On January 19th of this year Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger allowed the
first death sentence to be served in three years, and the first under
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. That is almost copied straight from a
news site (because honestly if I hadn’t, there’s no way I’d have been
able to spell Arnie’s name!)

Anyway, I recently caught an ad for a movie on Court TV called The
Exonerated. It’s based on true stories of several people who spent
years on death row for crimes they didn’t commit. The original version
was a play which inspired my interest in the subject of the death
penalty. I specifically remember one guy who spent something like 20
years on death row before finally being cleared.

Now before someone jumps all over me: I’m not saying that the guy who
was just executed in California was innocent. But does anyone think
it’s acceptable that even one innocent person could be executed? I
think it’s about time this country joins the rest of the civilized
world and adopts a more humane approach. For those of you still on the
fence on this issue, I’d check out this movie, because if it’s anything
like the play the personal stories will astound you. I think it airs on
January 27 (but check courttv.com just in case I’m wrong). And if you
have thoughts on this issue, I’d like to hear them.

Sylvio

This is why they spend so long on death row and get so many appeals...so that innocent people are so unlikely to actually make it to the last day. If they're innocent, they are more likely to be found so during the appeals process long before it goes that far.

I'm trying to figure out which part of the world you're talking about.

Sorry I do not think the death penalty is used enough. There was a time in this country that we had public hangings. Bet the murder rate then wasn't as high as it is now.

And we're staying with my in-laws right now taking care of my bedridden MIL, and my 89 yo FIL is relating tales to us of when he saw his first lynching at the age of 14. Not a sanctioned hanging, but a lynching by the public.

Almostheaven
I should clarify that I was not talking about people taking the law into their own hands. In the Webster's Dictionary, the word lynch means "to murder (an accused person) by mob action and without lawful trial".
I just have a problem with the murders and child molesters sitting around watching cable, using the internet, and eating better than most. They shold loose their rights when they have been found guilty of such horrible acts.
Used to live in a town where there is a state penitentiary. I watched a few of the guards children. With some of the stories that I was told about the ones on death row and solitary confinement, guards don't get paid enough.

No problem, I understood that. I just found it interested that he recently relayed such a scene to us.

Not only do I agree with the death penalty, but I seriously think we lost a lot when we decided to try and "rehabilitate" rather than "punish". I think if we get back to the chain gangs, no TVs and luxuries, we'd see a decline in crime. And one I could never figure out is why life means 10 to 20. I always thought it actually meant life. I'll never understand it.

By the rest of the world I think the initial poster was referring to the european union where it is illegal to kill people. The US is a member of an ever smaller group of democratic nations which still kills people and I think (IMHO) that it is about time murder was outlawed by nations such as the US, as it is clearly wrong to kill people.

Is it less wrong to force the family of the people the murderer killed to help foot their prison bill via their taxes with the chance that they may one day escape or be released early and go out and do it again to another family?

Again, IMHO killing is wrong full stop, for me money is never a good reason to break that belief. I also believe that killing someone does not reduce the suffering of people that have lost (however, even if it did killing is still wrong).

Not to get off the topic, but I have to ask...

What are your feelings on abortion?