in murder.
But you see this is the danger of inserting scripture into political arguments. Scripture can be interpreted thousands of ways. This is why there are so many seperate churches out there, each reading the Bible their own way.

But you see this is the danger of inserting scripture into political arguments. Scripture can be interpreted thousands of ways. This is why there are so many seperate churches out there, each reading the Bible their own way.
Certainly! But if you'd been paying attention to Banky's posts, you'd know that his interpretation is the right interpretation. There's a lot to recommend such an attitude, since if anyone ever desires to know what the Bible's final word on any subject is, he need simply log onto DA and ask Banky.

(By the way, Joseph still has two daddies.)

--Mark

Execution is getting rid of troublesome elements of society. The person in question has disrespected whatever rights the other individual had, how then can that person expect to be protected by the same rights that he himself did not care about.

On the other hand you can say an eye for an eye is primitive and doesnt solve anything, but it hasnt much to do with revenge rather than an effective way of handling a problem. The only reason the moral issue is brought in is because no person can hide behind something they do not follow themselves.

Kill them all and let God sort them out;) We cannot possibly judge anyone ourselves, so send them to God immediately for judgement;)

Though to be perfectly honest I'm not sure about capital punishment.

The Governor has agreed with top legal experts that the death penalty system in Illinois is severely flawed after it was found that 13 inmates were released under his term because they were found innocent.

Hey Criminal, can you help me save some time and point out some links that demonstrate their innocence in these circumstances? This has been in the news a bit lately, and I'm a bit interested. I'm wondering though - are they innocent, or did somebody fail on a technicality? Names and crimes would help for further research into whether or not they are innocent, as opposed to failed by the system.

Thanks ----

Originally posted by Criminal

But you see this is the danger of inserting scripture into political arguments. Scripture can be interpreted thousands of ways. This is why there are so many seperate churches out there, each reading the Bible their own way.
You are missing a point. The statement that the death penalty is THE LAW shows the person does not know what they are talking about. ANyone who actually read the Bible knows the deeath penalty came down to Noah first, not Moses, and was never called the LAW>

That is my point, whle it kind of agrees with yours that Scripture can be abused, it also shows then when you actually read what it says, it can be used accurately, and should be used accurately.

The death penalty did not come down to men as part of the Israeli Law, it was given to Noah when he got off the ark, and was therefore a commandment to be for all mankind.

Originally posted by green68stang


Hey Criminal, can you help me save some time and point out some links that demonstrate their innocence in these circumstances? This has been in the news a bit lately, and I'm a bit interested. I'm wondering though - are they innocent, or did somebody fail on a technicality? Names and crimes would help for further research into whether or not they are innocent, as opposed to failed by the system.

Thanks ---- It all depends on who you ask. There is an old expression, nobody in prison is guilty. Obviously many evil people are in prison and I will not say that some killers did not end up on death row without good reason. The problem is that the system is so flawed in Illinois that its hard to tell who is innocent and who is guilty. I do know that Hernaldo Cruiz was convicted of killing Jeanine Nicarico on the testimony of a man he never met in real life who claimed to be an accomplice. Later a honest-to-God serial killer by the name of Brian Dugan confessed to the crime but Dugans word was never taken because the police were afraid to admit they forced a confession out of an innocent man. I also know that Steven Linscott's "dream" confession was all a pack of lies contrived by detectives so desperite to catch a killer, that they turned to the first suspect. They had no other evidence other than Linscott's statement that he dreamed he saw the killer. Linscott never admitted to the crime, only that he had a dream. He went to the police believing his dream would help find the killer. Finally, in regards to Burges' detective work in forcing the confessions from his suspects, torture has never been a solid base for securing a conviction, at least not in the United States.

If you really think the Death Penalty is just, than I still dont think its right to execute people convicted under questionable circumstances.

Originally posted by Criminal
It all depends on who you ask. There is an old expression, nobody in prison is guilty. Obviously many evil people are in prison and I will not say that some killers did not end up on death row without good reason. The problem is that the system is so flawed in Illinois that its hard to tell who is innocent and who is guilty. I do know that Hernaldo Cruiz was convicted of killing Jeanine Nicarico on the testimony of a man he never met in real life who claimed to be an accomplice. Later a honest-to-God serial killer by the name of Brian Dugan confessed to the crime but Dugans word was never taken because the police were afraid to admit they forced a confession out of an innocent man. I also know that Steven Linscott's "dream" confession was all a pack of lies contrived by detectives so desperite to catch a killer, that they turned to the first suspect. They had no other evidence other than Linscott's statement that he dreamed he saw the killer. Linscott never admitted to the crime, only that he had a dream. He went to the police believing his dream would help find the killer. Finally, in regards to Burges' detective work in forcing the confessions from his suspects, torture has never been a solid base for securing a conviction, at least not in the United States.

If you really think the Death Penalty is just, than I still dont think its right to execute people convicted under questionable circumstances.
I will still defend the death penalty, but I sure hoope I don't end up in a situation like the ones you described!

I blame the situation more on the court system being overrun with people who are TOO concerned with prisoners rights, though.

If we treated criminals like criminals, we would have more fear of the law. People who are about to commit a crime, would be thinking twice about it, for they would fear the punishment. This would stop, or at least delay, those who would more or less respect the law. For the case of those who would kill or break the law regardless of the penalty, well, those are exactly the knd of people the death penalty was created for!

As for Police either intentionally blaming the wrong person or in their zeal forcing the wrong person to confess erroneously, those that can be proven to have FORCED, KNOWINGLY, a confession or falsifying evidence against an innocent man/woman, those cops should fry.

There is an old saying now, and that is: Most people in jail are guilty anyways. Too many crimes that ARE murder are plea bargained down to manslaughter or assault, I would venture that i we had a perfect crystal ball, more would be guilty and let go than innocent and fried.

I just hope I am not one of the innocent that is fried. That does nto remove the righteous act of frying the guilty! With our increased abilities in science, we can not only prove people are innocent more often, we can also prove the guilty murderer is a guilty murderer!

ANyone who actually read the Bible knows...

This should read "Anyone who actually read and believed the bible knows..."...

Originally posted by Banky

As for Police either intentionally blaming the wrong person or in their zeal forcing the wrong person to confess erroneously, those that can be proven to have FORCED, KNOWINGLY, a confession or falsifying evidence against an innocent man/woman, those cops should fry.


Thats just it. People want to take the easy way out. Problem with officers is that they are given Carte Blanche in Illinois. They are answerable to no one. This needs to be corrected.

Originally posted by Zaphod Beeblebrox


This should read "Anyone who actually read and believed the bible knows..."...
Right Zaphod, the US is a secular state. We should never forget that.

If you really think the Death Penalty is just, than I still dont think its right to execute people convicted under questionable circumstances.
This is pretty much the heart of the matter as I see it. I love the death penalty, almost as much as the stocks and the gladiatorial arena. But if you can't be fair, consistent, and just about determining who receives a death sentence, you shouldn't give such a sentence out.

--Mark

Originally posted by NachtWolf

This is pretty much the heart of the matter as I see it. I love the death penalty, almost as much as the stocks and the gladiatorial arena. But if you can't be fair, consistent, and just about determining who receives a death sentence, you shouldn't give such a sentence out.

--Mark
Cool Mark, an unexpected ally.