Capital Punishment

[Advi]

And so on. Some people do not deserve to live.

No one has the right to say that. We are human, just as they are. To say that we are above them is laughable, because we are all equal.
And who knows, what if to those aforementioned people, we law abiding citizens are the ones that don`t deserve to live? Would that justify their killing, the same way people try to justify Capital Punishment?

To say we are all equal in that way, is the same as saying that nobody should be punished for anything and that we don't need government to mediate when there is a disturbance in our society.
Everybody is born with the right to live but if they choose to throw away that right by committing an extreme act against his or her brethren, then that is completely, and utterly, his or her decision. Are we forced to drive over the speed limit? No, we choose to drive faster than we are legally allowed and agree to pay a speeding ticket. Crimes are all different, but the core principles of punishment remain the same.
Of course, that's not to say that capital punishment should be strict. If committing a crime against humanity could be debated as either involuntary (i.e. sociopathy or insanity) or necessary in a very extreme scenario to survive, like in a famine or isolated in a desolate environment, then it could be debated.

 

[Sterling]

Capital punishment has been shown to be an ineffective deterrent. It does not keep society safer.
Capital punishment (inclusive of "death row" and the repeals process) generally costs more money than detaining a prisoner for life. It does not save money.
Capital punishment can be done quicker and more importantly, painlessly using methods such as nitrogen asphyxiation. It fulfills a barbaric sense of "vengeance", ignoring justice and humanity.
Capital punishment has quite a few false positives over the years. You can release someone from prison, but you can't bring them back to life.

I think this man summarized the entire topic

Yea, just one side of the coin. Though I do agree with the second point. Hanging is way more humane, and they don't feel a thing.

 

[Magmorph]

Capital punishment has been shown to be an ineffective deterrent. It does not keep society safer.
Capital punishment (inclusive of "death row" and the repeals process) generally costs more money than detaining a prisoner for life. It does not save money.
Capital punishment can be done quicker and more importantly, painlessly using methods such as nitrogen asphyxiation. It fulfills a barbaric sense of "vengeance", ignoring justice and humanity.
Capital punishment has quite a few false positives over the years. You can release someone from prison, but you can't bring them back to life.

I think this man summarized the entire topic

Yea, just one side of the coin. Though I do agree with the second point. Hanging is way more humane, and they don't feel a thing.

Why do you think hanging is the best option?

 

[Sterling]

Capital punishment has been shown to be an ineffective deterrent. It does not keep society safer.
Capital punishment (inclusive of "death row" and the repeals process) generally costs more money than detaining a prisoner for life. It does not save money.
Capital punishment can be done quicker and more importantly, painlessly using methods such as nitrogen asphyxiation. It fulfills a barbaric sense of "vengeance", ignoring justice and humanity.
Capital punishment has quite a few false positives over the years. You can release someone from prison, but you can't bring them back to life.

I think this man summarized the entire topic

Yea, just one side of the coin. Though I do agree with the second point. Hanging is way more humane, and they don't feel a thing.

Why do you think hanging is the best option?

Quick, painless, and cheap. When set up right, the force of the initial drop disconnects a certain part of the spinal column, and then strangles them without them feeling anything. Back when it was the choice of execution, they made tables of the ideal drop distances and length of rope to weight ratios. Not a sound, and none ever feel anything.

EDIT: Should mention when the spinal column is broken, they are knocked out.

 

[cruddybuddy]

Here's a question for everyone. Would you be willing to stop capital punishment if it meant the unborn human holocaust would end?

 

[Sterling]

Here's a question for everyone. Would you be willing to stop capital punishment if it meant the unborn human holocaust would end?

Totally different subject, and I can nae comment on it.

 

[monkat]

We. Should reinstate manngelt

 

[Advi]

Here's a question for everyone. Would you be willing to stop capital punishment if it meant the unborn human holocaust would end?

Killing a man and preemptively ending the life of an unborn child are two entirely different things.

 

[Logan 5]

down with foxes I vote death penalty on them

 

[Inori]

Yes, but there remains an underlying reason. The people who kill others also kill others in jail. This could be for gang initiation, or some other for of group acceptance. When these people also get out of jail (If they ever do), they most likely have another chance to kill someone. It makes sense that if someone takes a life they should be punished. When they are allowed to live, they don't feel punished, and are still ready to kill on moments notice.

