What crime (if any) deserves the death penalty?

[kenny]

Voting for ... oh never mind.

 

[seaurchin]

I'd say no death penalty, ever.

I don't think it serves any practical purpose, for one thing. For example, it doesn't save any taxpayer money because of all the appeals that typically occur, or act as a deterrent over life in prison.

Second, they have been known to execute the wrong person.

Third, I don't like the state having the authority to kill.

Locked up for life is good enough for me, for the worst of the worst.

 

[TooPatient]

I had been very pro death penalty until I started to see so many cases of people locked up for years who were not guilty of a crime.

That shifted me firmly into the no death penalty ever point of view until the pandemic hit and there was discussion of releasing criminals to protect them from the virus. The considerations in WA meant that even certain murderers were potentially eligible.

Now I am not sure where my opinion will settle. There are crimes serious enough that we can't risk having the person who committed them out and around. If lawyers and politicians can come around and let them out like they have done recently, I don't know that life in prison is a safe enough option.

I will say that IF it were used, it should be reserved for the most heinous crimes and there should be a VERY high bar to meet regarding evidence to prove there is absolutely no doubt of guilt.

 

[Tekate]

If you take a life you lose a life. That said, there are many extenuating circumstances and reasons, therefore it should not be carte blanche. xo

 

[telephone89]

This thread was bumped at a most opportune time. I recently read this and can’t imagine anyone who blankly says ‘murder’ would send this guy to his death (but could be wrong!)

 

[LemonMoonLex]

This thread was bumped at a most opportune time. I recently read this and can’t imagine anyone who blankly says ‘murder’ would send this guy to his death (but could be wrong!)

This man is a hero & gave all of the victims justice as well as probably prevented so many little girls lives from being ruined. I would do this in an instant if justice would not prevail & would not bear any qualms. I do not care what anyone else thinks.
You hurt my child, & break them in this way....

This man actually did what all parents say they'd do if it happened to their child. Good on him!

 

[Cerulean]

Great question missy.

It’s complicated, but I’m pro death penalty without a doubt. I think the answers regarding economics alone...feels like a cop out, but it is entirely logical, but I regard ethics more highly.

It is outrageous that appeals etc for death row inmates amount to hundreds of thousands, even in the millions. I want to say, put a cap on it somehow. But I have given it no thought.

But for “severe crimes” - the perpetrators in my opinion, have relinquished their right to live. The crimes, that in your gut, make your stomach churn. You know it when you see it. To provide a scope of what is in or out, would be futile. Because humans find all sorts of new and disgusting ways to inflict pain on one another. Some take pleasure in causing harm, some are just callously indifferent to the suffering of others. Both are dangerous. But usually their actions are reminiscent of things what a wild animal would do, and are things that no one with remorse, capacity for empathy, or ability to be a civil member of society would be capable of. These perpetrators should be allowed no opportunity to experience joy or pleasure, or ever harm anyone else again, including other inmates or guards.

I do not believe in retributive justice, but I firmly believe that there is no hope or rehabilitation for those people. A family friend was actually a psychologist (I don’t remember his title) who specialized in criminal psychology...he actually work with death row inmates, and other criminals who committed heinous sex crimes, and to some extent rehabilitation. He would also testify in court regularly. I remember a conversation he was having with my father that I eavesdropped on. He said quite solemnly that there are some people that are truly beyond saving, beyond rehabilitation. He tried for years to rehabilitate many of them, and now knows that it isn’t possible. How he maintained any level of objectivity while listening to detailed descriptions of these crimes coming from the mouths of the perpetrators is beyond me.

 

[pearlsngems]

If even one person is executed who was innocent, it is too many.
I would like to see the death penalty eliminated in the USA as it has been in Connecticut.

 

[doberman]

Frankly I wouldn't mind the death penalty as punishment for animal cruelty, and those cases are fairly cut and dried. When it comes to crimes against other people, I am less sure of it, to the point that I'd like to see it abolished.

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

It’s a complicated question. I do believe in the death penalty in the most severest of cases: crimes so depraved and horrifying that it would turn your stomach to even imagine people like this could exist, or terror attacks (like a bombing or school shooting). Of course this is only in cases of irrefutable evidence (DNA, confessions and multiple eyewitness accounts).

I used to be against the death penalty, and then this case came into the limelight: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Delhi_gang_rape_and_murder (Warning: this is very difficult to read, especially the “incident” section. Please proceed with caution. TW: rape, torture and murder). This was the moment I realised that there truly are some who are beyond the very concept of redemption. The creatures who committed these heinous acts can hardly be called people, doing so insults the very concept of human beings. But it is crimes of this level that I believe deserve the death penalty, not lesser. Also, I don’t believe that prisoners should be tortured or killed in the ways that they killed - the thought is natural for the victim’s family to have of course but I don’t think bloodthirst has any place in justice.

That being said, I don’t believe that every single person who commits a crime - even a severe one like murder - is incapable of redemption. Justice needs to go hand in hand with mercy and rehabilitation. I do think that prison systems around the world ought to emulate the Scandinavian model that are altogether more humane and more successful at reducing crime. Of course that goes hand in hand with a well maintained social system. This article is a great read if you’re interested:https://www.theatlantic.com/interna...why-scandinavian-prisons-are-superior/279949/

 

[kenny]

Frankly I wouldn't mind the death penalty as punishment for animal cruelty, and those cases are fairly cut and dried. When it comes to crimes against other people, I am less sure of it, to the point that I'd like to see it abolished.

Aren't people animals?

 

[Dancing Fire]

IMO, Ca. should start executing 5 death penalty inmates everyday.

 

[missy]

Frankly I wouldn't mind the death penalty as punishment for animal cruelty

Yes. Without question. People who commit crimes against animals and mutilate and torture them deserve to die.
And as if that wasn't enough (and IMO it certainly is enough) fyi:

Animal cruelty and human violence FAQ

www.humanesociety.org

 

[missy]

Aren't people animals?

Yes. Humans are terrestrial animals.
However animals in the traditional sense of the word are far better than most people. IMO.

 

[missy]

This was the moment I realised that there truly are some who are beyond the very concept of redemption.

Yes. Completely true. Not every human being is capable of redemption. Not even close.