To think if someone raped & murdered my children I would want themto face the death sentence?

[Argos]

Would you?

Is there a specific reason you are inciting a bunfight starting this thread ?

Strangely that is not something I dwell on

Seems like giving them the easy way out to me.

I'd prefer them to live a long and very painful life.

well i have no idea how i would feel if my child had been raped and murdered tbh
i would probably (at a gut reaction level) want to hurt that person a great deal myself

would iw ant them killed? i don't think i would suddenly decide i was for the death sentence no. i don't want them to get out that easily. would rather they had to spend the rest of their life in prison

I hope not. Maybe i would feel that but im glad we have a system that doesnt allow it. I would feel utterly ashamed if i wanted to do to someone else what had been done to me. Thats not the way to make things better in IMHO.

My god. What a question. What has prompted this. What a horrible thought to have in my mind now.

And yes. If someone did that to my children, I would kill them myself. without hesitation or guilt.

Think what you like.

No sorry I am just curious because I know it is considered right wing to support the death penalty, I wouldn't consider myself right wing but would fully support it if there was child rape & murder involved.... Just wondering how other MN's felt and if I was being horribly unreasonable?!

Of course I would, but the point is that I would not be in a rational frame of mind, and would be restrained from demanding eye-for-en-eye homicide.

Can I just say I don't actually agree with the death penalty, just for this.

I think I would want to hurt them alot and probably kill them but i also think its a very good thing we dont allow the family of victims to sentence because of exactly that.

I would want to kill them with my bare hands.

I don't believe in the death penalty, though.

Killing people is wrong, that's why the state shouldn't do it. Of course, if someone hurt DD, I would want dreadful things to happen to them. That's why I shouldn't be in charge. A Court should.

I have no idea how I would feel either. But I hope my principles wouldn't change. Surely if you believe something as a matter of principle, then by definition its something which doesn't alter depending on whether it affects you first hand. I tend to agree that the sort of life a child murderer would live in prison is likely to be far worse than the death penalty anyway. I do agree with a whole life tariff without a chance of parole in the worst cases. And I also think that once basic human rights are met and the prisoner is clothed and fed adequately, the focus should be on education and getting the prisoner to confront the awfulness of their actions. I think prison should be very very tough- 'but in the right way

And that is the difference. I would feel like killing them but if there were put to death well then they should have suffered.

There is a reason parents of murdered children don't make decisions about sentences. It is too emotive.
We live in a civilised country and employ greater minds than ours to deal with these people.

Of course I would want to cut into little pieces anyone who harmed my children but I'm glad I live in a country where I can't.

callmemrs - yes I agree, good post

"Can I just say I don't actually agree with the death penalty, just for this."

why only for this?
if someone raped and murdered your mother then you would be ok with a life sentence
but if someone raped and murdered your child they should be killed?

Obviously I would want to kill them.

But we live in a country which doesn't put justice in the hands of those affected. It's a key feature of law in this country and I'm glad.

Absolutely what TerryPratchett said. If anyone hurt my family I would want to kill them but that doesn't mean I should. I don't believe in an eye for an eye. That's why we have a justice system, and also why sentencing is separate from the trial process itself.

have any of you read "the executioners song" by norman mailer?

i might want to kill them myself, but i believe we are (and should be) beyond revenge killing and that's why justice is handed down by the dispassionate and not by the grieving relatives.

i do not support the death penalty.. (and i'm not sure that raping and murdering a child is any worse a crime than raping and murdering any vulnerable person regardless of age).

Probably which is why I would be a most unsuitable person to make the decision; I;d probably want to throttle anyone I was told was responsible, i doubnt evidence would come into it

Although thinking I might prefer a life of hard labour which is pretty much a decent description of what teh victim's family faces after all. And I hope I would not want to create more victims (murderer's family etc) from teh one already committed