[Josh W]

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5) Yes, most families feel better.


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This is a misconception that most people seem to have, so I just wanted to point out that it is not actually true in most cases. Forget for the moment whether or not this should be criteria for or against the death penalty. I am not saying that the families of victims do not seek revenge. Most of them will say they want revenge, closure, etc, and a lot of them think the death penalty is suitable for that. In the Oklahoma City Bombing, for instance, most of the families of the victims said they wanted Timothy McVeigh put to death. They said it was the only suitable consequence. However, once he was put to death, almost none of the families of the victims, even those who were there to witness the execution, said they felt avenged. They didn't say he got what he deserved. Many of them even expressed disappointment that the execution didn't give them the feeling of closure and vengence they wanted. And after a while, when those families were interviewed again, most of them said they didn't feel any better at all. Some even said they felt worse and that it didn't accomplish anything, it only caused another death.

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I didn't read your entire reply, but I agree with you. There was a book written by a death row chaplain in Texas some many years ago. He interviewed slightly over 100 families of victims, and asked if they were happy that capital punishment was used. In over 90% of the cases, the families REGRETTED that the criminal received the death penalty. I'll try to look up that book and add it in here...

Josh