How do you feel about Capital Punishment (ie. the death penalty)!!

[Jersovic]

I am interested in why you feel the way you do about Capital Punishment, and would also enjoy hearing where you are from as opinions on the subject seem to vary wildly from state to state, and nation to nation!


I don't know why, but something about execution really disturbs me and feels barbaric! :-(

[Istaril]

Completely against it in every way, shape and form. If you take a life when a life has been taken, that's not justice, it's just revenge.

Going to let Ian Hislop do the talking for me anyway:

[Maneo]

I am from the U.S.

Grew up in Omaha NE, recently moved to Augusta GA for a job.

Personally I think we should be more liberal with the death penalty, extending it to serial rapists and child molesters. I do not believe you should sit on death row for 40 + years ... Three years in my opinion then they punch your ticket.

I also believe prisons should be prisons again, especially for those convicted of a violent crime. Hard Labor for 8-9 hours a day then on weekends they can watch cable TV and work out .. just like those of us who didn't commit a crime.

[fordpinto]

Completely in favor, but I think it should require physical evidence of the crime independent of eyewitnesses - who can be unreliable. If you want the perfect case where it is needed:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/joshua-komi...0#.T0OWkfV-I9M

He was convicted in October in the murders of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and their two daughters, Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11. The mother and younger girl were sexually assaulted. The mother was strangled while girls, tied to their beds, died when the house was set ablaze during the 2007 home invasion.

[Jersovic]

Completely against it in every way, shape and form. If you take a life when a life has been taken, that's not justice, it's just revenge.

Going to let Ian Hislop do the talking for me anyway:

We actually feel the same way! I was a sniper in the Military, and it used to blow people's minds how much execution disturbed me! There was a major difference between shooting someone to protect your friends and executing someone who is detained/no longer a threat!!

I am from the U.S.

Grew up in Omaha NE, recently moved to Augusta GA for a job.

Personally I think we should be more liberal with the death penalty, extending it to serial rapists and child molesters. I do not believe you should sit on death row for 40 + years ... Three years in my opinion then they punch your ticket.

I also believe prisons should be prisons again, especially for those convicted of a violent crime. Hard Labor for 8-9 hours a day then on weekends they can watch cable TV and work out .. just like those of us who didn't commit a crime.

I respect your opinion, but one thing I've always been confused about is how in some states people sit on death row for 40+ years, and in other states, death row inmates are executed in three years! That female serial killer in Texas would be a good example. She was convicted and dead in like 3 years, whereas the Night Stalker in California has been on Death Row for like 20 years! Hah!

[Twoflower]

switzerland.

thou shall not kill.

Therefore totaly agains it.

[DraconusIX]

I personally do not believe the death penalty is a deterrent to crimes. People who are willing to commit a crime that risks life in prison, probably wont stop just because it escalates to the death penalty. Our justice system is not perfect, all to often we see people released at later dates, sometimes because they gamed the system, other times for true innocence. Life without parole should be the max sentence for most crimes. The only crime I believe should carry a death sentence would be treason - more as a symbol then anything - as treason cases let alone convictions are extremely rare.

I also believe a lot of white collar crimes - identity theft and computer crimes, should carry longer sentences.

[Auralian]

Don't you find it funny that Inmates are treated better in this country than the poor? Punishment for doing a sever crime is to be locked in a Supermax, have free complete health care including, a free education and not have to work for it. Death Row inmates even get TV's and computer access now isn't that just screwed up. Prisons in this country are far from the term "Prison" it isn't something you never want to go back to, you get a good deal for the trade off of personal freedom. Soon enough all inmates will even have full voting rights. Now as far as the death penalty, the entire system around the legal aspect is a joke. It is cheaper to jail the person for life than to execute, way to go for democracy.

[Galaxeon]

Hislop more or less said it. I remember reading about some man in America that was executed a while ago while there were serious doubts about his guilt, that's just fucked up, I hope we never reduce ourselves to that again.

