Capital Punishment

You can't say if it would make them feel better or not, I know it would make me feel a hell of alot better.
Plus, It may scare some people into not committing crimes under fear of dying.

 

@Toph: Hmm, interesting fact. Though I still say I'd much rather our tax dollars go to giving health care to law abiding citizens rather than giving health care to criminals. Those guys get anything in the world they need medically, and here I am, a law abiding citizen with a medical condition not only having my own insurance deducted from my paycheck, but their health care taken out via my taxes as well. It blows.

@Nearosaki: Two things. First of all, the argument that given time to reflect that the criminal will always feel bad doesn't work. Many of your worst criminals are probably sociopaths, in which case you can give them all the reflection time in the world and they still won't give a damn.

Secondly, the "some1" thing has to stop. Spell it out please.

 

i have been in that situation, Someone robbed my best Friends house and killed 3 people, Including my best friend.
And they got off even though there was solid proof. The American justice system is so flawed, The Death penalty is one of the only effective punishments. I think its used mostly on the wrong people though.

if you are ever in a situation where someone you love dies because someone thinks its there life is up, you will want that person dead no matter what.

 

The capitol punishment might be necessary. However, I don't believe any of us as humans have the right to judge each other. We're all equal, and using organized murder is wrong entirely. It's also important to note that the death penalty costs a lot of money, and it's more like a waiting list. And there's nothing worse than waiting to be killed. It's quite horrible.

Unless of course your name is Kira and you can kill people with a freaky notebook.

No lies there. <_<

 

No. That is quite an immature viewpoint on it. Allowing a murderer to die or wanting him to die makes you no better than the murderer himself, and essentially a murderer at heart. Think of yourself. You would most likely hate being put to death for any reason out of fear of what might happen after death.

I would imagine most logical thinkers to understand something like this (not meant to be offensive).

Then I ask you this: What makes killing them any more right? Is it more important to focus on removing life than letting it sprout into existence?

 

It doesnt really matter if my views are childish or not. I do understand it but, if they kill someone being locked a way for a while with no dire consequence except prison rape, That doesnt teach lessons does it?

Killing them evens the score. If they kill someone and they live then get out of jail, they will be labeled as an ex-con, no one offering good salary will hire them, they will accumulate massive debt and slowly wither into depression, and possibly suicide. So death would be worse?

It is and I can.

 

I just got into this but I feel I have to debate. For those of you who lost or had someone close hurt by another, my consolations. You guys will hate me for this but I believe you are all avoiding the real question. If you had to push the button that would end another's life, would you do it? Before making this decision here me out.
In the bible it is said that a man who kills another man will receive the punishment due. In short, kill a guy and your off to hell. Later Jesus preaches that if a man strikes you on the cheek, then let that man strike the other. Of course if a man punched me I would not be able to resist the urge to punch back but if a man kills another then is it really right to kill him no matter the reason?
If you won't look at the bible then consider this. Killing some one for killing does not right the wrongs that they have committed. In fact, killing some one for killing makes you no better than him. Yes it will stop that person from continuing but what if that guy is not the right person? Yes he might be the sadistic bastard, sorry, who killed the dude lying on the floor but are you absolutely sure? Because there are cases were the one who did it got off scot free and an innocent man, whom no one believes, is forced to take their place. You are never sure no matter the evidence, short of the guy killing the other in front of every person in town. In fact I would rather pay the money for a killer to rot in prison so that I may save a life that was substituted in for another's.
The guy might even grow to think that he should not have killed a person, no matter the reason. In the movie, Shaw Shank Redemption, a man was accused of killing his wife when in truth some one else did it. Another guy who was an actual killer learned that he had been in the wrong. He wanted to go back in time and tell his younger self the way things are. He wanted to make himself see sense, but you can't re wright the past, no matter what happened.
If you want to be a murderer then push the button, pull the lever, whatever. But if you realize that revenge in NOT as sweet as you might think, then leave the man and walk away knowing that everyone that this man killed, and everyone that loves you knows that YOU were the better person. Eventually the killer may die, comfort or not, and he may escape its true. But once it is realized the whole country will be put on its guard. He might kill or hurt another, but he does not realize that the police will eventually find him, and that divine punishment will only get worse for him. Do you honestly think that killing will make things better? Well here's what I say. I have looked into what these killer, rapers, and burglars have seen, and I know that if I walk that path, if I kill them, then I am no better. Just a thought.

