"I'm very, very sorry ... "

[jihad]

Just put the little bastard in prison until he reachs the age of 18 THEN fry his bellybutton since he's considered an adult.  

[mrfish]

Eagler wrote:

"It should be, you commit this crime, you do this time/sentence. Crime X = Sentence Y. Period. Takes that whole human emotional crud out of the equation."

this brazill case was crap, but if you did what you suggest above we would have to get rid of things like second degree murder which have a lot to do with the emotional state of the accused.

under your proposal, if you killed some guy fist fighting over an argument in a bar on accident you would get the same time as a guy who planned a homicide.

the law is there to punish the guy who killed in a fit of rage and regrets it, less severely than the guy who planned it out coldly and is satisfied with his work.

it's not like they get off they just get less time - so the punishment fits the crime better.

in this case the defendant's 'crocodile regret' shouldn't matter because of the nature of his crime. he can't cool down in the time it takes to walk home and get a pistol then he should be kept out of society whether he regrets it or not- in other cases i think it should be considered.

[SOB]

Where did I say children that young were responsible enough to be safe with a handgun?  I said they're old enough to know the consequences of shooting someone in the face.  How does one translate to the other?

I stated my opinion several times...look up to my responce to BeTown for a summary.  Add to that the fact that I wouldn't be opposed to the kid waiting until his 18th birthday to face excecution, and that's all there is.  I'm not really interested in following you off on your tangent anymore.


SOB

[SOB]

I follow ya Fishy, but you could just modify it a little to make it workable I think.  Crime W + Intent X + Circumstances Y = Sentence Z.  There are already laws for mandatory sentencing like this; race-related crimes as an example.  Of course, there will always be some things left up for interpretation by a judge, but it'd be nice for a criminal to know that his plans for murder should include being executed if he is caught.


SOB

[StSanta]

One thing worth considering about the death penalty.

Consider the case of someone killing intentionally or by some mistake, another person. Say a drug deal gone bad, or some similar affair that makes it possible for the guy who did it tyo be considered as having done it intentionally.

This guy now knows that society is out to seek and destroy him. There is no way out, there is nothing to do. Except fight for your life to try to stay alive as long as possible.

You'll die if caught anyhow, so what does a few more deaths mean? Not one thing. In desperation, you'd do anything to try to preserve your life - including trying to kill cops or anyone that get in your way.

Should the criminal ahve thought of it beforehand? Yes. Are people rational all the time? no, and especially not criminals or people with a low education.

To me, punishment is all about "what's best for society". I measure the loss/gains and see the punishment on that basis. I am not sure the death penalty overall score is good enough to warrant it, and that is even without taking into consideration the moral arguments.

[Broes]

Scary that it is so easy for this kid to get a gun....

Broes