Is the death penalty ever justified?

[Antlers]

I'm very curious as most of you seem to be American (and I'm much more use to a UK/Ireland view on this) as to your thoughts on this.

I don't think combatting any kind of crime with murder is ok. And I think government controlled murder is murder nonetheless. And no matter how many examples (whenever people try to justify it they usually use cases with children as examples) people give me I just do not think it's justified.

Anyway, what do other people think of this?

 

[AWC Viper]

I am for the death penalty. in certain circumstances like mass murder ( more than 1) but other than that i say life in prison (but in Australia life is only 25 years)

 

[KiiWii]

Death penalty is letting the real bastards off easy. Make them suffer i say. =D
But then there's always the problem, what if they're wrongly convicted... I honestly think they should make the punishment fit the crime, both physically and emotionally.

 

[LethalBargi]

Well im from Saudi Arabia, and im for the death penalty (here its beheading), this is because nothing justifies murder unless its defending yourself or family.
But also if the family forgives the murderer he can be set free (this is because the reward for forgiving from god is great).
Anyway so in my case for both personal and religious reasons im with the death penalty

 

[ThePirateMan]

Murder or rape of more then 1 person should be punished with LITERAL life-time prison, prison until you die OR a quick death by electric chair, injection or the loss of a head. The person should also be able to choose between prison and death, if he/she chooses prison the person should be almost 100% isolated from the outer world except for guards guarded by other guards or a meeting in a small room with guards in it.
And I'm not kidding.

 

[BonsaiK]

Death penalty is like giving criminals free candy. Better to let them suffer.

Oh, and this thread's been done before, right?

 

[LongAndShort]

If they've done something really bad (like genocide) and aren't gonna regret it any time soon (like most perpetrators of genocide), kill the nasty fucker. Seriously, who can look an Auschwitz survivor in the eye and say they wouldn't have executed Hitler in as painful a way as possible if he hadn't topped himself (aside from Neo-nazis)? There are people out there who you just think, "That evil bastard should die"
It has to be a serious horrendous crime, there has to be absolute proof it was him/her, they have to have no regrets. Otherwise, life in prison'll fix'em

 

[KiiWii]

Well im from Saudi Arabia, and im for the death penalty (here its beheading), this is because nothing justifies murder unless its defending yourself or family.
But also if the family forgives the murderer he can be set free (this is because the reward for forgiving from god is great).
Anyway so in my case for both personal and religious reasons im with the death penalty

Is it in Saudi Arabia where they cut your hand off for stealing a car (for example)?
Crime is low, because is it really worth losing an appendage for something so small... At first i'm all for that, but then again the whole wrongly convicted thing... =S

 

[Deity1986]

I think it can be justified (although I am in the UK).
If you have a violent criminal, you try and help them (psychiatrist and whotnot) and fail. Do you set them lose? Keep them in jail? No, because they'll still be hurting and killing people (may prevent others from being rehabilitated in jail). It gets to the point where you're putting the rights of that one individual above everyone else. If you don't execute them and they kill other people (and you know they will), then you're saying that this one persons right to live is greater than those others.

Personally I think it should get to the point where we can say we just don't want that person in our country anymore and give them the choice of death or exile. "We don't care, we just want you gone."

 

[Katherine Kerensky]

As tempting as the death penalty is, if you want to make them pay, conscript them into a Penal Legion.

 

[LethalBargi]

Well im from Saudi Arabia, and im for the death penalty (here its beheading), this is because nothing justifies murder unless its defending yourself or family.
But also if the family forgives the murderer he can be set free (this is because the reward for forgiving from god is great).
Anyway so in my case for both personal and religious reasons im with the death penalty

Is it in Saudi Arabia where they cut your hand off for stealing a car (for example)?
Crime is low, because is it really worth losing an appendage for something so small... At first i'm all for that, but then again the whole wrongly convicted thing... =S

Yah in Islam the cut your hand off for stealing.

 

[Zefar]

I'm all for killing those murderers that have done more than 1 murder. Why have them waste the money?
We need that money for something else.

For rapist and such they should just imprison the guy for a long time.

We can afford being a bit evil against those people because we got 6 billion to spare. Eliminating the most evil one will hardly make anyone cry.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

While I am currently in the UK, I've lived in a few other countries (South Africa) for some time, and I've seen what effect insufficent detterence can be to habitual and career criminals. To put it simply, if there was a chance that if and when they were caught, they were being taken out into the prison yard and having a bullet put into their brain, then I believe the rate of violent crime would have been far lower. So yes, I'm for it, when applied with these three rules:

1. The crime ust be irrefutably proved with scientific evidence, or at least four corroborating witnesses of good charecter and standing in the community.

2. The victim's family consents.

3. Only in the case of murder or rape.

 

[Awesomnity]

What is with all the make them sufferness? seems rather pointless seeing as how one way or another they are going to die...

 

[Amnestic]

I dunno. I like the Penal Legion idea. Give them guns and send them on suicide missions. When they hit 21 successful missions without dying, they get to live out a life sentence in prison or choose a bullet to the brain.

Why 21? Because that's the number you need to hit in Blackjack. Blackjack would be the name of the program. Why call it Blackjack? Because that's the game you need to hit 21 in.

/circular logic
//I has it.

 

[tkioz]

Yes

 

[Antlers]

Whoa... I feel ever so slightly sickened.

 

[Soxafloppin]

Im all for it, when there is a hilariously large ammount of evidence that points towards one person.

 

[oppp7]

I'm very curious as most of you seem to be American (and I'm much more use to a UK/Ireland view on this) as to your thoughts on this.

I don't think combatting any kind of crime with murder is ok. And I think government controlled murder is murder nonetheless. And no matter how many examples (whenever people try to justify it they usually use cases with children as examples) people give me I just do not think it's justified.

Anyway, what do other people think of this?

truthfully, the dp is for scarin criminals into not doin the crime in the first place. our prisons arent really that bad, so we need a deterent like dp to keep ppl from commiting some crimes. on another note, u make it sound like the dp should b for ny1 who gets a felony. it should only b used for serious crimes, such as murder, rape, n arson, instead of theft.

the support for this is from texas. last i heard (from questionable sources, actually), they have a low crime rate compared to the rest of the country. this is either due to dp or no gun controls. i dont think having killing machines on every1 on the street is the reason for this, so i think the dp is the cause.

I come from around baltimore, maryland, and the crime rates are almost the highest there. we dont have the death penalty or ny other serious deterrents for criminals, which is a possible contributing factor.

however, i can understand not wanting to kill ppl, no matter wat theyve done. i dont think it would really ever feel right. but im a utilitarian, n if they r wastin resources in prison when ppl in 3rd world countries r starvin then there isnt much of a choice imo.