The death penalty

[Kannon]

I support the death penalty. Do you?

 

[Kannon]

Okay, so let's discuss this. I believe that there are crimes that cause such a remarkable psychological impact on society, that the perpetrators of these crimes should not live. There are economic arguments for and against capital punishment, but it is my belief that the main question is an ideological one.

 

[SucceededKiller]

Ohhh, this is a better topic.

Well, I don't support the death penalty.

There are 2 reasons for this,

Firstly, I don't believe it is right for anyone to take someone elses life; taking it in revenge is not an exception. The only one I might make is when it is to save another whos life is also in immediate danger.

Secondly, I believe it is an injustice. It's sort of an "escape" from the punishment you could otherwise get. Once you are dead, you're dead and that might make the family of the victims happier knowing the person that killed their "insert relation here" is gone for good, but they were not really punished when chances are their alternative was life imprisonment.

I believe them being locked up for the rest of their lives is much more appropriate as they will have nothing else to do but think about what they did, why they did it and live with that fact until they die or, in some cases, get released as a "changed" person. I realise you also get psychopaths etc who enjoy the idea of killing or whatever but they also tend to have underlying problems, and we should not make killing others a way to get the escape they want.

 

[CommandoBeta]

I do support the death penalty, but only in cases when the evidence is absolutely incontrovertible. It also has to be done without a jury.

 

[BigPinkPig]

Yes

 

[kowalski]

I support death penalty, and I think that that all murder should be dealt with the death penalty like the good ol' days. We should use firing squad, it is relatively painless and as cheap as a bullet. And how about do it publicly? As we learn from the Romans, the crowds love a good execution when times are in turmoil. Great way to take our minds off of the shit that happens in the world. Also, I think rapists should be castrated.

 

[Kn3wn]

I support death penalty, and I think that that all murder should be dealt with the death penalty like the good ol' days. We should use firing squad, it is relatively painless and as cheap as a bullet. And how about do it publicly? As we learn from the Romans, the crowds love a good execution when times are in turmoil. Great way to take our minds off of the shit that happens in the world. Also, I think rapists should be castrated.

In in way form or shape, I disagree. As beta said the only way for death penalty absoloutely the BEST of BEST evidence, not so grusum, just a plain hanging in private, sorry but that is the only way I belive in it, not this medicene(Spellings off today dont mind) crap.

 

[Kannon]

Irrefutable evidence. However, to serve a life sentence under protective custody in the United States penal system is like living a very strict hotel. If the crime is heinous enough, and the evidence strong enough, the perpetrator should be given justice, with death. And if a member of my family is killed, the response will be swift, it will be personal, and I will not allow the justice system to get in my way.

 

[SucceededKiller]

But that could easily become a circle of death...
He kills your family member, you kill him, someone kills you etc etc;
in the end, you have more bodies or people in trouble with the law than was needed by far.

Also, how do you justify doing exactly what the first criminal did, without being just as bad as them?

I believe the only way you will get justice is if you take away many of the things we take for granted. No, prisons are not as horrible as they perhaps were in the past, but they still serve their purpose; keeping dangerous people away from the rest of society and punishing them for their actions. Killing them just provides them with a way to skip all that.

 

[CommandoBeta]

It's a disadvantage that rationalism is in this case often considered 'cold hearted'. However, the truth is that society is better off without certain people. The odds of someone comitting a crime again after having spent time in jail is in most cases very high. If the crime is severe enough, it's very likely that the person comitting the crime is mentally damaged. Comitting these crimes causes extra trauma, which even enlargens the odds of comitting other crimes after the jail period is over. Combine that with the 'jail culture' that is created when people see family members and friends go to jail.

A solution for all of these problems is ending someones life if they comitted an extremely 'bad' crime. It works as a deterrent, and it's way cheaper. In the Netherlands, having someone serve a life sentence can cost up to 5 million euros, depending on certain things, like the age of the person when they go to jail. Putting someone to death is, other than the costs for the trial, which are in fact about as high as for putting someone away for good, much and much cheaper. It's amazing how small the costs are giving someone a lethal shot of some chemical.

I also don't agree with the argument that a life sentence is better because it's more of a punishment. Most people like living. Having to be killed by other people in a prison is a horrible prospect to most people, and arguably just as effective a deterrent as a life sentence. If that is the case, then I don't care if the punishment of death is as bad as being put away for good. If they crime is already commited, then it's no different to me if the perpetrator dies or spends the rest of his life in jail. The one difference is that the latter is much, much more expensive.

 

[Kn3wn]

Does anyone here have the death penalty in their country? I live in Canada and don't have the death penalty, and we never will.

Yeah called America.

 

[SucceededKiller]

No death penalty over here in the UK either.

 

[Kannon]

Commando hit the nail on the head. Some people argue that it costs more to execute an inmate than a life sentence, but that is because a "life sentence" is 35 years. Natural life in prison, especially with a younger inmate can cost much more. And that's also only because the method of execution is lethal injection, which is far too peaceful in the first place. Hanging is cheap, so is firing squad. Out of the blue, did you know that gas chamber is a legal form of execution in three states?

Oh, by the way, I never said that my actions would be just. I simply have an oath of retaliation against anyone who harms me in cold blood.

 

[SucceededKiller]

So these people deserve to die...because it's cheaper?

 

[Kannon]

Yes, look at their crime. Serial killers should die because they do not deserve to live, or have a chance to come back to society.

 

[CommandoBeta]

So these people deserve to die...because it's cheaper?

They deserve severe punishment for what they have done. And like I said in my post, low costs are an argument of using the death penalty as a punishment.

 

[SucceededKiller]

Yes, they should be punished but what form of punishment, death or life imprisonment, should then be decided based on whether it is legal/appropriate. When we start to decide, in a modern society, whether people live or die based on how much it would cost to keep them alive...we have clearly taken a wrong turn somewhere.

 

[CommandoBeta]

Like I said in my post of a couple of days ago, costs shouldn't be the only factor taken into consideration. But it would be naive not to look at that. Something that's kind of related to this; in the Netherlands, some expansive treatments can be denied to old people even if it can extend their life. The truth is we have limited means. Every dollar put into punishing someone, put into doing something bad, can also be spent on something good. Every dollar that's spent on keeping someone in jail for the rest of their life is a dollar that can't be spent on giving people good medical care or proper education.

 

[Mr_Troll_lMan01]

I believe that there is something or someone out there I don't know what, I'm not religious but I think there is a system of good and bad when you die which sums up your life with what you did in it I'm from England and I do not support the death penalty and if someone would of been put to sleep they would face justice from the something out there and go down to some form of hell





Note: I heard in Texas there dropping like flies and have run out of the liquid which puts them to sleep xD

 

[Mr_Troll_lMan01]

Well...Orange County have another problem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUYbu5DJA1U