Ayiekie Wrote:It's a matter of opinion. I don't think the death penalty is the answer to every murder conviction. More for people who are serial killers, massmurders, or the rare nutjob that revels in their deeds. The rabid dogs who, if released, are likely to kill again. If the person gets enough 'consecutive life sentences without parole' that he's garunteed to die in prison, then execute him, and be done with it.Timote Wrote:The Death Penalty does cut down on repeat offenders somewhat, though. Might have more of a deterrant effect if people didn't spend 10+ years on Death Row as well. Then again, it might not. *shrugs*First, it is wholly demonstrable that people are wrongfully convicted of capital crimes in modern advanced states such as Canada and the United States. I believe in the very ancient ethical axiom (going all the way back to the Bible and restated many times by thinkers and legalists in the last 20 centuries) that it is better that guilty people go free than that innocent people suffer. Innocents suffering wrongfully is of course unavoidable under any justice system that includes prisons (fun fact - the Roman Republic didn't have a prison system, nor any legal mechanism of imprisonment), but obviously killing an innocent person is a lot more irreversible than imprisonment.
Second, I think it is morally very murky for states to engage in legal murder under any circumstance. Even were the death penalty an effective deterrent to crime rates - and the virtually unanimous conclusion of studies on the subject is that it is either harmful or has no discernible effect on them - I think it would be an extremely morally dubious act. Due to its lack of any clear effectiveness and the absolute certainty that it will involve the state murdering innocent people, I don't see how it can be justified in a civilised state. It offers no benefit (the people committed of capital crimes would virtually never be freed in any case, barring of course cases where they were wrongfully convicted or society's views on their actions have changed), and has numerous drawbacks.
A guy who comes home to find his wife in bed with another guy, snaps and kills them both? No, that's not something that deserves the Death Penalty.
Of course, I also think that people are sent to prison to be punished. If it were up to me, prisoners wouldn't be able to watch cable, eat fancy meals, and so on. If the prisoners are enjoying themselves, then the prison isn't helping.
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