Vanderbilt Law School Death Penalty Debate

[georgeacoustic92]

6:04 You cannot win this debate without that 7up.

[2hafstylezk]

if i was given life in prison i would definantly try to escape and if i couldn't i'd go berserk hurt a lot of people and kill myself. i don't see the point 4 me to be punished for the rest of my life really unless im a siik0 serial killer that runs around eating peoples children or somethin... and as for killing people unless your 150% sure i did it then i shouldn't be sentenced to death

[TheMihong]

ha. everyone gets up and walks out the back emergency door...

[BAavella]

Ken Haas said aaaaaa..... after every sentence or even word he said..

annoing =/

[farah2619]

lol the end is such a teaser

[70scarrestoguy]

Sunsteins point may be accurate & important but I support the death penalty for another reason also. I believe the death penalty is a great tool to permanently remove violent criminals who are beyond rehabilitation from the fabric of society. I'm also tired of my hard earned tax dollars being wasted to house, feed, clothe, educate & guard violent rapists & murderers. Also; I believe that if the death penalty were abolished, more violent criminals would be killed before or while being arrested

[70scarrestoguy]

Sunsteins point may be accurate & important but I support the death penalty for another reason also. I believe the death penalty is a great tool to permanently remove violent criminals who are beyond rehabilitation from the fabric of society. I'm also tired of my hard earned tax dollars being wasted to house, feed, clothe, educate & guard violent rapists & murderers. Also; I believe that if the death penalty were abolished, more violent criminals would be killed before or while being arrested.

[pattydootles]

ken haas is the most glorious man alive.

[pollydad]

I thought that it was an informed debate. Both participants were respectful of each other, and refused to take cheap shots. The arguments were sound and the reasoning well thought out. However, in the final analysis I believe that Mr. Marquis won as he stuck to the point at hand while Dr. Haas digressed on several points. I think that the point not made during the discussion about McVey is that were he still alive he would be discussed, but as he is dead, he is no longer part of the conversation

[coastda]

This was an Oxford style debate.

The people who though one person prevailed went out one door, the others the opposite.

About two-thirds exited the door for Mr. Marquis

[bigcunn711]

@coastda

I was at this debate and this is false. The students were pretty evenly divided. And to the extent there was a discernable difference, it definitely wasn't 2/3, and it definitely wasn't for Marquis. Both men performed very well, but if there was an edge, it was for Haas.

[ab794376]

How many people that are against the death penalty, was excited about the death of Bin Laden? He did not get a fair trial and there was not 100% proof? I am not saying that he did not do it or deserve it but it is just a thought that I have.

[mandrke2004]

@ab794376 And thats exactyly Mr Marquis point. That most people that oppose death penalty are hypocrites. When they are involved in a heinous crime that involves someone they care about, they are gonna vote for death penalty. And in that respect he couldnt be more right. But I do oppose death penalty for moral reasons. To me its supremely contradictory and highly absurd to state that murder is wrong on the one hand while performing institutionalized murder on the other hand.

[JohnathanRS1]

Dr. Ken Haas won no doubt.

Dr. Ken Haas won no doubt.

Joshua Marquis did well, but he never countered Dr. Ken's main argument regarding the human error problem. In order to win, he should of directly attacked that head on especially when he went in the correct direction of, "45k die in the medical field due to human error"

[Kntckyfn11]

they "flipped a dime".........couldnt they splurge & go w/ the quarter!? smh

[Farvai0]

Why do some people get death pentality and others not? It was a case where a retarded woman should hired someone to murder someone. (First female exeution in florida in many years) That was just wrong. She was retarded, then you are not smart engough. But that Texas lady that drowned her three kids, she got away with life in prison untill she dies. WTF?! Someone that has killed one person gets deathsencence, while people thta does worst get just longe time in prison. It is given to wrong people.

[ReviewForReel]

@Farvai0 Andrea Yates, the Texas woman you refer too, A: she killed her five children not three, and B: In 2006 Yates was found not guilty by reason of insanity during her retrial.

[SuperCharlie118]

if someone robbered a store with a gun, and in the robbery they killed the guy running the store and their punishment was death, dont u think they wud kill every person in there that cud identfy them? the death penalty is evil. only because the bible is taught wrongly and ppl beileve in the wrong interuptation of it do ppl still think this is ok, even the pope says its wrong??? how can ppl who follow god say killing is ok when the leader of their religion says its not???

[tripleJ1955]

Career criminals that actually feels at home in prison, will not be deterred from killing by the prospect of serving a life term in a place where they have already spent most of their adult life, while the possibility of execution would surely give them pause before taking a life. Staying alive is one of our strongest instincts & the only people claiming life w/o parole would be worse than being executed are the ones that in all probability, will never face the prospect of being put to death.

[123paigeno123]

@sorrow413 that is THE definition of a cruel and unusual punishment....

In the end who wonn?

[Isthisthelongestname]

So the best country in the world kills its own people....strange country.

[ukrainian83]

EXCELLENT...Haas is extremely knowledgeable!

[nuitaridark]

so who won??

[jonathansee]

Kenneth Haas is a criminal rights person who don't care about victims.

[gooddarkjedi]

@jonathansee he does care about victims. do you think that killing someone who kills a nother is rigth thing to do? whats the use of punishment if its just to search for justice. normal persons dont kill other people. we shuld teach them not kill them.

[sorrow413]

im not sure i believe in killing them i mean what do they learn but at the same time i wouldnt want them in jail eating off the system i think if i could i would just make them suffer suffer so bad so very bad till they where really sorry and i mean hooked on a lie detector and when they finally said they where and ment it than and only than would i end their life.....slowly very slowly

[kbeatty999]

Professor Haas presents a stellar and well thought out death penalty argument. Particularly, the portion addressing the misconceptions about the appeals process. Professor Haas is an excellent debator, not only because of his extensive knowledge of the law and pertinent facts, but also because of his intermix of humor and expression of passion for the subject.

[kbeatty999]

Professor Haas presents a stellar and well thought out death penalty argument. Particularly, the portion addressing the misconceptions about the appeals process. Professor Haas is an excellent debator, not only because of his extensive knowledge of the law and pertinent facts, but also because of his intermix of humor and expression of passion for the subject.

[watermelondude]

Dr. Haas definitely won the debate, hands down. I took one of his courses at U. of Delaware and was amazed at his professional expertise and knowledge on the death penalty. He has also won more teaching awards than any other teacher at the University of Delaware. He really is the best of the best.

[santhi78]

I liked the prosecutor--he spoke well, but he did not present and support arguments in support of the dp--clearly he was thrown by being first.

It was interesting to include the Sunstein point, but intellectually dishonest not to include the larger debate on deterrence surrounding the dp.

[montecarlo402]

Regardless of which side you fall emotionally on this topic, you have to admit that Dr. Haas was best prepared and delivered some strong points.

[afcommerce]

I agree with both comments above. I took his capital punishment class twice at the University of Delaware and would take it again if they let me! Great guy who has his case law down pat, I agree with his position for the same reasons he argues and will most likely take on some capital cases as a lawyer in the future based on what I learned from him. His hair is also indeed outstanding.

[dafromm]

Dr. Haas definitely won. He's the man and deserved the title of best death penalty debater in the world.

[tangerinefields4]

Great debate. Kenneth Haas is a brilliant man with phenomenal hair