Death Penalty - what is your opinion about it?

[elprincipe]

Typpis said:

As you can see from my signature (and way to write :D) I'm Finn, and we dont have death penalty here. I also expect that 95% from you are from US, and in there... how many it was, in 38 states, you have that terrible human rights pl breach allowed in law. I dont know is it better, but in here we spend lot more money to people that have lost their freedom (= are in jail right now), so in here killing them would be cheper (it is counted). By the way, is it allowed to kill children in US? Just asking, 'cause I dont know that.

FYI there are a lot of Americans who are against the death penalty.  In fact, that number has now risen (according to this study: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/CoC.pdf ) to where we are evenly divided on the subject, and a solid majority feels a moratorium is warranted due to the number of problems that have been revealed with the death penalty (people freed from death row on DNA evidence, for example).  So firstly, keep this in mind when you are considering this issue in the U.S.

Secondly, it is not permitted that children be executed.  On very, very rare occasions of extremely serious crimes (multiple homicide usually) they will try 16- or 17-year-olds as adults and they can face the death penalty.  But these are very unusual cases.

Hopefully public opinon will continue on the trend toward more trepidation with regard to the death penalty, and the number of states that outlaw it will increase, and then hopefully a nationwide ban on what I consider to be a barbaric practice.