The above is a good summary of how I feel about the topic.

Through the gradual erosion of common sense and the pressure of the trial lawyers association, crimes get less and less punishment and the revolving door spins faster and faster. With every revolution the rapist get another chance to ruin someone's life, the pedophile gets another chance to destroy a child's mind, and the lawyer gets another fee. Behavioral which was punished with death since mankind became civilized (at least in some societies) is now treated as a money making opportunity for the legal profession and justice has little to do with the results.

I believe in the death penalty for most major crimes including almost anything where a deadly weapon is used, a child or woman is injured, or a reasonable expectation of repeat behavior is present. For example, any armed escort of a border drug deal should be a capital crime. These scumbags are the ultimate repeat offenders and deserve no place in our society. Pedophiles and serial rapists should be purged.

It is society's form of self defense.

one thing about America, the prison system is privatized now, so the more prisoners, the more money they make from the government... seems stupid, but thats what it is over here...

England did that with Australia, and look what a great country they turned out to be...

Each trial needs to be a case-by-case base. Take the Sex Offender charges, most people that are charged with some type of sexual crime and have served some time will not committee a new sex crime. In the studies I have read, there is less then a 10% chance they will commit a new sex crime.

“Facts and Fiction about Sex Offenders ” @ corrections.com

Take my state; a 16-year-old can legally consent to have sex. A 17-year-old can be charged with a sex crime if they have sex with a 15-year-old even if it is one day before that 15-year-old turns 16. Even if both parties agreed to it. 17, you can be trailed as an adult and that person would be labeled a sex offender and possible pedophile all because the law will not look at anything else. It was not raped, as in no one was forced to have sex. The 17-year-old may spend a few years in jail and get out when they are 22 and end up marring the 15-year-old that is now 20, but may never be able to have a child or if they can, may not be able to take them trick or treating, see their school plays or even graduation.

This is why the death penalty should only be reserved for the worst crimes and person if found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The main problem now with our legal system convicts on emotion not facts. It other words if a person is charged with a crime the we all extremely hate, we assume they are guilty with out looking at the facts. This is why often lawyers try and play on emotion instead of facts.

Remember John Edwards; many people wanted him to go to jail because he was a jerk cheating on his wife while she was sick. Yet the trail was to see if he had misused campaign funds. People tried to use the cheating part as a reason to put him in jail but not the facts if he misused the money. Granted Edwards was a jerk that needs his tails kick but there is no law against being a jerk or 2/3 of us would be in jail now.

It is also an indirect monopoly system as well. The prison and jails can choose what phone service to use. So the inmate have to rely on family in friends to send them money to buy the expensive phone cards from the phone company to call their family without calling collect. Just think if you have a child that was in their late teens or older, just simply accused of something and you have to spend lots of money just to talk with them. After all, visitations are limited to a few minutes for a few days.