Death penalty....

[CherryokeeXJ]

How do they determine who gets it? I'm watching this show called "Disorder in the Court". Pretty cool show about people going nuts in court. Anyways, one jury decided that a man that killed a woman and her two children got three life sentences, and then some dude in GA killed a four year old boy and was given the death sentence.

I suppose I just don't understand how they determine who gets handed the "You die" card.

[ScaldedDog]

Just read Grisham's The Innocent Man. Very scary, and I'm a death penalty supporter.

Mark

[Gunter]

Just read Grisham's The Innocent Man. Very scary, and I'm a death penalty supporter.

Mark
you can stop all wrongful convictions where the prosecutor lies.......
easily.
let them know,if you lie/suppress evidence,you will soon find your self with those you put away.
i a SO SICK of hearing DNA cases being released,and the DA says"we had the right man all along" when obviously he did not.even with witnesses who said that (guy was innocent) as well.
prosecutors have far too much ego and far too little liability/accountability.

[CherryokeeXJ]

That's always a disturbing thought. Delivering the most severe punishment to someone that's done nothing wrong.

Still though, I don't understand how they determine who gets it.

[Oscar]

its the blind folded chick with the scale

[Loki]

The prosecutor seeks it as the punishment based on the facts of the case, The jury actually decides if the defendant gets that punishment when they deliberate after the case has been presented.

[DaJudge]

That's always a disturbing thought. Delivering the most severe punishment to someone that's done nothing wrong.

Still though, I don't understand how they determine who gets it.
Wikipedia has a pretty good article on capital punishment in the US (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_the_United_States). The short answer to your question from it:

In 1976, contemporaneously with Woodson and Roberts, the Court decided Gregg v. Georgia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregg_v._Georgia), 153 428 U.S. 153 (http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=CASE&court=US&vol=428&page=) (1976) and upheld a procedure in which the trial of capital crimes was bifurcated into guilt-innocence and sentencing phases. At the first proceeding, the jury decides the defendant's guilt; if the defendant is innocent or otherwise not convicted of first-degree murder, the death penalty will not be imposed. At the second hearing, the jury determines whether certain statutory aggravating factors exist, and whether any mitigating factors (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitigating_factor) exist, and, in many jurisdictions, weigh the aggravating and mitigating factors in assessing the ultimate penalty ? either death or life in prison, either with or without parole.

[Oscar]

well that clears it up

[DADA_JEEP]

it's all in the jury and the individual state's sentencing guidlines, it's a messed up system

[Budman]

I think we should do it more often, and speed up the process.

[denverd0n]

...in many jurisdictions...
I think the above is a key element from DaJudge's posting. What it means is that it varies from state to state. There is no one way of deciding that applies universally throughout the U.S.

[jredmond]

I think we should do it more often, and speed up the process.

I agree. Why should my tax dollars go to keeping some POS alive on death row for 25 years. We should do what Texas did and put in an express lane.:D

[SSII]

I agree. Why should my tax dollars go to keeping some POS alive on death row for 25 years. We should do what Texas did and put in an express lane.:D

Now Texass is leading the way in proving those that were found guilty, are now not.
They have had a VERY screwed up system before in the past. The Police and Prosecutors have literally got away with murder for many many years.

There is many factors that have to exit before and during a Murder for it to be 1st degree. Even more actions have to be considered before it will even be considered for a death penalty.

I know personally as we are still going through this Colorado BS.
1st degree, premeditated murder. It is ABSOLUTELY beyond a reasonable doubt. That isn't even a issue.
Colorado absolutely SUCKS as far as getting someone in Court for a death penalty trial. We are almost in year 4 since the Murder and never have we set a step in Court yet to see the Murderer of my Sister In-law face justice. The Liberal layers have successfully kept him out of Court.

I know that when and if we ever get to Court, it will probably be plea bargained down. If not before then. We don't want that. We want him executed. Preferably painfully

The silly part is Liberals always refer to the law as the "Old West" style Justice when it doesn't go their way. If we truly had Old West style justice, this POS would have been hung almost four years ago.

Listen carefully.
There is no justice for the Victims. Plenty of help for the Murderers though. Do everything you can not to be a Victim.

[OFRD_GRL]

I think we should do it more often, and speed up the process.

I definitely think that inmates on death row for 20 years is a little ridiculous....

but then again at the same time.. all they have to look forward to is death.. so nothing would be worthwhile.

but htey are still alive.

i dunno LOL

[jredmond]

I think we should start killing murders that get the death penalty in the same way they kill thier victims. All this "inhumane" stuff is crap. How humane do you think these people were to the victims?

[OFRD_GRL]

I have always felt that way personally.

[Waifer2112]

I think we should start killing murders that get the death penalty in the same way they kill thier victims. All this "inhumane" stuff is crap. How humane do you think these people were to the victims?

Yes! Let's lower ourselves (as a society) to the same degrated behavior as the "scum" we're killing!

Brilliant!

[jredmond]

Yes! Let's lower ourselves (as a society) to the same degrated behavior as the "scum" we're killing!

Brilliant!

I just dont think some sick twisted basterd that caused so much pain in everyone elses life should have a nice peaceful death

[Waifer2112]

I just dont think some sick twisted basterd that caused so much pain in everyone elses life should have a nice peaceful death

Where is it in our laws that we should provide a "peaceful" death? We don't. But we do, so as not to drag ourselves down to the same level of the convicted, provide PAINLESS deaths.

Big difference, IMO.

[jredmond]

how about using them for medical research? That would not be much fun and they would die for a good cause

[Loki]

Yes! Let's lower ourselves (as a society) to the same degrated behavior as the "scum" we're killing!

Brilliant!

Well sometimes to clean up scum you have to get a little dirty.

[ni0h]

One important thing to note in the rash of releases based on DNA evidence. Most of those are not actual exonerations - just invalidations of parts of the cases.
We're not talking about proving them innocent, just showing that there is a shadow of a doubt.

[JKTODD]

I would personally volunteer to torture, maim and ultimately kill-after a few months the sorry sob that killed little Jessica Lunsford in Florida.


But hey maybe that's just me.:)

[Cresso]

Looks like I'm in the minority, but I don't consider justice and revenge to be synonymous.

[denverd0n]

Looks like I'm in the minority, but I don't consider justice and revenge to be synonymous.
I don't know about a minority, but you're not alone.

I am absolutely in favor of using the death penalty under the right circumstances. I am absolutely against using it as some sort of tool of revenge.