BS: Death Penalty

Subject: RE: BS: Death Penalty
From: Senoufou
Date: 17 Feb 23 - 08:32 AM

I realise there have been cases in the past where the wrong person has been sentenced to death. And I agree that it does indeed cost a lot to keep a person in prison for donkey's years.
I always ask myself when pondering these things, "Would I be prepared to press the lever and kill off a murderer?". My answer would be "No!", so I suppose I shouldn't expect anyone else to do it either.
However, self-defence is a right. If a person entered my house and tried to kill my husband, I'd surely bash them over the head with my heaviest frying pan and do them in!
Assisted dying is a hard one to decide. A person in terrible agony with a terminal illness can be helped to end their unendurable life.
While prison visiting (eight UK prisons, some Category A) I learned that most of the inmates did not change, reform or become less dangerous, so were fairly likely to re-offend. A 'life sentence' for murder should mean 'life' perhaps.
I'm finding this quite a difficult subject on which to form an opinion.

Subject: RE: BS: Death Penalty
From: DMcG
Date: 17 Feb 23 - 07:25 AM

I went to an 'adult education' class many decades ago on criminality and I was told at that the proportion of convictions at murder trials went up when the death penalty ended. Unfortunately I don't have any notes or references to follow that up, but the lecturer thought the most likely cause was that jurors in effect set a higher threshold for 'reasonable doubt' when a life was at stake, compared to a "reversible" life sentence. Without evidence, I can't say that is true, but it does seem plausible.

Subject: RE: BS: Death Penalty
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 17 Feb 23 - 06:05 AM

I always regard life as precious

If only life was black and white. I am opposed to the death penalty but I have to ask myself:

How to deal with an invading army? ;
Should troops be sent in to defend the country when, inevitably, not all will come back? ;
Is aerial bombardment of an aggressor's war machine acceptable, knowing there will be "collateral damage"? ;
Is military action in another country, to remove a despot who is threatening the lives of his own people, acceptable?

If sacrificing life for the common good is acceptable in theses circumstances, what is the argument against capital punishment?

My own feeling is that capital punishment wouldn't have the desired effect, or be of limited value, as murders are often crimes of passion with no thought of the consequences. Mass shooters often turn their guns on themselves. My biggest objection is that miscarriages of justice can't be corrected.

DC

Subject: RE: BS: Death Penalty
From: Ebbie
Date: 17 Feb 23 - 05:17 AM

As they say, I object to taking a life in cold blood for an act that was committed in hot blood. The way I see it, if one kills someone in one's own home, OK- you've got the right guy. (Of course, there have been many instances when someone was inadvertently killed when the 'intruder' was merely returning home.)

Proponents of capital punishment often state that they object to housing and feeding a convicted person for years rather than killing them, citing the imagined waste of money. They evidently don't realize that it is MUCH cheaper, under the American system, to incarcerate them for life without possibility of parole than the single act of execution.

I suspect that those who object to that finding will say that a bullet to the head on the day of conviction would be cheaper than imprisoning them but that's not how it should work in a civilized society.

Subject: RE: BS: Death Penalty
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 17 Feb 23 - 05:05 AM

No death penalty for me, and I'm extremely dubious about assisted dying while I'm at it. I know it's not quite the same thing!

Subject: BS: Death Penalty
From: Senoufou
Date: 17 Feb 23 - 04:10 AM

There has been some debate recently about re-instating the death penalty in UK. One comment (I forget by whom) stated the obvious, that murderers don't re-offend after they've been sentenced to death! Also, the right to have euthanasia if one does not wish to continue to live has also been broached.
I find that the idea of taking a life is not right, and 'vengeance' is a dubious reason for sentencing someone to death. Also, euthanasia could be open to abuse and errors (mental health etc).
Any views on these issues? I always regard life as precious.