Author Topic: Death Penalty (Read 1429 times)

Furball · « **on:** May 16, 2003, 09:30:26 AM »

I was wondering what you Americans think of the death penalty in your country?

Don't get me wrong this isn't another bash America post, im just curious as it seems most other, if not all western nations have abolished the death penalty and wondered what you think about it.

Personally - i think letting someone rot in jail for the rest of their lives is much better punishment than just killing them.

Although i agree that some criminals deserve to die - as slowly and painfully as possible (child abductors and paedophiles come to mind).

midnight Target · « **Reply #1 on:** May 16, 2003, 09:36:14 AM »

Against

lazs2 · « **Reply #2 on:** May 16, 2003, 09:37:24 AM »

I am not in it to torture people. If an animal is deranged you put it down.

I don't trust our legal system or prison system to keep some of these animals in prison "for life" even the term "life in prison" means 10 or so years. I have never seen an executed man kill anyone after being executed.

So.. why should someone in prison be sujected to this guy just because he broke a law? I mean... these guys kill AFTER they go to jail. Nope... put the guy out of his misery and do everyone a favor. Better luck in his next life I say.

I would like the burden of proof to be higher and when there is evidence such as dna... the execution process streamlined.
lazs

miko2d · « **Reply #3 on:** May 16, 2003, 09:42:23 AM »

Furball: Personally - i think letting someone rot in jail for the rest of their lives is much better punishment than just killing them.

At who's expence?

Who covers the risk of their escaping or being freed by some legalistic twist, some change in politics, governour/presidential parole, etc?

Do we want terrorists attacking our state with impunity since once it falls, they will be freed? Wouldn't that invite more attacks by reducing risk/increasing reward for them? Isn't that exactly what happened with Nelson Mandela and his comrades? Jewish terrorist in pre-Israel days?

How about Vadimir Lenin in Russia?
He was "punished" with exile to the countryside few times by Romanovs. Do you know what he did with Romanovs when their dynasty falled and thousands of bolshevics - Stalin among them - returned from lavish imprisonment and exile? What they did to Russia? How they punished their enemies - real and imagined?

miko

NUKE · « **Reply #4 on:** May 16, 2003, 09:44:56 AM »

For the death penalty.

Death penalty and of course, guns!

boxboy28 · « **Reply #5 on:** May 16, 2003, 09:46:32 AM »

Against but for only when complete guilt or admittion of guilt is the case. It costs a lot to keep the F%^ks alive. And i for one get sick of paying for it. Not to mention these fools also get to be on the "organ reciever" lists to keep the alive longer, Which takes away from the pool of Good citizens who need these.

My 2 cents

OIO · « **Reply #6 on:** May 16, 2003, 09:49:47 AM »

Im for it if its premeditated murder or murder resulted from criminal action (aka robber with gun and his gun goes off accidentally and kills somoene), rapists (again, i'd say premeditated rape... if a girl is dead drunk and the guy is drunk too and they nasty, thats not exactly premeditated rape) and child molestors

It is those 3 that become repeat offenders oftenly after serving their decades long sentences. And its those 3 that completely destroy lives.

Imo, the last 2 murder the soul and should be treated accordingly.

GrimCO · « **Reply #7 on:** May 16, 2003, 09:53:35 AM »

Tough question...

It's very expensive to keep someone in prison for life. But how can you weigh cost against a human life in some instances.

However, Pedophiles are by their own admission incurable. Serial killers are the same way. Should they ever be released or escape, they will continue to follow their urges until the day they die.

I think these types of people should be executed as they serve no other purpose than to be a menace to society.

As far as some of the other types of individuals on death row, I'm not so sure they should be executed. It's a tough call.

BEVO · « **Reply #8 on:** May 16, 2003, 09:57:21 AM »

very much for the death penalty, but they need to fix the system.....
have a system of checks and balances. double check, and triple check to make sure they are really guilty, and limit the appeals, and time in jail, and the death penalty will be MUCH less expensive then life in prison.

ra · « **Reply #9 on:** May 16, 2003, 10:05:35 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by BEVO
very much for the death penalty, but they need to fix the system.....
have a system of checks and balances. double check, and triple check to make sure they are really guilty, and limit the appeals, and time in jail, and the death penalty will be MUCH less expensive then life in prison.

The system already has all these checks, that's why it can take decades to put a varmint to sleep.

ra

midnight Target · « **Reply #10 on:** May 16, 2003, 10:12:03 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by ra
The system already has all these checks, that's why it can take decades to put a varmint to sleep.

ra

And there are still over 100 cases of innocent men on death row over the past 30 years.

Nifty · « **Reply #11 on:** May 16, 2003, 10:21:29 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by midnight Target
And there are still over 100 cases of innocent men on death row over the past 30 years.

how many guilty people on death row in the last 30 years (what percentage of death row inmates are/were innocent in the past 30 years?) how many of those over 100 were executed before they were deemed to be innocent?

midnight Target · « **Reply #12 on:** May 16, 2003, 10:22:43 AM »

What percentage of innocent deaths would you deem significant?

miko2d · « **Reply #13 on:** May 16, 2003, 10:27:58 AM »

GrimCO: But how can you weigh cost against a human life in some instances.

Easy. Wealth is conducive to life. You spend money on saving lives (hours lost per year) in one area untill marginal efficiency of each dollar spent drops below that in other areas. Then it makes more sense to spend money in different area.
You can spend on nutrition, childcare, jusisial, drug research, safer cars, better public transport, prisons, better houses, etc.
Saving one live at expense that could have saved several lives if spent elsewhere is plainly criminal.
Resources are limited and you have to move them around. Saying that no cost is too great to save a human life is demagogery on politician's part - especially if that cost to save one human life involves loss of several human lives.

However, Pedophiles are by their own admission incurable.

Chemical/surgicl castration.

miko

Mickey1992 · « **Reply #14 on:** May 16, 2003, 10:28:49 AM »

US highway motorists kill more people in a single week than the US has executed in the last 30 years.