The death penalty should be a global practice?

IMO if we did have it, it would discourage people from committing crimes but it would also be inhumane and we'd be no better than the murderers, rapists etc

Do you think that major crimes could ever be justifiable or understood?

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Reply 1

username612415

The death penalty is almost universally recognised as an ineffective deterrent against crimes abhorrent enough to justify its use, nevermind lesser ones. The lengthy legal process involved in seeing a death sentence all the way through to completion is on average costlier than it would be to incarcerate someone for a life sentence. It's a futile endeavour which gives the worst offenders an easy way out while also introducing the risk of taking the lives of innocent people that may otherwise regain their freedom, it's not a beneficial option in any way really.

Reply 2

Alienated.

Interesting, so you believe that it would just be seen as an easy way out for criminals? Do you think life sentences would be any better then?

Reply 3

username612415

Original post by Alienated.

Interesting, so you believe that it would just be seen as an easy way out for criminals? Do you think life sentences would be any better then?

Personally I do not believe in administering prison sentences solely for the purposes of retribution, but there is a reason people will often commit suicide in the face of capture after committing capital crimes, rather than allow themselves to suffer indefinite prison sentences.

Reply 4

Napp

Original post by Alienated.

But it is a cast iron fact the death penalty does not discourage crime, not even a little bit. Merely look to, well, every single country that tops its citizens.

Reply 5

Alienated.

Original post by Napp

But it is a cast iron fact the death penalty does not discourage crime, not even a little bit. Merely look to, well, every single country that tops its citizens.

Would you commit a crime knowing you could face the death penalty?

Reply 6

Napp

Original post by Alienated.

Would you commit a crime knowing you could face the death penalty?

Without knowing the circumstances its impossible to say. Suffice it to say many many people do on a regular basis. Look at our own history, when we tried to legislate the death penalty for most crimes, it backfired spectacularly.

Take this as a truism, if someone is desperate enough (be it through drugs, money, threats etc.) they will do anything. Happily including capitol offenses.

Reply 7

username1799249

Original post by Alienated.

IMO if we did have it, it would discourage people from committing crimes

So are you saying that in countries that exercise the death penalty, there is no crime whatsoever?

Reply 8

Alienated.

Original post by Napp

Then I'd doubt it that any life sentence, determinate prison sentences or death penalties will deter them.

Original post by ByEeek

So are you saying that in countries that exercise the death penalty, there is no crime whatsoever?

How did you go from 'discourage' to 'no crime whatsoever'?? No I did not say that, I said that it could act as a deterrent from committing capital crimes.

Reply 9

username4986690

Original post by Alienated.

How did you go from 'discourage' to 'no crime whatsoever'?? No I did not say that, I said that it could act as a deterrent from committing capital crimes.

Have you got any evidence to back that claim?

Reply 10

Alienated.

So do you think instead of punishment, there should be rehabilitation? That no one is a lost cause?

Reply 11

Alienated.

Original post by DiddyDec

So just another user that can't form the most basic argument.

The first thing I said was 'in my opinion'. Not my fault if you can't tell the difference between opinion and facts. But let me give my 'proof'. If we had two serial killers, one gets 25 years, gets out and kills another person while the other sk gets the death penalty. That's one life saved and another lost.

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 12

username4986690

Original post by Alienated.

The first thing I said was 'in my opinion'. Not my fault if you can't tell the difference between opinion and facts.

Opinions are generally based on something.

Reply 13

Alienated.

Original post by DiddyDec

Opinions are generally based on something. Don't patronise me.

If you want me to see your point you're going to have to at least understand mine. I'm talking about your average criminal. Not your batsh*t crazy lunatic that doesn't care if they were to die today or tomorrow. Most people are afraid of death so the death penalty would act as a deterrent.

I'm pretty sure there's enough proof that people are afraid of death.

Think about it like this, once someone has committed a crime like murder, it's been done. Someone has lost their friend, father, daughter etc. So the death penalty would at least be some sort of closure for them. If the person who killed someone was just given a second chance how would the victims feel?

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 14

Foxehh

One could argue that a prisoner chose to kill someone innocent knowing full well the consequence would the the possibility of the death penalty whereas the victim of a homicide did not have that choice. To say that the two are the same level of morality is silly.

