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

The problem with the death penalty is that you end up punishing an innocent family. The perpetrator will be dead, it's their family who suffer

I don't agree with the death penalty, I never have.

Grief is hard, it's utterly brutal and it's even worse when whatever sentence is given feels paltry. When a person kills a member of your family, that person hands you a sentence of life without parole - that loss will always be there. What good can come of handing another family that same sentence?

I've never seen the death penalty as punishment, it's revenge plain and simple.

There are many arguments against the death penalty, but the bottom line is:
Do you think it's acceptable to take the life of another person in an act of premeditated killing? I don't.

I share a lot of the rational objections to the death penalty on this thread, but emotionally I've always felt that death would be too good for people that commit certain crimes. Make people do proper life sentences, never knowing how many years more they'll have to wait to be put out their misery. That's a worse punishment than death for me.

I don't agree with the death penalty. For far too many reasons to list here. Suffice it to say it doesn't make sense on any level: Economic, religious, moral, emotional, etc.

I hate to say it, but the people I know who tend to be pro-death penalty seem to be very black & white people who aren't very empathetic or self aware.

Do you think it's acceptable to take the life of another person in an act of premeditated killing? I don't.

So what about army snipers, they are not killing on the battlefield, they watch targets for days before killing them.

In America why are people on death row for years at huge expense though? Why don't they have a time limit of 6 months for example, by which time if no new evidence is provided by the defence the conviction stands and sentence is carried out?

"they are not killing on the battlefield"

Yes they are. They are subject to laws in the same way as the rest of us.

As I said, I have killed. It was premeditated insomuch as I was constantly fed information up to the event. I know that's a slightly looser interpretation of the word than usually used.

In America why are people on death row for years at huge expense though? Why don't they have a time limit of 6 months for example, by which time if no new evidence is provided by the defence the conviction stands and sentence is carried out?

Little thing called human rights. Evidence has been found decades after conviction that exonerates the person. They've executed innocent people.

Surely no civilised person could believe in the death penalty. It’s barbarism pure and simple.

missusZee

I missed that part of your post, thank you for your service.

The closest I have come is hunting for meat (deer). I didn’t think I could until my first kill, I then discovered that part of the mind where you can compartmentalize your feelings. I personally suspect I could kill a human the same way.

I much rather 100 guilty people go free than 1 innocent person die.

Even if those 100 freed go on to commit further crimes?

If needs must I would certainly kill to protect my family. It’s survival no different to a crow killing a lizard trying to eat its eggs.

And has nothing in common with th death penalty.

Of course if someone close to me were murdered I would want the killer dead. But the point is that society's responses shouldn't be based on my primitive revenge instincts. A society that condemns killing whilst being prepared to kill in cold blood itself is not a society that I want to be part of.

Why don't they have a time limit of 6 months for example, by which time if no new evidence is provided by the defence the conviction stands and sentence is carried out?

Because that would be totally unjust. The evidence that exonerated Lindy Chamberlain and Sally Clark came to light after three years, in Stefan Kiszko's case it was eighteen. It would be intolerable if they had been executed.

So sorry to hear that parkhead I'm totally with you regarding the death penalty.

I lost my DD to cancer, if someone had deliberately killed her, I'd feel exactly the same way - I'd do the deed myself.

💐💐💐

I am sure many people would have been happy to see Stefan Kizko executed for the rape and murder of a little girl at the time of his conviction. But he was later shown to have been completely innocent.

I can understand the emotional reaction that people have to horrific crimes and wanting the perpetrator dead, but I absolutely do not agree with the death penalty. How can you say killing is wrong, it's the worst crime a human can commit, unless we decide it's ok because it fulfils these criteria etc. Emotional reactions to someone hurting my daughter aside, I couldn't be responsible for someone's death. So if I was on a jury where the death penalty was a possibility, I don't know how I could find peace with finding them guilty.

I can understand vengeance

I can't understand state sanctioned vengeance

The law is not sufficiently accurate to ensure you don't kill the wrong person or persons

In general it's a terrible idea

You can’t have a death penalty alongside a fallible and corruptible legal system.

The amount of death row inmates who have brain injuries, learning disabilities or severe mental health problems is astonishing.
It’s disgusting and wrong that the death penalty is still in use in some countries.

The amount of death row inmates who have brain injuries, learning disabilities or severe mental health problems is astonishing.

Not to mention the ones that were severely abused & neglected growing up.

RedneckStumpy, the point surely is that the death penalty is not killing to save anyone's family. It's killing after the event when it won't save anyone. Inasmuch as the killer might be a risk to others, the risk is negated by keeping them locked up.

Justice should be about protecting the public and rehabilitation, not revenge. It needs to be unemotional and cold.

I was listening to a radio programme last night - a download so not sure when it was broadcast: Mark Thomas's Manifesto. Ideas for law changes get debated and this very one came up. There was a twist which I think would work - death penalty on an opt-in only basis.

At the age of 21 you get to decide whether you have such complete trust in our criminal and judicial system that they would never make a mistake. Then if there is a murder and both the victim and the accused opted in then fine, death penalty it is.

One opted in and one opted out - then death still possible but only if there isn't a shadow of a doubt. Absolute certainty required.

Both opted out - no death penalty.

If accused under 21 then no death penalty by default.

If victim under 21 then the opt-in status of their parents is used.

Personally I think the ancient law of Israel was reasonably just on this: death penalty only if two independent and reliable witnesses actually saw the murderer do it. If no one saw exactly what happened then you just can't be sufficiently certain and without certainty the death penalty is not appropriate.

I would rather 10,000 murderers live out their days in prison at the tax payer's expense than that one innocent person should be executed for a crime they didn't commit.

I don’t have strong feelings about bringing in the death penalty. It’s not an issue I care about, but that goes both ways. I don’t see that impsrisomment is more humane than death, that surely depends on the individual convict, and their personal and cultural views about such things.