Capital Punishment

[emmasi]

Yeah, the reason I haven't posted my own opinion is that I don't feel strongly enough either way to back up a definite statement. I'm one of those cheery people who thinks that death is a release, so from the perspective of a criminal, I'd rather die than spend decades in prison. But then there's the question of whether or not a criminal deserves that kind of release - I can see why people would be against that. And of course, not everyone is like me, most people would rather keep their life, especially innocent people who still think there's a chance they'll get out of jail and return to a semi-normal life.

From a cold perspective of practicality, I support the death penalty. I think there are too many people in the world and killing criminals would free up a lot of resources. But then I guess you have to wonder what would happen to the bodies. Burial? That's a lot of graves. Cremation? A lot of air-pollution. Dog food? Well that would just be gross... I suppose releasing the bodies to scientific study would be the most efficient thing to do, or even harvesting healthier criminals for their organs, but who knows if it would be ethical. There is the possibility of consent, but I can't see someone who has done something bad enough to be killed for wanting to save lives before theirs is taken away, unless they've found God and are trying to make some ground up before their final judgment. You could always use living death-row criminals for scientific experiments - there's probably people doing that sort of thing already, it's just not acknowledged. You have to wonder how they go from testing on rats and bunnies to declaring something safe for humans... At least it would save some innocent animals.

Of course, its this kind of life-prolonging research that has kept so many people alive in the first place. So if my main reason for wanting to kill criminals is overpopulation, can I really support a system that would make use of the bodies to prolong the lives of other people? One dead criminal could, in theory, keep 10 other people alive. Perhaps those people would be more deserving of life, but if I'm sticking with cold practicality, deserving doesn't come into it. More people is more people, and more strain on resources. It's a conundrum.

[Oxidizer]

The death penalty is murder. It's a hypocritical form of retribution, not justice. And so I'm against it.

But I do understand that some people can't be rehabilitated and need to be punished more severely (and not with bullwhips and pink handcuffs either). The sentences for some of the more serious crimes are a bit of a joke though, especially when comparing those to sentences of crimes involving money.

[SAB]

Australian sentences for serious crimes are a joke and a half, as are our hotel room jails. There have been sentences as low as 2-3 years for manslaughter, and maximum terms for a given crime are rarely handed out. Ironic how one of the one-time harshest judicial systems evolved into the laughing stock we see today.

[grumble bum]

I believe in the death penalty. An eye for an eye. Here you commit RAPE or MURDER you only get about 5-10 years. Commit fraud and you can go down for longer. There was a case only a few years ago where the father,son and daughter planed to kill there mother. They where all on drugs at the time. they murdered there mother for her money. Because they where on drugs at the time they could not be sent to prison. The father, son and daughter were sent to mental hospital for 3 years and then are still entilted for there mothers life insurence.

[Formerly Known as FKAJ]

I'm in two minds, I guess. On the one hand, I can name a few murderers whose executions I would not cry over. On the other hand, it says a lot about the justice system when a group of university students manage to exonerate several people on death row while working on a school assignment. I'm not saying the death penalty is the only problem here, but it's the one that would improve the system the most if it were abolished permanently