I`m going to assume, for the sake of the argument, that you mean only the truly distrubed people out there will continue killing. And I dispute that fact. People can change, and I think that long term imprisonment (with limited freedom) can change a person. I think it was you, who mentioned that your buddy had spent time in jail, and basically had to sleep with one eye open, and no doubt, it was a life changing experience. I maintain that being trapped in a small cell with limited freedom, and possible grouped with other people who have the capability to do what you have done, or perhaps worse, is enough punishment to make you think twice about what you have done.

What if a fellow inmate is due out, all this person did was a breaking and entering charge. Then according to some gang initiation or this guy rubs another the wrong way and kills him. This man was due for a new lease on life, a second chance. This man has prematurely departed from this world, all because maybe he looked at this guy (who should have been on death row) the wrong way.

I`m not sure how the prison system in the United States work, but I doubt that they would group killers, who "should" have been up on death row, with people performing petty crimes such as break-ins

Oh c'mon, if you killed someone you'd feel bad. These people who execute others always feel bad. No matter which way you put it you still take another's life, and if you are a reasonable person you will always feel bad about it.

So only executioners will feel remorse, whereas other killers can`t? If exercising Capital Punishment was really the right thing to do, then I would aruge that there is no need to feel bad. Of course, you would say that what is right isn`t always what is best, and that humans have emotions. Then I would ask again, what the difference is between a killer and an executioner, apart from the fact that the latter is "allowed" to do it. I mean if executioners have emotions and can feel remorse, what`s to say that a killer won`t think so, perhaps 10, eeven 20 years into their sentence, when they`ve had time to think about it?

Answer to above: They are both going to die anyways, because they are both condemned, one just meets his maker earlier. It makes no difference, because they both will eventually pay the ultimate price.

So you wouldn`t say that Killer A was being unlawful, because Killer B was going to die anyway? Isn`t that unfair to Killer B, even though they are a killer? What gives Killer A the right to deny Killer B of their last remaining days. Worse yet, what if Killer A goes on a rampage, killing everyone in sight, seeing as they`re going to die anyway. What are you going to do? Hang him twice? Again, I maintain that being locked up in a small cell for the rest of your life, knowing that there is no escape is more of an effective punishment then killing them. That would be the easy way out. Once they`re dead, it`s over. That is why some people (take that guy who kidnapped that girl and held her captive for 18 years, for example) prefer to just end it in one fell swoop then live with it for the rest of their lives.

What if one of these guys was innocent and was about to be released, and the guy gets killed. How would you react to that?

That is the equivalent to asking "What if an innocent person was hung?".


QUOTETo say we are all equal in that way, is the same as saying that nobody should be punished for anything and that we don't need government to mediate when there is a disturbance in our society.

I don`t see how you made that connection. I am not saying that people shouldn`t be punished. I`m saying that as fellow humans, we don`t have the right to deprive someone of their life. You would say the killer had no right either, and I would agree. But I would be the moral person, and not stoop to their level. Killing them, because they have killed is not a reasonable way to justify the use of Capital Punishment. In the end, it makes you no better than they are.

 

[JonthanD]

My opinion and thats all it is... is that the death penalty is good for grieving families, no it will not bring loved ones back but in the same breath they do at least get to know that the slime ball (99.9% of the time the right one.....) is not sitting enjoying a vacation in Tijuana or something.

I know that if some one killed my family I would feel better knowing that the person was going to get some form of punishment, no its probably not what they deserve.... Since most of the time people who kill some one else and get the death penalty usually have killed people in some obscene way.

A case that I am very familiar with.....

http://www.sptimes.com/2003/07/24/Pasco/Ap...ng_could_.shtml

The one guy was in a couple of my classes and had spoke to me just days before about breaking and entering and how best to break into peoples houses.... I had no idea that he apparently was planning something so horrid... I would have called him a friend at one point and seemingly a nice guy...
I think he deserves the death penalty what he and his friend did to that poor old woman even before she died was beyond sick.... This case just makes me more ill every time I read about it, after looking at the article I linked I didn't know it was the poor womans 71st birthday wow....

 

[MelodieOctavia]

Here's a question for everyone. Would you be willing to stop capital punishment if it meant the unborn human holocaust would end?

