Capital Punishment

[Contra Fates]

While I'm not against the death penalty, there is something that I have to comment on:

Consider, though, that most murders aren't pre-meditated and are mostly temporary breakdowns in which you lose control and maybe lash out at someone, or grab the closest thing to you, resulting in the death of the person the receiving end. If you lose enough control to murder someone, when you're in that state of mind, one of the last things that you'll be thinking about are the consequences - particularly, "Oh, I shouldn't kill him, I might get a lethal injection!"

But that's my point!
If there was a much more severe penalty for committing murder, it WOULD be something that would flash in a person's mind before killing someone, premeditated or not. If our country still used the electric chair, you can bet that the thought of murder would never, ever, cross my mind.

Not to mention, crimes that aren't pre-meditated, and only occur once, aren't usually given the needle, unless it's a serial case. I'm not saying that ALL murderers should be killed, but I do think that all serial murderers, pre-meditaded murders, and serial rapists deserve to be.

A person does have the right to have an appeal, but I'd say only ONE appeal, not several. If someone is put on death row, especially now, it's for damned good reason, and irrefutable evidence.

 

[Davey Gaga]

But that's my point!
If there was a much more severe penalty for committing murder, it WOULD be something that would flash in a person's mind before killing someone, premeditated or not. If our country still used the electric chair, you can bet that the thought of murder would never, ever, cross my mind.

Not to mention, crimes that aren't pre-meditated, and only occur once, aren't usually given the needle, unless it's a serial case. I'm not saying that ALL murderers should be killed, but I do think that all serial murderers, pre-meditaded murders, and serial rapists deserve to be.

I think that we're both marginally on the same level here and I variably agree with everything you've said until the last point. I'm not sure that all serial rapists and all serial murderers should be put to death. Each person is, at the end of the day, still an individual, which should be honoured no matter how heinous the crime, otherwise you're no better than a blind, vengeful Government - which is unwanted by any standard, I should think.

It's such a touchy subject and I doubt that it will ever come to a radical change, considering such an even split down the middle of the votes. We might even find that our current system works just fine as it is. I'm still in favour of prisons, high-security or otherwise, but I'd urge the Government to remove their luxuries. At one point, all but a few years ago, for every £1 of British taxpayers money, it was worked out that 60p was sent to Prison and 40p was sent to school. Priorities, anyone? Last I heard, televisions, computers and playstations were made available to the inmates. What can they expect to learn if all that's been changed is their habitat?

 

[Contra Fates]

I think that we're both marginally on the same level here and I variably agree with everything you've said until the last point. I'm not sure that all serial rapists and all serial murderers should be put to death. Each person is, at the end of the day, still an individual, which should be honoured no matter how heinous the crime, otherwise you're no better than a blind, vengeful Government - which is unwanted by any standard, I should think.

It's such a touchy subject and I doubt that it will ever come to a radical change, considering such an even split down the middle of the votes. We might even find that our current system works just fine as it is. I'm still in favour of prisons, high-security or otherwise, but I'd urge the Government to remove their luxuries. At one point, all but a few years ago, for every £1 of British taxpayers money, it was worked out that 60p was sent to Prison and 40p was sent to school. Priorities, anyone? Last I heard, televisions, computers and playstations were made available to the inmates. What can they expect to learn if all that's been changed is their habitat?

The Death Penalty is a touchy subject, and due to the fact that the mass of voters today are older, more religious citizens, it's doubtful that there will be any changes made.

Although, it would seem that the government had little issue passing that miserable policy known as the Patriot Acts, so, perhaps they could if they wanted to.

My opinions are rather radical in themselves, so I don't expect anyone to agree with all of them.

And, as a counter to an earlier made statement about only God being able to create and take life, consider this:
God made man in his likeness.
And if man were to take lives in the name of justice...
Then indirectly, it was God's own doing.

If God truly did police work and punished the wrong-doers in this world, then events such as the Holocaust, or any other genocides that have occurred, would not have. I respect your opinion, but I feel that the Death Penalty is a topic with no need for religious inclusion. The State and the Church are separate, for a reason.

 

[Mitsuki]

Each person is, at the end of the day, still an individual, which should be honoured no matter how heinous the crime, otherwise you're no better than a blind, vengeful Government - which is unwanted by any standard, I should think.

...Yes, an individual. A human being. But that depends on that particular individual, correct? We are not the same, and each should be responsible for his or her own action taken - and face the consequences. That being said, I cannot honor someone who enjoys torturing people. Yes that criminal is an individual human being like you and I, but I really do not think he should still remain living. No, this isn't about vengeance. This is just part of my thought process.

Now, while I'm in favor of the death penalty, I am not too keen about making the consequences more inhumane. At the end of the day, people will still choose to commit heinous crimes, discouraged or not. What good would it do if the penalty is more inhumane...? In the end, the criminal will no longer be in existence once his or her penalty is carried out, so to make it more inhumane for them is merely...useless in itself. Because really, if the only excuse to establish the idea of a more inhumane death penalty is to discourage people from killing others...that wouldn't help at all. It'll happen anyway. That is the world we live in.

Sure, it may discourage a very few, but for the majority, not very likely. If a cruel person has the urge to kill, he will satisfy that craving no matter what - and try to get away with it.

 

[Davey Gaga]

...Yes, an individual. A human being. But that depends on that particular individual, correct? We are not the same, and each should be responsible for his or her own action taken - and face the consequences. That being said, I cannot honor someone who enjoys torturing people. Yes that criminal is an individual human being like you and I, but I really do not think he should still remain living. No, this isn't about vengeance. This is just part of my thought process.

You're tredding lightly on what I was saying. Aye, an inhumane torturer who got his jollies from carrying out certain deeds is more eligable for the Death Penalty than a man who murdered his wife out of one of those temporary relapses, I'd say. You can't just categorise people into "murderers - kill them," and "thiefs - nah, let them go free." Every person in prison considered for the Death Penalty needs to be considered separately from another.

 

[Mitsuki]

You're tredding lightly on what I was saying. Aye, an inhumane torturer who got his jollies from carrying out certain deeds is more eligable for the Death Penalty than a man who murdered his wife out of one of those temporary relapses, I'd say. You can't just categorise people into "murderers - kill them," and "thiefs - nah, let them go free." Every person in prison considered for the Death Penalty needs to be considered separately from another.

Well yes, I'm not saying "kill them all" is the just way. Of course you have to consider the situation first. Like I stated previously on my very first post, it depends on the degree of murder and the scenario. I was actually more referring to those who does it for pure enjoyment and loves making others' lives a living hell.