[Arch0s]

I am a 3rd year Psychology University student from England.

Personally I think we should be more liberal with the death penalty, extending it to serial rapists and child molesters.

I disagree with this partly, recent psychological evidence is beginning to show that disorders like Paedophilia should technically be more classified as orientation, from this as a society we are responsible for helping people who suffer from such un-controllable urges and getting them help. Just sticking them in the electric chair and watching them fry for something that they had extreme difficulty controlling is society failing them.
Just to be clear, the actual act of abusing a child is still abhorrent and the act should be punished yes, but the individual should also be able to receive treatment.

I also believe prisons should be prisons again, especially for those convicted of a violent crime. Hard Labor for 8-9 hours a day then on weekends they can watch cable TV and work out .. just like those of us who didn't commit a crime.

I agree with this

There are many arguments on both side of the fence for this debate, one important one is the fact that the courts do make mistakes, and people can be wrongly convicted just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Another is that it can be seen to be less severe than a long prison sentence - I imagine a death penalty would seem more severe to those of religious belief.
However, these days prison sentences do not seem to represent the severity of a crime which in itself is a problem in society.

I imagine the main argument for the eye for an eye argument is learned behaviour, i.e. conditioning. If someone observes another being killed for a behaviour, then that individual is less likely to do it (see Bandura's bobo doll experiments if you're interested in conditioning). This is a strong argument since the vast majority of human behaviour is based upon condition and learned behaviour, so why not apply it to the justice system?

I hope this post was informative and gave people some insight in a non-biased / objective manner.

There is no real right or wrong answer

[Jersovic]

Don't you find it funny that Inmates are treated better in this country than the poor?

That's a different discussion in itself, but I do find it annoying. I know a major felon who got complete dental work done while in the slammer while a lot of the guys who work hard in a factory have to let their teeth rot out.

[reve]

The entire EU is against it. I myself don't think capital punishment is something good either. I mean just think about it, you simply kill the person, ok. But where is the actual punishment? Nowhere... You just end his life.

[Primernova]

Aginst it, it's not a deterrent and it's worse to suffer a life of isolation than a quickish death.

It is very barbaric and backwards OP, I agree.

[Snarfysnarf]

The entire EU is against it. I myself don't think capital punishment is something good either. I mean just think about it, you simply kill the person, ok. But where is the actual punishment? Nowhere... You just end his life.

Good to see you're speaking for entire countries

[Istaril]

Good to see you're speaking for entire countries

EU. Not the people of the EU. By the EU, he means that every country in the EU is against it; as in; their Governments has expressed the view that it's bad.

[Niku]

If you have a person apprehended then what purpose would killing him serve?

[Reg]

Totally for it.

[Jersovic]

The entire EU is against it. I myself don't think capital punishment is something good either. I mean just think about it, you simply kill the person, ok. But where is the actual punishment? Nowhere... You just end his life.

Off-Topic, but I've always suspected that the Holocaust being so close to home likely impacted Europe's decision to largely abolish the practice of Capital Punishment.

[Snakebonzai!]

It's bad mainly because

1. It violates the right to Life.
2. If you execute the wrong person, too bad you can't repair it.
3. Rich people get away.
4. You get all of the above and for what? It's not a good deterrent, 88% of criminologists say this.

[FYI Im A Pizza]

the death penalty isnt a deterrent to crime because murders are done for three reason all in which the murderer isnt even thinking about the punishment he could/should get

1 is planed murderers like hitmen, the mafia or you even planing to kill your neighbour because you dont like his cat you dont think of the punishment because you dont think you will ever get caught
2 is passion if you kill someone because they cheated on you or something like that you dont think about the punishment because you just want to see the person that hurt you dead
3 is affect, you see your husband/wife cheating in your bed grab the nearest heavy object and bash their heads in here you dont think at all

so no the death penalty isnt a deterrent at all