Death penalty

[birthdayboo]

I don't quite understand the logic of people who want to murder people who have committed awful crimes.

I do understand saying you wish you could, verbalising the anger felt and not literally meaning you would actually carry out a killing yourself.

I don't understand when people swear they would actually kill

One horrific crime doesn't go away because you commit another horrific crime such as murder on the guilty?

I don't understand the death penalty either - I totally agree that life seems too good for some people, however it's still legalising murdering a human being to have the state kill them - so I just can't get my head around murdering someone because they murdered someone. Perhaps some form of voluntary self administered euthanasia being available by prescription to individuals who will never leave prison in their lifetime would be a solution to how much money it costs to house prisoners however it's not even like people get death penalty and it happens soon, they spend ages and have money spent on holding them prior to execution

All I can say is that the law should be:

If you take someone's human rights away and example being a murderer they should then have their human rights taken away by them being euthanised.

Why should a person who has murdered somebody in cold blood be given a second chance. Why? What's the point in keeping people in prison. Just kill them.

People who murder children and rape children should be punished. Be this by the death penalty. I'm all for it.

We can prance around the idea that two wrongs don't make a right. But what happens when they do it agin and again. Why should people have to live in fear because our government can't grow a back bone. I'm all for bringing back the death penalty. And if they ever did I would be happy because I wouldn't have to worry about walking out of my front door and constantly being on high alert Incase some sick individual wants to get their kicks!

Sorry but unless you 've been in the situation that someone you love has been murdered it's all theory.
If it was me who lost a family member I know I would want the most severe justice and punishment for the offender.

I get that it seems just to be like for like ... kill someone, be killed, take away their rights, have yours taken away

However I can't justify someone killing someone as being a moral way of punishing... you have still killed yourself, which is what you are punishing them for...

And we spend tons of money before executing anyone... years and years often in prison, decades even. It's not money saving at all

@recklessruby actually I have. Not immediate family. But loved.

I don’t agree with the death sentence. You can never be sure that in 100% of cases 100% of the time the correct verdict has been reached by any court. Even if that were possible I don’t think it’s right. I don’t consider it civilised behaviour for the state to kill as pay out for the crime of murder. Just look at America, death sentences, and people shooting each other daily- makes not one jot of difference to their crime rate is say.

There are 2 schools of thought re murder,
1, you either are or not capable
2, anyone is capable given certain circumstances

I’m capable. If ANYONE hurt or abused my dc, I swear I would push the button, press the switch etc

I think that the best thing to do to a convicted murderer/rapist/child abuser is to hand them over to the relatives and loved ones of the victim

Plenty of relatives of murdered people are against the death penalty. Forgiveness is generally beneficial for one’s own psychology.

The number of innocent people on death row is quite staggering. If the legal system was fair and impartial then perhaps you could argue a good case for the death penalty but when t isn’t, then you have a massive problem.

The Innocent Project has some good stats and cases on this. Look them up.

Finally: “An eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind.”

I agree with the sentiment but handing over to the relatives would be awful for the relatives... I've wanted to really hurt people in the past. I've been prevented by people from doing so thankfully. Despite what they did being totally understandable to my wanting to hurt them because of it - had I done so I would not only have been a victim but had to live with potentially huge guilt later on and consequences and witness of my own actions.

My dd was MURDERED.
Believe me, the death penalty would be welcome. Every day that bastard is alive is a day to much.

Ain'tnothingbutaheartache I completely agree. I couldn't bear to lose my dc and I wouldn't care what I did to the offender

Hold them for a few days, bullet in the head once. Burn body. Done cheap and saves money in the long run. Plus no more abuse. I guarantee if this was the way, dirty pedophiles would think twice about even looking at a child!

Ino this is about murderers but in my eyes pedophiles are the absolute lowest of the low and they do deserve the death penelty!

I can assure you I would feel no guilt at putting an end to someone who had sexually assaulted and murdered my child

Parkhead paradise so sorry. No words.

Thoughts with you Parkhead

The main arguments in favour of the death penalty are as follows:

1. Cost effectiveness. Cheaper to kill them than keep them in jail for decades
2. Deterrence. Capital punishment is a better detterant than life in prison.
3. Justice. An eye for an eye. Like for like. Life in prison is not a just punishment for taking a life.

A member of my family was murdered. I hate the person that did it and deep down hope that something really nasty happens to them. But I have never believed in the death penalty, never will and awful people and awful acts will never change that. Revenge doesn't take away grief.

So, what about the 1000s of people who have wrongly convicted and received the death penalty.

Also, what if you were the bereaved family member who ripped out the heart of your relative's cold-blooded murderer? Would you then also need to be put to death?

I don't understand anyone who doesn't want it for the most serious of crimes

It’s so they can’t do it again.

"And we spend tons of money before executing anyone... years and years often in prison, decades even. It's not money saving at all"

No 'we' don't if you're meaning uk as there is no death penalty in U.K.

Personally I am anti-death penalty, but for different reasons.

A - it's too damn good for them! Proven by the likes of Ian Brady, Fred west who didn't want to live with public knowledge of their guilt, incarcerated.

B on the VERY rare occasion of innocent people being convicted - you can't reverse a death sentence. You can't give someone years of their life back either but IF they're found innocent then they have a chance of a new life.

C societies with the death penalty tend to have more violence generally.

D it gives certain types more motive to kill victims, not less.

However, I do think sentencing is woefully lenient, that part of the reason there are periodically calls for a return to having a death sentence is because too few of the very WORST perpetrators get true life sentences - which is what was promised when the death sentence was abolished. Now you see murderers released less than 10 years after the crime! That's not right AT ALL.

I also think prisons are not as harsh as they should be. Criminals having access to material goods that decent honest hardworking people can't afford is completely out of order!

Education, physical exercise, therapy, treatment for/help with medical issues, support for learning difficulties, even treatment for addiction I understand and think is acceptable. Keep them busy with work/education etc.

Access to porn, violent computer games - absolutely not on!!

And certain crimes (murder, rape, sexual abuse/exploitation of vulnerable people) should get automatic full life sentence.

Everyone has a right to life, and human rights.
(More) Innocent people would die.
Death by lethal injection is inhumane and painful.
It doesn't deter criminals.
More black people are sentenced to death than white.
Violence breeds violence - murder/violence spikes around executions.
It's not cheaper than imprisonment.

There is no place for the death penalty in a civilised society.

There are no good reasons for it.

Racecardriver - those might be what people say but none of them are true.

I'm so sorry to victims of horrific crimes and their family members for what they've been through

Yes I meant "we" as in human beings (not the UK)

And yes I think it's unfair when victims get left without answers especially due to the guilty taking secrets to the grave

The response of somebody who has lost a relative and wants the death penalty is completely understandable. However, that is precisely why it is not a decision that can be taken with an emotional perspective.

I volunteered when I was younger for a charity working with death row prisoners abroad. It was problematic - there are some people who are so beyond help and lacking in remorse that it is tempting to understand the death penalty. But the vast majority of people sentenced to death had horrific backgrounds or maintained their innocence until the end.

Personally I cannot see that it is ever right as a society to take a life, no matter the crime. Even if everybody sentenced to die were guilty (which tragically is not always the case), we need to be better than that as a society. We also need to appreciate that our understanding of human nature and experience changes - as an obvious example, many people who would have been sentenced to death a century ago would be understood as having severe learning difficulties today.

Finally: “An eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind.”

A stupid saying - if we don't do that, then logically only the criminals will have eyes.