Comments on: Florida Executes Convicted Killer

By: David Huie Green

David Huie Green — Sun, 20 Oct 2013 21:31:08 +0000

REGARDING:
“@David, I understand that the opponents of painful execution might win again and prevent the execution altogether, but that’s why we are in the place we are at now where murders are on death row for 20+ years. No, we should go back to making it VERY painful and something to be AVOIDED and FEARED! When we make execution painless and we take 20+ years to get to it, they don’t fear it. ”

Is the low pain approach or the low chance of timely punishment which encourages killers?

If all killers were sure they would be caught and punished, most would not kill even if the punishment were a mere thousand dollar fine.
Even more would not kill if the certain punishment were five years in prison surrounded by bad people.
Even more would not kill if they knew they would languish in prison for 20 years.

Would they be better stopped by the fear of a minute’s worth of pain or the CERTAINTY of painless death? or even the CERTAINTY of five years in prison? The biggest thing is the hope of not getting caught in the first place, the hope that a jury will turn them loose rather than risk killing the wrong person, the hope that law enforcement people and prosecutors will err so greatly that any conviction will be thrown out.

I’m not overly concerned by whether or not killers suffer but they are more likely to be executed if the constitutional question of “cruel and unusual punishment” does not enter the picture. Put them down humanely.

David for effective justice

By: Everett

Everett — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 06:54:14 +0000

The cost to house, feed, guard, and appeals process cost the tax payers $1,620,000 over 27 years.
A 30/30 round $1.75
A 20 ft new rope $27
We have our priorities in the wrong place.
In china the prisoners family is billed for the Bullet used for execution. There is a 90 day appeal in china. I don’t like buying Chinese goods but I like their judicial system.

By: My2Cents

My2Cents — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 04:18:06 +0000

WOW…27 years of our tax dollars hard at work…PATHETIC! If you take a moment and look at death row inmates you will be shocked at how long most of them have been seating there. SMH!

By: Dennis HE Wiggins

Dennis HE Wiggins — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 02:04:53 +0000

@Mike J ~ You hit the nail on the head regarding the appeals process. That is why I mentioned a judicial reform. As far as quoting Bundy, that came while he was on Death Row with no hope of getting out. He already had been convicted of three murders in Florida and other states were looking to have a shot at him if he ever got out of Florida alive. It seems to me that he, of all people, would be an authority on whether the thought of the death penalty deters one from committing murders. It never slowed him down!

By: perdido fisherman

perdido fisherman — Wed, 16 Oct 2013 22:41:16 +0000

People like this guy shout be hanged immediately after sentencing, this 20+ years on death row is a waste of taxpayers hard earned money. I know there have been some innocents on death row, but the cases where there is no doubt or a confession, those cases should be executed out back of the court room right after sentencing.

By: Mike J.

Mike J. — Wed, 16 Oct 2013 21:21:35 +0000

@Dennis, “it definitely costs the taxpayers more to put one to death than to keep him in prison for life. Maybe what we need is an overhaul in the judicial system.”
-The only reason costs may be higher for execution, if true, is the cost of lawyers and 20+ years of appeals. Yes, overhaul the judicial system and reduce appeals to 10 years or less. Also, I don’t think quoting a murderer is going to help. Why should we believe him since he belonged to a group of people who want to be able to murder?

@David, I understand that the opponents of painful execution might win again and prevent the execution altogether, but that’s why we are in the place we are at now where murders are on death row for 20+ years. No, we should go back to making it VERY painful and something to be AVOIDED and FEARED! When we make execution painless and we take 20+ years to get to it, they don’t fear it. There is today a story of a 71-year-old man who was in prison with appeals for 35 years! He said that since he is 71 he is ready to die and offers no remorse. I usually agree with you but not this time.

By: No Excuses

No Excuses — Wed, 16 Oct 2013 20:35:16 +0000

It may not be a deterrent, but it gets rid of the crazies who are killing people. If a person has been conclusively tied to a crime punishable by the death penalty, then execute them. An eye for an eye. It’s only fair.

By: Terri Sanders

Terri Sanders — Wed, 16 Oct 2013 19:45:35 +0000

Maybe if the capital punishment was meted out in a much quicker way it WOULD be a deterrent. It is not a deterrent now because the average time before an execution is 20 years from the date of sentencing…and there are so few executions done no one really pays attention to them…how can capital punishment be a deterrent if there are so few carried out in a timely manner?

By: BlueBell's girl

BlueBell's girl — Wed, 16 Oct 2013 19:06:05 +0000

Well – here’s a thought lets make the punishment match the crime – substituting HE/HIS for SHE/HER in the quote below would work for me.
“she was beaten, sexually battered and strangled to death with her own clothes”
Seems fair.

By: Dennis HE Wiggins

Dennis HE Wiggins — Wed, 16 Oct 2013 18:06:19 +0000

Capital punishment may not be much of a deterrent, regardless of how humane OR horrible it may be. Ted Bundy said, “My opinion is that the law is, the death penalty is, of absolutely no deterrent value – and I think it’s supported by the recent crime statistics for the state of Florida, which shows that murder is increasing. . . . It does not, will never restore any measure of compensation to the victims’ families or to the state.” (As quoted in Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killer by S.G . Michaud & H. Aynesworth.)

I’m not saying capital punishment should be banned. It is not a deterrent, maybe, and it definitely costs the taxpayers more to put one to death than to keep him in prison for life. Maybe what we need is an overhaul in the judicial system.