Is it justifiable to execute criminals?

[-:Undertaker:-]

The death penalty won't deter all people, however it would deter some of them, and if that saves lives then i'm for it.

[Bun]

to say prison works is debatable. a lot of people re-offend as they know even if they do get caught, it's cushty in there. if somebody takes the life of another, i think they should suffer for it for the rest of their life, the victims' family will have to. this will be more of a deterrant, i'd rather die than suffer a long, long, painful suffering death, having the fact i murdered or raped somebody on my conscience.

[galbabe]

A large number of countries across the world execute criminals, some for serious offences and others for offence that may not even exist in your country. My question is, do you think the execution of criminals is fair and whatever your opinion - why do you think this?

Note I am asking whether you agree with capital punishment as a whole rather than whether or not it should be introduced in the UK. Although the nature of the debate would basically be the same thing.

Pros of Capital Punishment

• Imprisonment for some criminals is simply not enough. For example, Murderers take a life and so why should we not take their life as punishment?
• Capital punishment is most certainly a deterrent. Surely criminals will be put off breaking the law for fear of losing their life over it.
• Many people are killed by murderers who have been released or on probation. This could be prevented by using the death penalty.
• If certain criminals were executed, the tax payer would save money and prevent prison overcrowding.

Cons of Capital Punishment

• Capital Punishment essentially involves the government agreeing to killing. You are essentially sanctioning murder by killing criminals.
• In America, 23 innocent people were killed after receiving the death penalty in the 20th Century. How can you possibly justify the killing of innocent people - even if the amount is only small.
• There is evidence that suggests there is racial bias in the implementation of the death penalty.
• 30 mentally challenged individuals have been executed in the US since 1976. Is this fair?
• In application of the death penalty, you are ruling out the possibility of rehabilitation. What if the individual could change their behaviour?

What do you think?

another con whould be that they might catch and kill someone they think is guility kill that person and find out they were inocent so i think it is wrong + here were i live i don't think the capital punishment is here and which is why i think it is not necery unless it is someone incredably bad who killed hundreds and hundreds of people.


sorry my spelling is quite bad

[Smits]

The death penalty won't deter all people, however it would deter some of them, and if that saves lives then i'm for it.

Exactly the way i feel, anything that prevents even some people from taking a life, can only be beneficial, right?

another con whould be that they might catch and kill someone they think is guility kill that person and find out they were inocent so i think it is wrong + here were i live i don't think the capital punishment is here and which is why i think it is not necery unless it is someone incredably bad who killed hundreds and hundreds of people.


sorry my spelling is quite bad

It is an interesting point, all be it raised before. Even without the death penalty, many men will spend time in prison, all there lives even, being innocent the whole time. Is this not just as much a waste of life? Yeah, sure they don't die, but i don'th think people sentenced to death would be done so with such unclear evidence. t's probable that if the death penalty did exist, only the worst offenders who have been thoroughhly proven guilty, would be sentenced to death.

to say prison works is debatable. a lot of people re-offend as they know even if they do get caught, it's cushty in there. if somebody takes the life of another, i think they should suffer for it for the rest of their life, the victims' family will have to. this will be more of a deterrant, i'd rather die than suffer a long, long, painful suffering death, having the fact i murdered or raped somebody on my conscience.

Not to mention some people purposely offend because prison life is actually better for them. This brings up something else, prison needs to be tougher on criminals.

[Meree.]

Exactly the way i feel, anything that prevents even some people from taking a life, can only be beneficial, right?




It is an interesting point, all be it raised before. Even without the death penalty, many men will spend time in prison, all there lives even, being innocent the whole time. Is this not just as much a waste of life? Yeah, sure they don't die, but i don'th think people sentenced to death would be done so with such unclear evidence. t's probable that if the death penalty did exist, only the worst offenders who have been thoroughhly proven guilty, would be sentenced to death.



Not to mention some people purposely offend because prison life is actually better for them. This brings up something else, prison needs to be tougher on criminals.

Always seem to agree with you. +rep

[-:Undertaker:-]

Who cares if prison works or not? - aslong as they are not able to harm or commit crime against the law-abiding then who really cares. That is how a real justice system, and the system of prison works.

[Pazza]

I'd agree with the death penalty, however the only thing making me say no, is the fact that even though the criminal should be punished, by killing them you're also punishing their family too.

I just don't think its fair to leave another family to suffer, with the loss of their husband/wife, son/daughter, brother/sister, or what I think is the worse; their child. I really dont think its fair in that respect.

[alexxxxx]

never is it justifiable to kill someone.

and i especially agree with the post above.

you get 2 (or more) distraught families with the dp. you get one without.

[-:Undertaker:-]

I'd agree with the death penalty, however the only thing making me say no, is the fact that even though the criminal should be punished, by killing them you're also punishing their family too.

I just don't think its fair to leave another family to suffer, with the loss of their husband/wife, son/daughter, brother/sister, or what I think is the worse; their child. I really dont think its fair in that respect.

They gave up their right to life by killing someone, I know I certainly wouldn't want anything to do with a family member of mine if they killed/raped someone.

[GommeInc]

It is an interesting point, all be it raised before. Even without the death penalty, many men will spend time in prison, all there lives even, being innocent the whole time. Is this not just as much a waste of life? Yeah, sure they don't die, but i don'th think people sentenced to death would be done so with such unclear evidence. t's probable that if the death penalty did exist, only the worst offenders who have been thoroughhly proven guilty, would be sentenced to death.

Hardly useful or a deterrent then - proving someone guilty takes ages and within that time hundreds of thousands of convictions will take place, therefore doing absolutely nothing as a deterrent, let alone the cost to prove a person is fit to be legally murdered. You're forgetting that prisons aren't going to go anywhere anytime soon, the death sentence is just a pointless add-on sitting above the action taken which is a prison sentence. They will need to be improved (or the opposite, if you will ) and will act as a deterrent anyway, once the whole legal system is fixed, though how it ended up like a mess is beyond anyone.

There appears to be no justifiable reason to legally kill off someone - it's double standards. Let's kill someone for killing someone. It seems like a waste of resources and time to bother thinking of capital punishment, when a cheaper option of actual prison sentences could work if the legal system wasn't based on a nanny's idea of what punishment is - a quick clip round the ears and off you go :/ If they were harsher, it will make people think twice about convicting any sort of crime, while a death sentence seems too far and few between each conviction to be any sort of justifiable deterrent.

Not forgetting that a person can be proven innocent in prison without costing any extra to ship 'em off to be killed. It seems a bit of a waste killing off someone, when you could just as well use them as an example and prove you don't have to kill to get your own way, though that depends on the mentally stable and the mentally unstable who murder or rape.

alexxxxx pointed out something :/ At least you only have to worry about one family with prison sentences, rather than two if two people are killed.