to bring back capital punishment?

[redhead23]

do u think if we had tougher sentences ie - capital punishment , crime would be less in todays society ?

[Whickerman]

Just look at the statistics in, say, Texas. The answer is No.

[redhead23]

i really don't know wat has become of the UK , there are so many shootings and as for knife attacks - the country has gone to hell its out of control bloody scary

[Lonnie]

I may be in the minority, but I believe, yes, to start with, its the ultimate deterrent, our prisons wouldn't be so overcrowded, we currently have more people in prison than any other European country.

Yes, there would still be murders etc, but a lot less. Punishment to fit the crime.

[redhead23]

lonnie , i agree ,mate

i think it would scare a lot of them , into living law abiding lifes !!

[ne2]

Bring back the birch!! A public flogging would deter these scumbag's and tho' some may say it would make hero's of the offender's they'd still have the pain and bleeding. 1st offender's should be left in the stock's with just bread and water for a week.

[cj69]

Anyone who thinks 'it is ok I will only get life imprisonment' is hardly likely to be put off by the death penalty. If the death penalty was such a deterrent there would be less murders in thestates of America with it than without- there isn't! Also consider Fred West and Harold Shipman, two of the most notorious killers in recent times, both preferred death to life in prison. We may have a high prison population but this has nothing to do with capital punishment. What percentage of those in prison would have been killed by the state if it were in place?
As for the stocks etc., what kind of criminal justice system do we, as educated citizens of the 21st century want? Reformative or retributative?

[Bmw-Rider]

Consider those falsely convicted and sentenced to death

[Kiwi the 1st]

I hear of shootings & stabbings every day. & in my opinion I think we should bring back capital punishment, it would deter a lot of these ******** from doing what they do, ok it may not stop all crime but it would stop a lot of it. & it would get a lot of the scum off the streets. I think i've made my point.

[Octavius]

It didn't work when it was in place in this country (hence it was abolished) so it wouldn't work now. If it worked then people wouldn't be executed would they.

The idea of going to prison should be less attractive. I suspect that with the levels of comfort provided to prisoners these days, that it is rarely seen as a punishment.

Capital punishment however, is not the answer.

[oldfashioned]

Sorry octavius but capital punishment is the answer.How many convicted murderers have been released early only to kill again. Hanging may not deter everyone but it will certainly deter the person at the end of the rope.

[oldfashioned]

Ok Timothy Evans hung for Christie's murder of his wife and child. I bet more people have been murdered by early released killers than innocent people hung.Colateral damage.

[shineybomb]

Bring back the Victorian methods - if people were actually frightened to go to prison they wouldn't be doing these things.

I believe movies and rap music are a huge part of the problem too

[Reverandfunk]

I reckon all prison time should be hard time, i.e. chain gangs, pointless very physical hard work, no tv, recreational facilities etc etc. But then you'll have the do gooders moaning about human rights. Personally I think it comes down to upbringing, people who shouldn't have kids do, their jids do etc etc it's a vicious circle and one that one get broken I'm afraid.

[Octavius]

oldfashioned, I have no idea how many have been released and re-offended - no doubt you have the published figures to hand?

I do feel a certain noxiae poena par esto, but in reality whilst capital punishment may be more humane than a long slow death in confinement, I could not espouse execution as a method of crime prevention.

Well not unless it was carried out before the crime is committed of course.

[Llamatron]

They should bring back the stocks.
Yobs get to spend a day in the stocks while their victims and passers by get to throw rotten fruit at them. I imagine it would bring them down a peg or two.
Recycling and punishment all in one.

[Octavius]

Llamatron, public humiliation is the preserve of celebrities and politicians!

[NJOK]

The ridiculous psychology in your argument is that, at the moment, before killing someone, murderers stop and think about the consequences and decide that yes, they're happy to serve 20 years in prison if they get caught. But you they'd decide that the prospect of execution would make them stop.

Laughable. So given that that that argument is logically flawed and that every study on earth points to the fact that violent crime isn't lower where capital punishment exists, maybe we can start being a bit more honest.

You don't want to bring back capital punishment to improve society. You want to bring it back because the idea of killing bad people makes you feel better. Agreed?

[NJOK]

By the way, AB Editor, maybe you should introduce Capital Punishment as a category in its own right. We seem to get questions on it about twice a week.