[shyamshah]

Basically I watched a film yesterday called 'chopper' and it's about the criminal Mark 'chopper' Reid and the crimes he committed. He basically killed other drug dealers etc and other criminals. My question is, should these criminals who are actually helping society by killing other criminals be punished in the same way that a murderer who kills an innocent person for no reason etc is?

Thank you

[Planar]

You should be wary of so readily accepting the assumption that killing criminals is always a good thing, even if they have committed serious crimes.

[Nick1sHere]

Yes they should be punished... Just because they are criminals doesn't give you any more right to kill them

[chickenonsteroids]

They should still be punished.

The KKK hate the westboro baptist church, should they be classed as good?

[OU Student]

Two wrongs don't make a right. It also sends out the message that killing some people is acceptable.

[shyamshah]

Obviously they should be punished, but I am saying in the same way or should they be given a shorter prison sentence.

[chickenonsteroids]

(Original post by shyamshah)
Obviously they should be punished, but I am saying in the same way or should they be given a shorter prison sentence.

No. They still killed somebody unlawfully. If you'll give them a shorter prison sentence for killing someone, why give them the sentence at all?

[Rascacielos]

I don't think they should even be given a shorter prison sentence. In the cases where it's right to kill a criminal, the person would have a public/private defence (commonly known as 'self-defence' but it involves the protection of property and other people for whom you're responsible too, so not really 'self' defence).

(Original post by Octohedral)
Circumstances of crime always vary, and there's no fair way of deciding whose life is worth more or less than others. The fact that our criminal justice system is meticulously fair and above sentiment is part of what makes our country so developed - it has far more good implications than bad ones.

Of course, we do have a judge and jury to add a slight human element - there was that case a couple of years ago where a jury acquitted some environmental protesters, despite all the evidence, because they agreed with the protest.

I'd change the 'is' to 'tries to be'.

[Octohedral]

Circumstances of crime always vary, and there's no fair way of deciding whose life is worth more or less than others. The fact that our criminal justice system is meticulously fair and above sentiment is part of what makes our country so developed - it has far more good implications than bad ones.

Of course, we do have a judge and jury to add a slight human element - there was that case a couple of years ago where a jury acquitted some environmental protesters, despite all the evidence, because they agreed with the protest.

[SpicyStrawberry]

I thought this was going to be a Dexter thread.

[Sternumator]

I don't think it is always a good thing for criminals to die but I do think killing someone or no reason is worse. Like Hymen Roth says on the Godfather, they have choosen that business and they know when they go into it that violence comes with it. If a family member of mine joined a columbian drugs cartel and got murdered I would be less angry at the murderer than if someone did it for no reason because thats just that is just the way drugs cartels operate.

[No Man]

(Original post by SpicyStrawberry)
I thought this was going to be a Dexter thread.

So did I

Although I think it would be good for more people to have the job role that Dexter has if it only applied to murderers.

[justanotherposter]

I wouldn't be shedding any tears over the death of a murderer. Although there is the question of what happens when this justice seeking murderer jumps to an incorrect assumption and kills an innocent man?

[cl_steele]

(Original post by OU Student)
Two wrongs don't make a right. It also sends out the message that killing some people is acceptable.

lets be fair though, some people do need to die...

[hannahchan]

The criminials could be turned around and made into innocent people.. so yes they should still be punished.. as murder is wrong..

[KJane]

(Original post by shyamshah)
Basically I watched a film yesterday called 'chopper' and it's about the criminal Mark 'chopper' Reid and the crimes he committed. He basically killed other drug dealers etc and other criminals. My question is, should these criminals who are actually helping society by killing other criminals be punished in the same way that a murderer who kills an innocent person for no reason etc is?

Thank you

You'll love 'Dexter.' A show about serial killer who only kills criminals. It does bring this question up quite a bit.

[TheLastOfUs]

(Original post by shyamshah)
Basically I watched a film yesterday called 'chopper' and it's about the criminal Mark 'chopper' Reid and the crimes he committed. He basically killed other drug dealers etc and other criminals. My question is, should these criminals who are actually helping society by killing other criminals be punished in the same way that a murderer who kills an innocent person for no reason etc is?

Thank you

Nope. If 'good' criminals killed other criminals and we allowed them too, we'd have less scum to feed in our prisons.

[shyamshah]

(Original post by KJane)
You'll love 'Dexter.' A show about serial killer who only kills criminals. It does bring this question up quite a bit.

Thank you for telling me will try and watch it in summer.

[shyamshah]

(Original post by TheLastOfUs)
Nope. If 'good' criminals killed other criminals and we allowed them too, we'd have less scum to feed in our prisons.

But they still committed a crime and should be punished for it, just maybe not as much as a murderer who kills innocent people.

[Kiss]

If he's killing them then he shouldn't be exempt from the law - two wrongs don't make a right.