Do You Support the Death Penalty? (4 Viewers)

[Jess007]

life imprisonment
they would take up necesary room for other less serious criminals...i support the death sentence

 

[MaNiElla]

And why not just life imprisonment then?

Most people who get a life sentence commit suicide anyway.

Most people would also rather die, then spend the rest of their lives rotting in jail...me thinks.

 

[MaNiElla]

Please cite evidence proving this, k.

Here's a news article that i found:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jan/20/prisonsandprobation.observerpolitics

Imprisonment is, by all accounts, a deeply unpleasant experience wherever in the
world it takes place. Levels of anxiety and depression are much higher in prisoners
than in the general population (Cooper and Livingston, 1991), the incidence of deliberate
self harm and parasuicide in male prisoners is disproportionately high (Ivanoff,
1992; Pattison and Kahan, 1983, cited by Franklin, 1988), and the prison suicide rate
is generally believed to be considerably higher than the norm. It is difficult to be more
precise, as prisoners do not form a random sample of the general population, differing
from it with respect to a host of background and demographic variables, including
gender, age, psychiatric history, ethnicity, socio-economic status, marital status (on
conviction) and employment status (e.g., Dooley, 1990; Franklin, 1988, Bonner and
Rich, 1990; Sherman and Morschauser, 1989). All of these variables are known to be
related to the incidence of suicide in the general population, and so it is clearly
inappropriate to compare prison suicide rates directly with suicide rates in the general
population. The one study that has attempted to control for these factors (Winfree,
1985) has found that the prison suicide rate is still several times higher than in a
comparable population outside prison.

^This i read from a SpringerLink journal. I had to use my uni ID to access it but I copied a small excerpt from it.


Imo, a life sentence is just as bad as Capital punishment, except that you usually get to have a little bit of hope of getting out of jail (as zimmerman8k said). I just said what you quoted above, because i constantly hear/read lots of news articles about prisoners who ended up hanging themselves whilst serving their life sentence (and a lot of them do), because they just couldnt take it anymore. I didnt mean to come across as supporting the death penalty over the life sentence.

I know that's certainly the case for myself, but I still don't think that gives the state any right to execute its own citizens.

Yeah, neither do I. But sometimes, people commit stuff that are just so horrid. These people really deserve to be executed for it, especially when they dont show any remorse whatsoever over what they did.

 

[-WaxingLyrical-]

life imprisonment
they would take up necesary room for other less serious criminals...i support the death sentence

so it becomes a matter of space and cost rather than the value of a human life?

But sometimes, people commit stuff that are just so horrid. These people really deserve to be executed for it, especially when they dont show any remorse whatsoever over what they did.

I know you've said that you don't support the death penalty but the fact that you've said 'deserve' just highlights the fact that one of the major reasons that people support the death penalty is the revenge factor, rather than the deliverance of proper justice.

 

[Rhanoct]

yes, and it should be used far more often.

 

[risole91]

Im not sure.
I don't love it.
But if you have murdered 1000's then you should die.

 

[ari89]

yes, and it should be used far more often.

Why?

why did my post asking why get deleted?

 

[Zrap]

Nah them suffering in gaol sounds better then them getting the easy way out eh.

 

[Gosford]

murders should die!
so should they for other major crimes!

 

[withoutaface]

stop and think for a minute

if someone raped your mum or your sister and you where the judge what would you want to to the offender.

I would want them locked up for 40 years to be brutally raped every shower time.

 

[Rhanoct]

Why?

why did my post asking why get deleted?

Because it is my belief that people who freely commit serious crimes should be punished severely.

Break into an elderly couples' home and bash/rob them? Rot in a cell. Simple.

I do, however, consider mental illness, motive, etc. and so am aware that it's difficult to straight up say yes/no, despite my original post. =)

 

[dieburndie]

Because it is my belief that people who freely commit serious crimes should be punished severely.

Break into an elderly couples' home and bash/rob them? Rot in a cell. Simple.

I do, however, consider mental illness, motive, etc. and so am aware that it's difficult to straight up say yes/no, despite my original post. =)

None of these are reasons to support the death penalty.

 

[Slidey]

I don't support the death penalty. A good legal system (and public awareness of its effectiveness) to begin with makes it unnecessary.

I fully support life in prison for things like rape and murder. And I am tempted to say LIFE, not just 24 years.

 

[Iron]

I dont agree with the dp either, but it's still a better solution than long prison sentences where human potential is just as tragically wasted.

The whole concept of prison is a pretty outdated failure

 

[boris]

electrocution in deionized water!

 

[Slidey]

The whole concept of prison is a pretty outdated failure

I would think such a view is only valid if there is a viable replacement available. What do you have in mind?

 

[Iron]

You've seen that movie Clockwork Orange, rite?

Behavioural manipulation is the wave of the future. Meanwhile, we can eliminate the context of criminality by cleaning up communities, making sure everyone gets a darn good schooling. Education is the silver bullet ..etc

I'm all for retribution, but it's not a very productive use of public monies anymore (ie without dirty jeering medieval crowds throwing, i dont know, lettus and spit and ooing and aaring cheering and gasping)
Edit: perhaps something along the lines of big brother, only less booze more manipulated conflict

 

[ari89]

Because it is my belief that people who freely commit serious crimes should be punished severely.

Break into an elderly couples' home and bash/rob them? Rot in a cell. Simple.

I do, however, consider mental illness, motive, etc. and so am aware that it's difficult to straight up say yes/no, despite my original post. =)

I don't see how that connects to your support of the death penalty and it being used far more often...?

Meanwhile, we can eliminate the context of criminality by cleaning up communities, making sure everyone gets a darn good schooling. Education is the silver bullet ..etc

How exactly is education the silver bullet?
There's plenty of educated criminals...like my dads old accountant who got arrested for who knows what and had to do weekend detention.

How can you eliminate the context of criminality?
Wouldn't that only work if you believe that crime only develops in certain areas, communities or social situations? Crime is universal and affects all classes and communities in different forms. You could argue that an affluent and educated society would have less crime but that is only to an extent. Not all people are forced to commit crimes. Those who don't need to steal steal, those who don't need to rape rape, those who don't need to kill kill. Much crime isn't out of necessity but some sort of desire that isn't always justified. Unless we can educate and control peoples desires I doubt education would be as effective as you wish in eliminating crime. However, without a doubt it would greatly help.

edit: you answered too quickly

 

[Iron]

True true, educated people do terrible things too. I was more speaking of your petty criminal, driven to such depths through bad associates, histories of sexual/physical abuse and addictions, total irrationality, misunderstanding of the legal system and society - the overwhelming bulk of prisoners.

Edit for other edits:
You raise deep and serious questions about Uman nature my friend. Many of my Leftist bretheren would happily argue that human's are all good in the right conditions. I, like you, think that we're all bad and only made good by a variety of forces, especially your own will, religion and government. But you make my point anyway by admiting that education is practically the silver bullet to most of the crime we see. To the remaining crime which results from passions and other demonic unreasonable instincts that refuse to be tamed, then I refer you to my 'Colour Me Orange, Kubric!' (or some such) example.
Psychology still has an aweful lot to say about changing people's personalities, desires etc etc etc.

But there are numerous painful arguments on the ethics of this.

 

[star of the sea]

i don think u should u should punish murder by murder its not logic
there is no punshment that deserves there life
and if God 4gives if the person repents do u think we have a right not to 4give them