AIBU to ask whether the death penalty should apply for certain crimes in the UK?

[PenelopeJoanSterling]

Because the topics got mixed up on my previous thread i thought id ask here, for certain types of crime in the uk, would you be either for or against the death penalty for certain crimes and why ?

but if taking life is unnatural to humans then why are humans so willing to fight each other to prove a point or to begin wars etc human history proves that

plus how many people are involved in designing military systems to kill people and that industry is worth £££ and killing is killing just different reasons

“but if taking life is unnatural to humans men then why are humans men so willing to fight each other to prove a point or to begin wars etc human history proves that”

Fixed that for you.

Sally Clark is a good example that could be used to create a decent law. Was there reason to believe that public safety was at risk?

It may rule out the death penalty for some, but keep it open to other specific cases.

Whoever it was upthread who said that murderers and rapists would never be living next to ‘you or me’ so we could ignore that … erm no, I find that rather a silly thing to say. If they get released they have to live next door to somebody. Do you think everyone who gets released is housed in a safe place in the middle of nowhere? They go back home. Maybe with legal restraining orders that matter nothing to anyone with a cause.

The former.

See the latest "I'd do it with my bare hands".

Cool, lock the pair of you in a room and let you go at it. My money's on the convicted murderer

it would be a good psychological experiment to give all women full control of all positions of power and see how the female's handle wars, espionage etc

Ah yes, computers are well known for making autonomous decisions and actioning them. Mine regularly washes the pots while we're all in bed. I really wish it would stop. We can never find the colander once it's done. Windows 10 was much better at putting things back in the right place.

then you should research the latest ai in military tech etc

Not specifically saying anyone on this thread is per se, but usually when I hear people speaking in favour of capital punishment, my immediate thought is that they're probably a bit dim.

Unless you plan on executing people by experimental unmanned drones, which would absolutely draw the attention of the UN and Amnesty International and have us facing financial penalties, you need to explain how a computer can bring someone out of their cell, strap them to a table, set up the hypodermic needles etc if you want anyone to take your claim of "computers will do it" seriously.

https://hbtmkto.honeywell.com/rs/127-UCB-316/images/FuturePrisonsWhitepaper.pdf

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2529849-fully-autonomous-drones-have-killed-human-soldiers-for-the-first-time/

Yes for certain crimes if it was proven that they did it. I know there have been huge miscarriages of justice but in this day and age I think it’s less likely especially with certain crimes.

ie the men that abused that little boy recently…they obviously abused him there’s no question. they deserve the death penalty IMO. They deserve waiting for their death in a horrible prison anticipating their death date

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10892-025-09541-9

Knowing the context to an action helps in getting clarity on why that action happened. It's about facts rather than emotions.

On an individual level, it might or might not be taken into consideration in a trial and sentencing that a person who raped/abused another was themself groomed. On a wider social policy level, it's extremely relevant as a basis for devising policies and protocols that aim to prevent the same things (the abuse, and the grooming) happening again.

That says more about you, than anybody else. It makes you seem lacking in awareness and ready to stereotype people you don’t know.

and do you think the same when people discuss the military after part of their role is killing ?

Why did you post a link to an article which (a) doesn't mention execution, (b) stresses the fact that direct human involvement is key and (c) has nothing to do with the thread - death penalty, merits of - that you started?

No one has argued that taking life is unnatural to humans. Quite the opposite in fact.

Maybe start a political philosophy A level. Analysis of wars - why they happen, what rules govern them, are they ever "just" - figures prominently.

In the meantime, this is your thread. Perhaps try to kerp it on track.

because i didnt read it fully and by then id already posted the link

@PenelopeJoanSterling Have you read any of the articles you linked, or do you just not understand them? The only one that has anything to do with execution is 100% theoretical. The other 2 are about unmanned drones in the military (which still have a human overseeing them) and implementing technology in prisons, such as a computerised visitors register rather than the paper version some prisons are using, and controlling the heating via a central command system, etc.

The technology to do what you propose with executions doesn't exist, and likely never will. Not because we don't have the expertise to build it, but because it would be prohibitively expensive. The cost of designing, building, and integrating a system like this would run into billions.

Unmanned drones built on tech we already have. We don't have any current tech capable of extracting a frightened prisoner from their cell and walking them to the death chamber. We are a long way from that kind of tech being feasible and cost-effective.

I read once about a man who kept a woman imprisoned for years, gave her forced abortions, raped her and even removed her teeth so he could rape her throat more easily. I'd happily give him the death penalty. So yes, in some extreme circumstances, I'm ok with it.

It's never going to be reinstated in the UK
For very good reasons.

We should have a referendum on it. Give the people the choice.

Ain't going to happen.
America has it that isn't exactly working out is it for one of the most violent Societies in the planet.

OP: "You could get a computer to do executions". Statement made to counter a poster's point that capital punishment has too high a cost for the humans involved in carrying it out.

OP posts article link, presumably to back up statement.

Article abstract subheading: Execution by Lethal Autonomous Mechanism: How Anti-Capital Punishment Arguments Might Lead to Automated Executions—and Why Such Automation Must be Prevented.

Article abstract body: However, we argue that while LAMs resolve these specific challenges, they simultaneously generate new ethical concerns. First, LAMs will not eliminate the moral and psychological burden on corrections personnel entirely but rather redistribute it to networks of AI developers, software engineers, and technology professionals who become implicated in state-sanctioned killings through their work...Second, LAMs’ elimination of human presence undermines the exercise of benevolence through sustained interpersonal engagement, from sharing final conversations to offering comfort during an inmate’s last moments. This human connection, which preserves dignity even within a dehumanizing process, cannot be replicated by automated systems and is a further argument against their adoption.

Moral of the story: always read, and understand, the article you decide to link to.

Great research 🤣