The Death Penalty

Languor · #1 01-26-2005, 04:43 PM

This topic is aimed mainly towards the Americans here, but Euros feel free to answer too.

I just got done watching a story on 60 Minutes about a prisoner in New England who's been on Death Row for 20 years but has still not been executed. Now he's asking to be killed, but various public defenders are fighting to prevent the exeuction and, so far, are succeeding. The man raped and killed 4 teenage girls. So this prompted the question of what you guys think about the death penalty. I'm pretty sure that most, if not all (?), European countries have purged the death penalty from the law books (I think...?) so the U.S. remains as one of, if not the, only Western nation that still practices the death penalty.

Personally, I used to be for it, but now I'm not sure... I'm sort of indifferent now. As far as the story with the guy goes, I think that if he's competent (which it has been found that he is), and it's what he wants, then it should be done. So what do you guys think? For? Against? And what about the story with this guy? The execution has been stayed for 30 days (he was supposed to be killed this morning), so the public defenders have a little time. But is it right what they're doing?

Interested in your thoughts...

TheRaisin · #2 01-26-2005, 05:14 PM

It comes down to this: can the person be reformed? If yes, they should do what they can to make them a functioning member of society again. If no, kill them. There's no point in letting them rot in an already overcrowded jail for the rest of their miserable life. And if they ask for it and they're within their right mind, might as well give it to them.

That's my thoughts.

Disgruntled Intern · #3 01-26-2005, 06:47 PM

I thought italy still used the firing squad.

Anyway, I think the death penalty is a joke. It's like government funded homicide for social deviants, pedophiles and murderers who don't want to "rot in an already overcrowded jail for the rest of their miserable life".

Let them rot, I say. Back to the days of moldy bread and stagnant water is where we need to go.

AquaticAmbi · #4 01-26-2005, 07:00 PM

I've done so much research into this, and I've came to the conclusion that the death penalty is wrong in so many ways. My main three reasons are innocent people are convicted on occassion, neither individuals nor the government as a whole have the right to take a life in my opinion, and the cost of the death penalty in comparison to that of keeping a person in prison for life exceeds it by an outrageous amount, but I'm in no mood to look up numbers.

Languor · #5 01-26-2005, 07:39 PM

:

I've done so much research into this, and I've came to the conclusion that the death penalty is wrong in so many ways. My main three reasons are innocent people are convicted on occassion, neither individuals nor the government as a whole have the right to take a life in my opinion, and the cost of the death penalty in comparison to that of keeping a person in prison for life exceeds it by an outrageous amount, but I'm in no mood to look up numbers.

"The study counted death penalty case costs through to execution and found that the median death penalty case costs $1.26 million. Non-death penalty cases were counted through to the end of incarceration and were found to have a median cost of $740,000."

That's from here: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/arti...ancial%20facts

I never realized that the death penalty costed more than life in prison. Wow.

TheRaisin · #6 01-27-2005, 12:32 AM

Bah. The whole thing is screwed up. We wouldn't even have this problem if so many humans weren't the dirty horrible animals they are. I try to let the system run itself. My usual empathy just kind of drains away when faced with such a complicated and bizarre problem. My game plan is to avoid the courts at all costs for my entire life, and never try to think the problem through for more than about a minute lest my brain explode.

Facsimile · #7 01-27-2005, 02:10 AM

I am against the death penalty, mainly because there are cases where innocents are sent to it. Honestly, if you want to torture someone, put them in prison for life, death is an easy way out for them.

Cyber-Slig · #8 01-27-2005, 07:22 AM

Death Penalty is shite in my opinion. Ok they kill some people but is'nt killing them costing another life?

Esus · #9 01-27-2005, 08:04 AM

I am against the Death Penalty.
Though I can come up with numerous other reasons, my main one is that I believe killing to be ethically wrong under any circumstance, ever.

Jacob · #10 01-27-2005, 10:50 AM

Meh, indifferent. I think some punishments are far superior to the death penalty.

Paedophiles, rapists and murderers who don't have a valid reason for killing, should all be used for Medical experiments/cosmetic experiments. Hitler made some quite good advances through experimenting on the Jews for medical research, and we're being held back by silly Human rights. Think of what we could achieve if we were allowed to branch out.

Rotting in a cell is far better than being put to death, but sadly, over here at least, Prison is more of a home away from home. I remember when i used to think of Prison as a lone cell, filthy, Cockroach ridden, with only bread and water for food. That was a deterant. Now, however, Prisoners get quite a lot of privilages. And when they make friends in the Prison, it makes it easier for them. The only thing that is really taken away from them is freedom.

I find it silly that the death penalty costs so much. At the end of the day, why not just shoot them in the head? It's quick, simple and cheap.