Reply 15

Alienated.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0300475/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
A serial killer + sex offender called John Wayne Gacy. Killing up to 33 people. If you were his family, would you feel any sympathy? I sure as hell wouldn't, yes family is family but it shouldn't excuse people's actions. How you were brought up may influence your actions but you can only go so far blaming your actions on the past.

I believe he was married too. He was imprisoned once or twice before facing the death penalty. Both of them being somewhere on the lines of sexual assault as well as hiring a thug to beat up one of the witnesses the first time he was imprisoned. To marry such a man makes me question whether or not the wife deserves sympathy. His last words were 'kiss my ass'. This and the fact that he's killed 33 people, shows to me that he doesn't feel any guilt or remorse for what he's done. No matter how they handled him, he would still be the same person. So imo it would do the world good and those 33 families to just get rid of him.

He was also ruled as sane. So he knew what he was doing. None of his crimes were provoked, he was looking to hurt people. Criminals like this deserve the death penalty.

Reply 16

Foxehh

But didnt they knowingly put themselves in that position? While I dont I agree with the death penalty, it seems unfair to say that someone taking the life of an innocent person is just as bad as taking the life of someone who knew they were at risk of being killed if they did x y z and still chose to do it. That choice makes a rather large difference in how ethical it is.

Reply 17

username5426190

Original post by Alienated.

Say it louder! An eye for an eye, in my opinion. If you're going to kill someone, be ready to receive the same treatment. And there are too many lunatics out there that shouldn't be forgiven for such a crime. I do think some situations involving death don't deserve the death penalty but for clear, calculated murder, the death penalty is acceptable.

I think the only situation where the death penalty should be debated is in the case of sane children who didn't commit gruesome murder. I put sane and gruesome there for a reason. There are situations where children received the death penalty and kill-on-sight order. Call me cruel but I didn't feel sorry for them. Some folks are saying no children should receive that punishment but I humbly disagree.
For example, I've heard the story of a girl who was playing with a gun and killed her friend. I certainly wouldn't want the death penalty for her.
However, there were two boys who killed a child in the most disgusting way I have ever read. They beat him to a pulp, smashed his bones with bricks; then, put his unconscious body on train tracks so he was divided into two. Do you know why they did all this? FOR FUN. THEY TREATED A TODDLER LIKE THAT FOR FUN. They found the monsters playing with his guts. This is a true story I wished was false. And some people were saying they're just kids who don't know better! I- excuse me?! Who treats a baby like that?! They aren't human beings! If kids like them received the death penalty, I wouldn't be sad. Heck, if I was that toddler's mom who had to hear what happened to her little boy and how much he suffered, I would have killed them myself.

Reply 18

Alienated.

Original post by Daryl_01

Yes I've read about that, I believe that's the main reason the legal age of criminal responsibility was lowered to 10 in the UK. What happened to the poor toddler was horrific. I don't feel sympathy for the two boys or their parents. They knew what they were doing and the parents should've been paying more attention to them.

Reply 19

username5426190

Original post by Alienated.

EXACTLY! I still find it hard to believe kids so young did that but they certainly knew what they were doing. I also don't feel an iota of sympathy for them or their families. It's bothersome how many people were trying to defend them. The same happens in rape and sexual assault cases where kids are the perpetrators and I've noticed that the laws tend to excuse kids of a certain age. I'll bring up another two scenarios.

A 14 yr old got his 16 yr old girlfriend pregnant. Back then before the Romeo and Juliet law, that was very illegal. He got slammed with 30 years which still makes no sense to me because 30 years is excessive and he was the younger person! I think he's been released now because of new laws.

Then, there was another case I read which was about sexual assault not statutory rape. It involved an 8 yr old boy and a 5 yr old girl. He kept trying to put his hands up her skirt, and because she was pushing him away, he held her down and guess what he did. He bit off her nipple. I'm not joking. He freaking bit off her nipple! And he didn't get any punishment or anything because of his age. They should have let that rapist-in-training sleep in a special cell for some weeks. If not for assault, punish him for violence or bodily harm. But no, an 8 year old doesn't know not to rip off people's body parts with his teeth.

I really think in a lot of situations, parents carry some of the blame. Raise your kids properly and if you find traits of insanity, get them help so you don't make the next Edmund Kemper who killed his grandparents at 15 cause he just wanted to see what it felt like to kill Grandma.