Is capital punishment right?

According to a recent Gallup Poll Tuesday Briefing, U.S. teens are comfortable with the idea of capital punishment. More than three out of five believe the death penalty is morally acceptable, and 52 percent believe it is better than life in prison as a punishment for murder.

This week, Pulse reporters asked Utah teens: "Do you think that the death penalty is morally acceptable? Is it better than life in prison?"

"Life is our greatest possession. Those who take life away from other people deserve to have it taken away themselves."

Chase Pendleton

junior, Copper Hills High School

"I believe the death penalty is wrong because I don't think anyone deserves to die, no matter what. Two wrongs don't make a right, and although someone commits a crime, they shouldn't be put to death. They should have to live with the knowledge of what they did forever."

Haley Sampson

junior, West Jordan High School

"I don't think that the death penalty is morally acceptable because I do not think that society should have the ability to kill."

Jeremiah Chin

junior, West High School

"I agree with the death penalty; it is a good solution. I actually think it should be used more on people who kill."

Matt Coombs

junior, Copper Hills

"I believe it is wrong, because sending someone to death does not give them the opportunity to change as a person, to realize what they have done is wrong. Also, killing someone for killing is very hypocritical."

Lauren Airriess

junior, West Jordan

"I believe that the death penalty is a lot better than life in prison, because prison is already packed as it is, and what are we teaching these guys if we let them live forever in a prison cell with free food, free board, etc., when they just killed someone."

David Haraden

senior, Copper Hills

"I don't think that the death penalty is necessarily acceptable, but it is an economic necessity. However, I do believe that people waiting for decades to die, whether on death row or a life sentence, is cruel."

Michelle Sonntag

junior, West

"The death penalty is not an adequate punishment for murder because it lets them off too easy, while life in prison causes them to think about what they did."

Lauren Endersen

junior, Copper Hills

"A person that is convicted of first-degree murder deserves the same action that he has brought upon others. It is a disgrace that a prisoner has more money spent on him than the average American family makes in a year. Money for prisoners should be redirected towards welfare."

Scott Ruoti

senior, West

"The death penalty is a judgment that should have been around since there has been crime. People say that it's hypocritical to kill a person that has killed, but just think about this for a moment. To give a vague example: You're sleeping, a person invades your home and kills one of your children, someone you love. The police have captured the murderer. Now what would you want done? I know if my child or husband was murdered, I would want the person responsible in a grave."

Gina Rizzuto

sophomore, West Jordan

"The death penalty is wrong because a person doesn't deserve to die no matter what they have done."

Tony Doan

junior, West

"The death penalty, I believe, is morally right. Those individuals are aware of the risk when committing the crime. . . . They know that they will be punished with the death penalty."

Tannon Thompson

senior, West Jordan

Anne Miller is a junior at West High School, Ryan Rieger is a senior at West Jordan High School and Cindy Washburn is a junior at Copper Hills High School. If you are a Utah high school student who has a topic you'd like to see covered in Pulse, please send an e- mail to pulse@desnews.com or write to the Deseret Morning News, attention Susan Whitney.

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