Would you be willing to end world hunger if you had the power to Vacuum a room of carpet in 60 seconds?

Seriously, one has nothing to do with the other, besides the fact of lost lives...

Now, there are many people that brought up many fairly good ones.

YES, the Death Penalty does, in the long run cost much more money than a life sentence, but this is mainly due to appeals.

YES, hanging does make it a lot more painless and quick, but if it isn't, then it is a very ugly sight. Meaning that when a hanging fails, people don't like to keep watching.

NO, another human or humans should not have the right to make the decision on whether or not another human should live or die, unless there are extreme circumstances. Those being a serial murderer, or a repeat murderer, or a war criminal responsible for the loss of human life.

 

[cruddybuddy]

Here's a question for everyone. Would you be willing to stop capital punishment if it meant the unborn human holocaust would end?

Killing a man and preemptively ending the life of an unborn child are two entirely different things.

They are different, but not entirely different. Both are killing human life against their will.

 

[MelodieOctavia]

Here's a question for everyone. Would you be willing to stop capital punishment if it meant the unborn human holocaust would end?

Killing a man and preemptively ending the life of an unborn child are two entirely different things.

They are different, but not entirely different. Both are killing human life against their will.

And there the similarities end.

 

[cruddybuddy]

Here's a question for everyone. Would you be willing to stop capital punishment if it meant the unborn human holocaust would end?
Killing a man and preemptively ending the life of an unborn child are two entirely different things.


They are different, but not entirely different. Both are killing human life against their will.

And there the similarities end.

That's some faulty logic my friend.

You know, you and I are both humans, but there our similarities end. LOL. Excellent point.

QUOTE(dudeonline @ Sep 10 2010, 08:13 PM)

NO, another human or humans should not have the right to make the decision on whether or not another human should live or die, unless there are extreme circumstances. Those being a serial murderer, or a repeat murderer, or a war criminal responsible for the loss of human life.

You would give unborn humans the same respect and right to live as a one-time murderer, correct? Then you agree with me.

 

[Midna]

This is not an abortion topic. I agree with capital punishment in some cases, and abortion in some cases. Drop the abortion thing.

 

[cruddybuddy]

This is not an abortion topic. I agree with capital punishment in some cases, and abortion in some cases. Drop the abortion thing.

Yes, right away. Please don't suspend me for talking about right-to-life in a capital punishment thread. I'll be good from now on.

 

[MelodieOctavia]

You would give unborn humans the same respect and right to live as a one-time murderer, correct? Then you agree with me.

To a point, yes. I don't agree with abortion, again, unless in extreme circumstances such as Forced unconsentual sex. That is a retarded word filter by the way.

Anyway this is off topic.

 

[cruddybuddy]

You would give unborn humans the same respect and right to live as a one-time murderer, correct? Then you agree with me.

To a point, yes. I don't agree with abortion, again, unless in extreme circumstances such as Forced unconsentual sex.

I'm glad we agree, to a point. I have to ask though, is the child of forced sex a serial killer? If not, then you have to add another person to your list: serial killers, war criminals, and children with evil fathers.

EDIT: Filter is lame. Agreed.

 

[Vulpes Abnocto]

down with foxes I vote death penalty on them

OI!..... You've gotta catch me first!

_______________________________________________________



*sighs and a somber frown furrows his brow*

As for the topic at hand,
I'm put in a very difficult position at this moment.

You see, I lost a friend just this week so a senseless act of violence.
A young lady with a quick smile and boundless charm,
at the hands of a man who vowed to love, honor, and cherish her.

Somehow in his twisted mind he convinced himself that it was right and just for him to accuse her of marital infidelity,
then strangle, molest, and beat her until she was comatose,
in front of their two young sons.

Machines now do her breathing for her, because her body can no longer do so on it's own.
Doctors give her zero chance of ever waking up.
Her boys are traumatized; scarred for all their lives.
Her friends (also my friends, who grew up with her....unfortunately I only got to meet her a few times)
are absolutely torn apart in their grief.

In many cases, perhaps even most cases, I would be against capital punishment.
....against vengeance....

But there are a few cases,
with special circumstances
that makes one's blood boil,
and one's soul howl for justice.

Violent, blood-streaked, scream-echoing justice.


And if this makes me a "sick" person,
then so be it.
I'm oddly comfortable with that.