I selected Other. I think the death penalty is hypocritical and waaay beyond the authority of the government. I prefer exile from the clan. You don't have to go home but you can't stay here kinda thing....
I wasn't aware that the firing squad was ever used in the US, but that's interesting.
I voted for hanging, just because it's cheap and relatively quick. I agree to an extent to an above comment. Public execution would probably deter some would-be criminals.
Also, keeping these guys in prison on the taxpayers' dime for decades should be done away with.
I voted for hanging, just because it's cheap and relatively quick. I agree to an extent to an above comment. Public execution would probably deter some would-be criminals.
Also, keeping these guys in prison on the taxpayers' dime for decades should be done away with.
Hanging, nitrogen asphyxiation, and in some cases firing squad would allow for the harvesting and donation of organs.
I'm all for the death penalty for serious crimes (murders, perhaps rapes), with an expedited appeals process and carrying out of the sentence.
I'm all for the death penalty for serious crimes (murders, perhaps rapes), with an expedited appeals process and carrying out of the sentence.
I voted other simply because I believe the method should fit the offense. Some, I would be totally OK with a quick, painless death. Others (molesters), I could see being strung up by their genitalia and being drop-kicked by midgets with forks strapped to their feet.
Utah has it on the books, and I think they've used it. I think they still have it on the books as an option (I think the guest of dishonor gets his choice of exit method). As I recall, they even had a self-execution firing squad; the person to be executed sits on a chair where the rifles are zeroed, and the pressure of sitting, via a series of levers and/or cables and pulleys, fires the fatal shot(s).
Edit: According to Wikipedia, Oklahoma has firing squad as a "secondary method of execution," and is the only remaining state that allows firing squads. Utah apparently outlawed death by firing squad in '04, but it was not retroactive, leaving four death row inmates who could opt for it, and one of them did in 2010.
Last edited:
Oklahoma still has firing squad on the books but it is only a contingent method - the heirarchy is lethal injection, if that is found unconstitutional then electrocution, and if that is found unconstitutional then firing squad.
Utah no longer allows it to be selected as a method of execution - through 2004 they did and after it was revoked they still allowed a "grandfather clause" use if a condemned prisoner had elected that method before it was revoked.
Wow. I wonder if that was more commonly chosen than others.
Yeah, I was editing my answer and got interrupted. They had one choose firing squad in 2010.
I think this was the last use of a firing squad in the US. I remember Gilmore offering to wear a Timex watch so they could hold up his recently dead arm and say "Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin." Timex did not respond to the offer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Gilmore
I no longer support the death penalty for several reasons: Costly to an unbelievable level; Sometimes the convicted person has proved to be innocent of the crime; Closure for victim's family and friends is delayed almost beyond the point of endurance; Humane death is too good for some criminals (prison can be a harsh place to live); and, money talks, and allows rich criminals to walk on occasion. OJ Simpson would be a good example. If you are poor, you are more likely to die for a given crime. If you are a minority, you are more likely to die for that same crime. If you are in Texas,you are 'way more likely to die for a given crime.
I was for many years very much in favor of the death penalty. Given the realities of today's legal system, it just isn't the thing to do. In the alternate realities posted here, sure. Sure of guilt, horrible crimes, limited appeals and hard time limits, etc., fine. But those things are not a reality at this point.
Something else the death penalty is not--a deterrent to others who might commit capital crimes. "It'll never happen to me" or "They won't catch me" are descriptive of why someone else getting executed really doesn't reduce crime.
As to method, punishment is intended as a corrective action. Dead, one cannot correct his or her behavior, so any pain involved in killing a criminal amounts to torture. Is that what we should be about? I say kill 'em quick and painlessly. You would extend that courtesy to a rabid animal, so why not to a human being who is being removed?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Gilmore
I no longer support the death penalty for several reasons: Costly to an unbelievable level; Sometimes the convicted person has proved to be innocent of the crime; Closure for victim's family and friends is delayed almost beyond the point of endurance; Humane death is too good for some criminals (prison can be a harsh place to live); and, money talks, and allows rich criminals to walk on occasion. OJ Simpson would be a good example. If you are poor, you are more likely to die for a given crime. If you are a minority, you are more likely to die for that same crime. If you are in Texas,you are 'way more likely to die for a given crime.
I was for many years very much in favor of the death penalty. Given the realities of today's legal system, it just isn't the thing to do. In the alternate realities posted here, sure. Sure of guilt, horrible crimes, limited appeals and hard time limits, etc., fine. But those things are not a reality at this point.
Something else the death penalty is not--a deterrent to others who might commit capital crimes. "It'll never happen to me" or "They won't catch me" are descriptive of why someone else getting executed really doesn't reduce crime.
As to method, punishment is intended as a corrective action. Dead, one cannot correct his or her behavior, so any pain involved in killing a criminal amounts to torture. Is that what we should be about? I say kill 'em quick and painlessly. You would extend that courtesy to a rabid animal, so why not to a human being who is being removed?
Similar threads
