Death penalty

[AllPurposeAtheist]

I'm not opposed to housing rapists and the such completely segregated from other crimes. It's not as if there's a shortage of empty prison space in the US especially after the huge push in the 90s toward the privatization of prisons. We have hundreds of prisons sitting empty here so it would not be difficult to transfer all inmates convicted of such crimes to those facilities and the reason is quite simple, help cut down on inmate rape, but also to keep influences from spreading and it does.

[Shiranu]

It's not as if there's a shortage of empty prison space in the US especially after the huge push in the 90s toward the privatization of prisons.

Eh... ehhhh?

The government has recently been letting people out of prisons because of over-crowding.

[Contemporary Protestant]

If they would legalize pot and make drug use (use not dealing) a less serious offense, then there would be more space

[AllPurposeAtheist]

Eh... ehhhh?

The government has recently been letting people out of prisons because of over-crowding.

In certain places. In others there is an overabundance of empty beds. There are shitloads of prisons sitting empty and abandoned because small towns all over the country were sold on the idea of footing the bill to build prisons on the premise of ever increasing crime rates that didn't happen. https://www.google.com/search?redir_esc=&client=tablet-android-sprint-us&hl=en-US&safe=images&oe=utf-8&q=prisons%20sittingempty&source=android-browser-type&qsubts=1400209754943&action=devloc#hl=en-US&q=prisons+sitting+empty&safe=images&spell=1 If the link doesn't work try googling "prisons sitting empty"

[AllPurposeAtheist]

If they would legalize pot and make drug use (use not dealing) a less serious offense, then there would be more space

There's more than enough space. It cost a shitload of money to keep prisons open and staffed. See above.

[Atheon]

100% against it. Death as punishment has no place in a civilized, enlightened society.

[missingnocchi]

I think the evidence has to be there to justify the death penalty but assuming it is there I am in favor of it. 

The problem with this is, how do we determine who was convicted decisively and who was convicted on shaky evidence? Remember, the sentencing isn't up for public vote, it is up to a single man on a single day. Sure, appeals can be made, but once someone is convicted (rightfully or not) it is damn near impossible to convince some people that they didn't do it, no matter what the evidence shows. Even if your position is morally defensible, it is practically unfeasible.

Edited to change some confusing wording.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

The problem with this is, how do we determine who was convicted decisively and who was convicted on shaky evidence? Remember, the sentencing isn't up for public vote, it is up to a single man on a single day. Sure, appeals can be made, but once someone is convicted (rightfully or not) it is damn near impossible to convince some people that they didn't do it, no matter what the evidence shows. Even if your position is morally defensible, it is practically unfeasible.

Edited to change some confusing wording.

For the vast majority of inmates their lawyer in their case is the public pretender. While the PD's office might help in high profile cases sometimes the vast majority are overworked and underfunded often recent law school grads merely filling in time till they get jobs in private practice or in prosecutor offices that are seldom underfunded and are usually run by elected officials who stay elected by winning cases while the PD is not well funded and not elected so in court the state isALWAYS at a huge advantage and defendants disadvantaged not to mention the public makes the assumption that if you're arrested you MUST BE automatically guilty.
Once arrested most people think there's a presumption of innocence, but if you've ever been arrested you know that presumption is tossed out the window because you go to court in jail clothing so you already have an uphill battle with the state on your back. Once convicted you have no presumtion of innocence, you ARE in fact already guilty so now prove you're innocent as the state machinery wants to put you to death. Even IF you're innocent chances of getting a fair shot at even getting released are 1000000:1 ..

[AllPurposeAtheist]

   Backdoor prison financing schemes,  out of sight, out of mind,  out of public control.
  http://www.justicestrategies.net/publications/2007/doing-borrowed-time-high-cost-back-door-prison-finance