To ask what you think of the death penalty? (Don’t open if you don’t like talking about death and crime)

[Chancewouldbeafinethlng]

I listened to Adam Buxtons newest podcast episode and found it very interesting.
I’m not sure how I feel about it. On the one hand there are some criminals who I would not piss on if they were on fire, I think they really deserve to die. But then there is always going to be a person who’s job it is to kill that person.
Also there is the risk that someone has been falsely accused and maybe not had a fair trial. How would you ever know?

The episode touched on the method used currently for the death penalty. The woman who was talking was saying how unreliable it is and is basically torture if it doesn’t work. What other methods could be used though?

Sorry I know it’s a very morbid subject but I would be interested in hearing other people’s opinions.

I don’t think the death penalty is the way forward, however I think prisoners need to have no luxuries no TVs etc!
I know of people that have served time and they don’t say prisons are terrible places to be - I think they should be!

I know of people that have served time and they don’t say prisons are terrible places to be - I think they should be!
Depends on your definition of terrible I expect. Being locked up with people many of whom are the dregs would be bad enough for me, telly or not.

Ethelfelda
I do however, wish that convicted criminals could be more useful to society. Either being put to work or used to test new drugs on etc
I agree. I live near an open prison for criminals nearing the end of a long sentence. They offer lots of services to the community including
Car valet
Cafe
Wrought iron garden furniture
Various woodwork available to buy
They also often do jobs like planting flower beds in the community

They did a study to see if it works on reducing reoffending rates but the results weren’t very clear. I support it still.

There is evidence that making prisons a terrible place makes no difference. Treating people harshly makes them have less empathy and social responsibility when they leave. Rehabilitation does make a difference but it's more expensive initially so governments won't pay for it and 'the public' want to see people punished. Therefore it's not a vote winner despite the fact it would actually cost society less.

The death penalty says a lot about you as a society and it's a terrible thing. It also doesn't act as a deterrent so is pointless.

Personally if you did do it, I like the genius idea - a database is kept of all those who voted for it. If there is a miscarriage of justice and someone is posthumously found innocent all those who voted for the death penalty are entered into a lottery and someone randomly picked. That person is then executed as a life for a life. If you are really pro the death penalty and certain that there are no miscarriages of justice and DNA is infallible (it isn't btw -my sister is a forensic DNA specialist) then you would be entirely comfortable with this arrangement.

I don’t think the death penalty is the way forward, however I think prisoners need to have no luxuries no TVs etc!
I know of people that have served time and they don’t say prisons are terrible places to be - I think they should be!

If you're going to take away all the TVs and playstations and anything else that relieves the boredom of being locked up for 20 hours a day you'd better get a hell of a lot more wardens in.

Prisons only provide stuff as an incentive for the prisoners to behave and to maintain control with the minimum of staff.

Btw the murder rate now is not that different to the 1970s. We are just better connected so we hear about it more

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate_by_decade

I’ve studied this and actually, the death penalty does not act as a deterrent. Murder is usually a crime of passion and so the threat of punishment does not weigh in at the time of the act.

The case in which a young man was executed and was later found to be not guilty on appeal (I can’t remember the name of it) is an interesting read and shows why the death penalty isn’t necessarily a good idea.

There is an interesting article from the guardian which cites that around 4% of deaths in the US are miscarriages of justice.

I don’t believe the death penalty is a good deterrent and therefore as a tool for the criminal justice system it’s pretty useless. that says I wouldn’t be sad if they ended the lives of those who have committed really terrible crimes and saved us some taxes

I’m generally against it, however I honestly couldn’t give two fucks whether a sick paedo was hung. They are vile and have no place in society. And quite honestly, if any of the sick fuckers go near my kids, I’ll murder the bastards myself 👍🏻

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/28/death-penalty-study-4-percent-defendants-innocent

Ok, get more wardens in then...
My point is that prison shouldn’t be a doss! They shouldn’t be coming out bigger then they are when they go in! should be having 3 really basic meals a day and nothing other then a bed and toilet in the cell..

You tend to find criminals reoffend...if we made prisons less appealing then it might put them off a bit?

However this is about the death penalty and I’m not for it!

Generally I support the concept of a death penalty. I would reserve it for particular offenses and circumstances particularly repeat or persistent offenders. I would also consider the death penalty for abuse of public or political office.
Prison will always be brutal due to the people in them and the problems they have.
The death penalty is no less brutal than the society we live in where someone can attack you in the street or in your own home, or for that matter where a government can order a military operation resulting in multiple deaths.

I'm not pro capital punishment . I do think life should mean life in some cases. But then they would have little to lose and so there are implications for the safety of prison officers and other inmates. The only pro of the death penalty is the absolute assurance that they will never hurt anyone else.

Using prisoners to test new drugs is a disgraceful idea.

Execution is hardly the hallmark of a civilised society. I'm very glad we don't have it here although I fear it'll be making a comeback once we're out of the EU. I know the Telegraph described bringing back the death penalty as one of the benefits of Brexit. I'm dead against it btw and yes, even if we had an infallible justice system without any bias so nobody innocent was ever found guilty I'd still be against it.

I'm gonna answer then go back and read.

Part of me feels that no one should be able to make the call to kill someone. And I definitely don't think it should be used as a punishment or deterrent.

But, some people will never be rehabilitated and will never be safe to be released into society. So from a safety and cost perspective, wouldn't it be better to just end their lives.

Then I also consider that if you start down that road of thinking, you could end up in a very dark place. So overall I don't think the death penalty is a good idea. But if a prisoner wishes to take their own life that should be an option for them.

I support the death penalty. I think for murder and sexual offences against children it is right. Paedophiles cannot be rehabilitated they believe what they do and want to do is right, why should our children be in danger of these people? Same for anyone that takes a life, they don't then deserve to live themselves do they? An eye for an eye.

I'm 100% against the death penalty.

I do like true crime podcasts OP so have some info on the how.

Regarding lethal injection companies understandably do not want to be associated with providing the drugs used so a lot have stopped providing them. This had led to new 'cocktails' being pretty much trialled on death row inmates. It is barbaric. Additionally doctors cannot administer the injections (due to the hippocratic oath) so you have none professionals doing it.

The electric chair also has it's problems and can result in a painful, prolonged death.

Fwiw (in the USA at least) the only method of execution that has a 100% 'success' rate is firing squad but as this 'looks' barbaric and there's the problem of who is going to do the firing means that it is no longer used (afaik, I think it's still technically available in some states).

I don't think that murder necessitates a death penalty, everyone is capable of killing. I would reserve it for repeat/persistent offenders.

I don't agree at all with capital punishment over the years there have been so many miscarriages of justice.

@Theworldisfullofgs
Thanks for posting that list. Really interesting to compare the murder rate in Northern Ireland in the 70s and 80s to the rest of the UK. I guess that was the troubles?

You tend to find criminals reoffend...if we made prisons less appealing then it might put them off a bit?

No it would just make them more determined not to get caught.

1. It’s not a deterrent, so it doesn’t work.
2. In the US at least, it’s more expensive, not less.
3. One miscarriage of justice is one too many.

I don't agree with the death penalty for reasons others have stated; but I do think a life sentence should mean life in prison, and should be handed out for any serious crime of violence, in particular violence against women and children, including murder.

Albert Pierrepoint ,the last executioner, said he didn't think execution was a deterrent

Few people also consider that a wrongful execution leaves a murderer free to kill again.

The Evans/Christie case being a perfect example.