Not stricly Religious but

[The Sherman]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_ and_east/7817908.stm

Do we need the death penalty for people like him?

Am interested in peoples opinion from people this site as I value your opinions alot.
Am interested to hear from the religious people and if they are for the death penalty does it fall within accepted terms of their religion?

[iBrowse]

yes, and i think for many others too.....it works in america.....lets do it...

[WaldoMcFroog]

Yes, that well known, crime-free country America. Really works well there, doesn't it..?

Anyway, you kill him, he's dead. End of.

If you believe prison should be a punishment in proportion to the severity of the crime, where's the proportionality?

If you believe prison is to protect the public, then I can see there is an argument to be made for the death penalty.

If you believe prison involves multiple objectives including (hopefully) rehabilitation, then death is not the answer.

The countries with the most socialy progressive policies re: crime and punishment (which is to say *not* the death penalty) actually have the lowest levels of crime, because their societies tend to be more progressive in general.

[jake-the-peg]

The idea that we *need* the death penalty is usually based on the idea that it acts as a deterrant.

That's clearly nonsense

Firstly there are counter examples such as the US where there's a very high murder rate and the death penalty.

Secondly in a lot of murder cases the perpertrator does not think about the consequences of if they do almost certainly does not expect to be caught.

So it doesn't matter what the penalty is you will have a negligable effect on murder rates.

There is an arguable case in terms of a notion of justice - but a lot of people blow this by calling for the death penalty for people like child molestors who have not murdered anybody.

It seems that the death penalty is most often called for when there is a sense of public outrage and this is not a good basis for building a justice system on.

[mibn2cweus]

Well, if you cut 'Honey bunny's arms and legs (all 3) off, it's unlikely that he would be repeating his crime. Death alone is rarely an equitable exchange that satisfies due justice.
At the very least he should have to listen to this song 24/7 for the rest of his days.

[keyplus90]

The idea of death penalty is not working in the USA. This claim is made very regularly by the people who are against capital punishment. Although capital punishment is just one of the factors and not the only one. But lets see with a simple equation,


Murders in the USA = people sentenced to death due to that.

Now you go and look for the figures and fit on the both side of the equation and you would find out why it is not working, or to make more sense <b.why has it not worked so far.

[WaldoMcFroog]

Just so I can check what you're saying, SkyPlus, me ol' loonified pal, you're claiming that it would require all loonies to be put to death before the death penalty would be a good deterent, are you?

[WaldoMcFroog]

Oh buggra it; too many loonies.

Second "loonies" should have said "Murderers".

[mibn2cweus]

. . . same difference.

[The Sherman]

So waldo/Jake are you in theory for the death penalty for people that are deemed to dangerous for society?

[WaldoMcFroog]

Personally, I don't support it at all, but I conceed there is an argument to be made there.