Death Penalty - The Right to Choose?

Politics
1

Like most Conservatives, I support the idea of the death penalty for the worst of offender, and like most liberals, I acknowledge the corrupted legal system in this country and the disproportionate convictions.

With people like the mass shooters we immortalize on the cattle feed networks, I just can’t stand the idea of them being allowed to live when they offered no such options to their victims.

This made me remember a case of a (IIRC) man in Utah who demanded to be not only executed, but executed by way of firing squad.

Should convicts be given the right to request execution, and perhaps even the manner in which they are executed?

  • Convicts should be given the right to be executed upon request, but only for crimes that would land them X amount of years or more.
  • Convicts should be give the right to be executed for any crime instead of serving time.
  • Convicts should be given the right to be executed, and have a say in how it’s carried out.
  • Convicts should be given the right to be executed, but have no say in how it’s done.
  • Convicts should not have the right to decide to be executed.

0 voters

2

@Snow96 could you help me with the edit so the poll can function properly?

Thanks in advance.

4

Much better. So anyway, I think they should have a choice. It saves money, carries out justice, and allows for peace with all parties. Win-win.

5

I did it . . . and I didn’t break it!

Better write this one down

6

Perhaps, but every time I revisit this thread, my poll options are checked, but the “Vote Now!” button isn’t greyed out. I keep resubmitting but to no avail. :thinking:

7

nvm, when I click the check results everything is proper.

8

This is an interesting thought exercise.

I am generally against the state and the people executing people. The system is ultimately flawed in the sense that it is not 100% fool-proof.

However if a prisoner wants to be executed and it is proven that he is not being coerced then I could go along with that. He or she could even pick their method.

That said, it’s a dangerous road to go down. Coercion by law enforcement is a real possibility.

I’ll just say that I’m split even though I voted in favor of it.

1 Like
9

I’d be fine with it but most of the school shooters are minors so it wouldn’t apply to them unless you allowed for it to be done retroactively after X number of years in prison for a capital crime.

10

I’m glad I started this thread because I hadn’t even thought of the idea of coercion being in play. That’s a really good point to consider. I suppose there would definitely have to be a checklist of things to cover in order to make sure it’s their decision alone.

11

If they are charged as adults perhaps?

12

I think the supreme court would rule that execution of a 16 or 17 year old that goes in and shoots up a school would be neither cruel, nor unsusual and certainly not cruel and unsusual.

A person should not have the individual right. The way it is now with legislator setting what’s going to happen to the convicted is the way it should be.

13

The SCOTUS has taken a dim view of executing criminals who commit their crimes as juveniles whether they are tried as adults or not.

14

I’d say now’s as good a time as any to refine the legalese in the matter.

15

I’m not sure that’s even possible in the current climate.

16

I dunno man, there seems to be sweeping changes everywhere lately. I’m always overly optimistic though, so there’s that. lol

17

The push back against the death penalty in general has been gaining a lot of ground for the last decade.

18

True, but there is case precedent in which people have successfully demanded to be executed.

19

I actually remember his execution.

The problem today is that the courts are basically declaring all methods of execution we have to be “cruel and unusual” as an end around.

To change that is going to require a major shift at the scotus level and the right case being presented to them.

20

I wasn’t aware that case precedent could be so easily discarded like that. I mean, the precedent is from SCOTUS itself, right? That should still hold quite a bit of weight.

21

It’s taken 40 years and hundreds of death penalty challenges to get us back to this point.

The other tactic at work now of course is the attacks on any of the companies producing the drugs for lethal injection and trying to drive them out of the market completely.