The Death Penalty: Right or Wrong?

[-:Undertaker:-]

The Death Penalty: Right or Wrong?

A friend recently asked me whether or not I supported bringing back the Death Penalty to Britain for crimes such as murder, which I replied with an absolute yes. He asked me this because he tells me that recently in the Czech Republic (he is Czech) there has been a huge public debate over bringing back the death penalty in the small European country over a recent murder and/or abuse of young children. It got me thinking how the last poll I read on the topic stated that 50% of the British public would support bringing back the death penalty for crimes such as murder, murder of Police or the abuse of children.

But is this right? Opponents of the death penalty in the 1960s and still today argue that the death penalty is oppressive of a state to deploy such brute force, and that mistakes in any human system do occur and thus therefore render the death penalty wrong based on the statistical reality that you risk sending an innocent person to the gallows. Others in more recent years would argue that murderers should be treated with compassion and eventually 'rehabilitated' back into society.

The proposal to bring back the death penalty remains popular today, and would surely stand a chance of being reinstated via a popular referendum..... so what do you think? If you came to the ballot box in such a referendum, would you vote to bring back the death penalty or not?

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The debate is open to you.

[scottish]

idk

I'm all for the death penalty, but then there's complications with proving innocence/guilty. I'd imagine there's hundreds of people falsely convinced every year of crimes they haven't committed, and introduction of the death penalty would end their life instead of seeing them lose 25 years.

[Empired]

I can see the pros for it but I'm still against it.

Firstly as you've both said, I'd be sickened to think of the number of people executed each year who are innocent. And also I think it's wrong for one human (or a group of us) to be given the right to decide whether someone is allowed to live or die. Not because you'd be "playing God" but because no one should ever have that much power.

Saying that, it would hopefully bring down crime by quite a bit. Because suddenly instead of you having to do 20+ years in a *fairly* comfortable prison, you'd be dead. Might make a small amount of criminals think twice before doing the crime.

Ahh idk. Still probably say no to capital punishment.

[Lewis]

I honestly think there's nothing wrong with the death penalty. If they've committed some of the most terrible crimes, such as murder, they deserve death or the same in return to them. I do think that if they have committed murder out of evilness, the victim's family should maybe decide whether or not they should be killed or rot in jail. Seems like a fair choice to me.

[Chippiewill]

I'm in favour of the death penalty so long as there is absolute certainty. The unfortunate reality is there often isn't. There's a disturbing number in the US sentenced to death who are later acquitted (4%).

John Oliver summarises my thoughts clearly:

[The Don]

Nope, completely against the death penalty. Don't believe the state should have the legal right to kill its own citizens.

[-:Undertaker:-]

Nope, completely against the death penalty. Don't believe the state should have the legal right to kill its own citizens.

So you'd abolish armed secret service, armed guards at Buckingham Palace, MI5 and armed Police units in times of civil strife?

[The Don]

So you'd abolish armed secret service, armed guards at Buckingham Palace, MI5 and armed Police units in times of civil strife?

No because they don't execute their own citizens as far as i'm aware?

[-:Undertaker:-]

No because they don't execute their own citizens as far as i'm aware?

They have the legal right to execute subjects of this realm: without trial by jury, the right of appeal and freedom of the press.

Unlike the death penalty. Bring it back in cases of absolute proof, ie the murder of April Jones.

[The Don]

They have the legal right to execute subjects of this realm: without trial by jury, the right of appeal and freedom of the press.

Unlike the death penalty. Bring it back in cases of absolute proof, ie the murder of April Jones.

You're comparing apples and oranges mate. I do agree with the use of state force to prevent threats from harming innocent people, I don't agree that the state should have the right to execute prisoners. I'm shocked that you're being so dense.