What is Your Opinion on Capital Punishment?

[tallygrlforlife]

Totally and completely against it.

[Xujhan]

Originally Posted by thebigmole

All I'm saying is that I feel that me having to pay any money to feed and house a murderer is a waste of money. Personally it would be great if tax payers didn't worry about having to support either route.

I don't see how 1 is barbaric. Why shouldn't we worry about giving the families closure? I not only think that we should worry more about that but I also think that their opinions should matter a lot. Like if someone was convicted of murderering someone but the body was never found and the family wishes to keep that person alive just so they have the hope of maybe finding out where the body is, I would totally be ok with that.

See I think I'm coming off so strongly because I am seeing it personally. Like if someone murdered someone I cared about, of course I'd want the person to fry. I'd like to stick the needle in his arm myself. But I do think that the decision of sentencing, unless a deal was made, should factor in GREATLY what the family wants. I know we want justice for the victim, but they're dead, it's important to get justice for the FAMILY. That's why we convict people in the first place, justice right? And it's not about justice for society, it's about justice for the people who were directly effected.

I can see why we disagree so strongly now. I don't see law as existing for the sake of justice. As has been said before; an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

Consider the following thought experiment:

Suppose there were this magic drug that only worked on people who have committed murder in cold blood that, when used, prevents that person from harming anyone else ever again. You have one dose of this drug, only good for the next 24 hours or it goes to waste. Someone just murdered your sister. If the choice were up to you, what would you do with them?

Now, if you see justice as the most important part of the law, then probably you'd still be in favour of the death penalty. It's "fair", after all, in that mindset. Or for those in similar mindsets but who oppose the death penalty, the regular life sentence for murder.

Personally, I'd give them the drug and let them free. I don't see law as existing for the sake of justice. Justice does nothing in and of itself except ease the minds of those who think the world should be fair. I think the law is about protecting people; all people. Prison exists not because criminals deserve punishment, but because it protects other people from them. But if that protection could be assured without punishing anyone, isn't that better?

I think it's barbaric to want someone else to die for your own peace of mind. Call it justice if you like, but in the end you want to hurt someone because they hurt you; that's vengeance. It's instinctual, so it's understandable, but I don't think vengeance has any place in an enlightened society. Any kind of death should only be considered as a last resort, and here that's not the case at all.

[emma01]

To be honest I think it is silly to say the death penalty wont deter murderers...anyone in their right mind would think twice about being on death row if they murdered someone, and obviously understand that they will die. And what's with this whole "giving murderers a second chance and a time to reform?" Well people I am sorry but the victim did NOT get a second chance, and the murderer CANNOT reform a human being, that person cannot be brought back to life. Why do we sympathise with murderers that take innocent lives away...

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

Originally Posted by tallygrlforlife

Totally and completely against it.

I didn't understand your reasoning, can you please elaborate on it?

Originally Posted by emma01

To be honest I think it is silly to say the death penalty wont deter murderers...anyone in their right mind would think twice about being on death row if they murdered someone, and obviously understand that they will die. And what's with this whole "giving murderers a second chance and a time to reform?" Well people I am sorry but the victim did NOT get a second chance, and the murderer CANNOT reform a human being, that person cannot be brought back to life. Why do we sympathise with murderers that take innocent lives away...

If someone intentionally planned and killed someone, I have a hard time thinking that they could face severe prison time. I'm not sure how to explain the fact that US states with the death sentence have higher murder rates than ones that don't. The only thing I can think of is they're not afraid and they won't spend their entire time in prison, they may be killed within a few years only. In that light, a person can kill 15 people and serve only 4-5 years in prison, which is an amazing bargain.

However, the constant problem I have is there's different reasons for murder. If someone isn't mentally fit, then they may not be criminally responsible, whereas someone who is mentally fit may have murdered in self-defense. It's the same result (i.e. someone died) but it's the reasoning that matters. When you lump all murderers together and say all should die and all should be more deterred, that's not fair nor accurate.

As I said before, someone who fights off an armed intruder in their house where they have to kill the intruder or else their family and the person gets killed, isn't the same as someone who stalked and carefully planned a murder. The first is heroic and brave, and it's not right to kill them because it shows that even if you go out of your way to defend others, society applauds your heroic act but then says it was all flash, didn't matter and you get killed.

[Bean]

Originally Posted by emma01

To be honest I think it is silly to say the death penalty wont deter murderers...anyone in their right mind would think twice about being on death row if they murdered someone, and obviously understand that they will die. And what's with this whole "giving murderers a second chance and a time to reform?" Well people I am sorry but the victim did NOT get a second chance, and the murderer CANNOT reform a human being, that person cannot be brought back to life. Why do we sympathise with murderers that take innocent lives away...

If the person is planning to, or has murdered someone (though, obviously excluding cases of self defence and accidental manslaughter and such), then they are clearly not 'in their right mind'.

Study after study has shown that the places that do have the death penalty do not have lower crime rates. It simply does not work as a deterrent.
here and here