***Nate*** · #11 01-27-2005, 01:19 PM

Yeah, Neil Armstrong wouldn't have landed on the moon in 1969 if Mengele hadn't been an absolute murderous bastard to my brethren.

But I think that the death penalty is mostly a bad idea simply because its not much of a punishment. Most hard core crims don't have much to lose anyway so life incarceration is worse to them. I do place an exception to terrorists only because if they are in jail it is bait for other terrorists to take hostages to try and get them out. Hezbollah does it all the time.

Jacob · #12 01-27-2005, 01:22 PM

Since when was Space linked to Medical Research?

Though Josef was rather...sick, in his experiments.

Languor · #13 01-27-2005, 01:24 PM

:

Since when was Space linked to Medical Research?

Yeah I missed the connection too...

***Nate*** · #14 01-27-2005, 01:26 PM

German scientists were snapped up by the US and Russia and put to work on the space program. Many had expertise in rocket design but there were some that had worked with Mengele on the effects of certain conditions (low pressure, radiation, etc) on the human body. They used that research to design the space suits among other things.

Languor · #15 01-27-2005, 01:27 PM

:

German scientists were snapped up by the US and Russia and put to work on the space program. Many had expertise in rocket design but there were some that had worked with Mengele on the effects of certain conditions (low pressure, radiation, etc) on the human body. They used that research to design the space suits among other things.

Ohhhh ok. It's all clear now...

sligster · #16 01-27-2005, 01:31 PM

If the guy did something really bad, then kill the bastard! I want the electric chair back, too!

now we got these lethal injections..... the electric chair was fun!

Facsimile · #17 01-27-2005, 01:54 PM

Yeah, real fun. I'd love to see you try it out.

AquaticAmbi · #18 01-27-2005, 03:39 PM

Hehehe

I'm under the impression that the system isn't about punishment as much as it is about protecting society from harm. If a prisoner can be "cured" by some sort of reform program, then he or she is no longer viewed as a harm, and is therefore released back into society. What do you guys think about that sort of thing?

Ooh, and what if the reform program thing was sort of like that good ol' Alex went through in a Clockwork Orange... mayebe a bit less torturousy. Consider just the basic idea of a person not being able to choice right from wrong; while that freedom is lost, the freedom of not causing any major problems and getting in trouble is given. Would this be moral or immoral to you?

sligster · #19 01-27-2005, 09:01 PM

:

Yeah, real fun. I'd love to see you try it out.

I got it schedualed for tuesday of next week

FREE PIE!

:

I'm under the impression that the system isn't about punishment as much as it is about protecting society from harm.

that is correct more or less.....

:

If a prisoner can be "cured" by some sort of reform program, then he or she is no longer viewed as a harm, and is therefore released back into society

but you do have a point there....

If the guy is crazy, maniacle, and just plain nucking futs with obviously no chance of recovery at all, it would be either death or life in prison, I suppose. And mabey the prisons would need more room for those who have committed lesser crimes, so why not kill off a few guys that are already sentanced to life. Seems logical on this end.

Facsimile · #20 01-28-2005, 01:46 AM

:

I got it schedualed for tuesday of next week

FREE PIE!

Just... Just shut up.

:

This topic is aimed mainly towards the Americans here, but Euros feel free to answer too.

And while I'm having a bitch, I might as well say that there are more places than America and Europe in the world.

Rich · #21 01-28-2005, 11:27 AM

:

And while I'm having a bitch, I might as well say that there are more places than America and Europe in the world.

Yeah, like Britain.

I don't know much about the death penalty. I'm kind of indifferent, if prisons had tougher conditions, it'd be life imprisonment all the way. Prisons nowadays are far too soft, it's a waste of good peoples money to look after those criminal scum!

TheRaisin · #22 01-28-2005, 02:41 PM

Maybe before we make prisons tougher we should make courts better. I'm all for punishing criminals, but I'm sure plenty of innocent people get sent to prison. That would suck for them.

Leeum · #23 01-28-2005, 04:03 PM

Tbh, alot of convicts would rather die than spend the rest of their lives rotting in the cells, they shouldn't be given the satisfaction or right to die. At the end of the day, if they've commited a wrong they should be made to pay for it. Nobody should be allowed to dictate the life of someone else by saying they should die.

Leto · #24 01-28-2005, 08:32 PM

Yahuh. Don't kill the bastards, let them suffer. And for gods sake, stop giving prisons such a 'home-esque' feel. People arent supposed to be happy there, government! Take away everything except the bed, replace the toilet with the long-drop. Make their cells out of cold cement. Make them suffer, dammit!

***Alcar*** · #25 01-29-2005, 02:03 AM

I am against the death penalty, and I am glad that Australia does not practice such. I won't bore anyone with the details of my opinion on the matter, rather to state what most have said: Let those who would otherwise be murdered, spend their life in jail.

Alcar...