 

Exactly. The point of courtrooms, despite popular belief, is not to keep the innocent away from punishment. It's to present proof to get somebody locked up regardless for what they didn't do.

That's one of the biggest problems with Capital Punishment. You're never certain that the person in the electric chair, deserves to be there.

 

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. :3

That is entirely circumstantial, and would most likely not happen in reality, as people can reform. It would be quite sadistic if society disallowed them opportunity, no?

No, I was asking you?

 

Yes I agree with that. And wether you are excepted back into society is pretty much up to who you talk to. Yes you can reform but some people will never trust you, after all no one trusts a known killer. Still the death penalty is a very crude punishment and doesn't always work.

 

Missed the whole concept of seeing eye dogs eh?

An eye for an eye also creates balance. being put in jail is not big enough punishment for killing someone. someone gets there life taken prematurely. While the person who caused it spends, what, 5 years in jail? That is completely imbalanced, and without balance, this world would suck.

It doesnt matter. It still happens to a great number of people.

 

While we can use dogs to cure blindness, we don't have spare miracles to cure death.

 

Exactly. Killing some one for killing does not erase past mistakes. We can learn to let go of pain and no matter how bad a person is, he/she can always change for the better. Besides, not all prisons are worth going to. And you can't rule the fact that an innocent will get put in the chair. Still you miss my point. If the man is in the chair will YOU push the button. Because if you can't then you have no right to say that that guy deserves to die.

 

I would push the button if i believe the crime is is guilty of calls for such a punishment.

 

Well this all depends on how you determine what's "balanced" enough. I suppose that's your opinion, and some peope are ok with that. But since when is it okay for you to judge other people like that? That's the question to keep in mind when thinking about if it's better to have someone be put to death. It's savage and very childish to wish death upon someone for killing another. I really don't know what could suffice in replacement, and that's I guess that's why it's still used. The "eye for an eye makes the whole world blind" statement itself is, too, a form of thinking about it. And to be honest it's a vastly true statement. If all you can do is kill criminals, then the only people left of the criminals themselves are the people pushing out on the death sentence. Such as yourself, for instance (not that you are; this is an example). Wanting to give someone the death sentence for something makes you....more... justified than a murderer all of a sudden? I'm not sure how I see that logic if this is the case. Those murderers do have people that care for them; they are people too.

 

I agree. Although you say you can push the button if you think the crime is bad enough you have removed all chances for redemption. I think that you need to remove this punishment because it is to terrible a thing to do. Yes the guy MIGHT have killed someone but you never know the circumstances unless you witness it. Plus you might just end an innocent life. Lawyers don't protect the innocent. They just protect their wallets.

 

Ok, alot of people are saying that "life in prison is far worse than death" and "killing someone makes you a hypocrite" and "How does killing someone show that killing is wrong?". All of these are false. Life in prison WOULD be torture to someone like you and me, but to some sadistic man who rapes/murders just for fun, do you think free room and board is that big of a deal to him? And as far as killing makes you a hypocrite, how does it? The justice system is more complicated than you people think, they arent saying "because you killed you will die" they are saying "you took a life, which falls under capital punishment". And no punishment for crime is meant to show you it is wrong, it is just meant to get you away from society. The death penalty is not there to say "dont kill because its bad!" its there for FEAR! It says "don't kill because we will kill you".

 

^ I greatly agree with you.