1: we need to revamp our prison system. It has become big business and most who enter it are not rehabilitated. To survive they join prison Gangs and go from amateur idiot to professional criminal. 2: Do to the system we have, currently there are innocent people who are prosecuted and incarcerated way to frequently... We have created a monster in usa , we lock up more people than any other country in the world. Most for consensual crimes. So we are locking them up to protect them from theirselves 3:ending a life shouldn't be a easy decision. Even the monsters mentioned in previous posts should have been afforded the benefit of the doubt...clear and cut case of murder **** in VA turned out to be anything but. Over zealous prosecutor and detective put innocents away despite evidence that hinted at their innocence. When I think of articles I have read in newspapers or saw on news of people being locked up (40years for some) despite there having been hints of their innocence that over zealous law enforcement suppressed(big business got to get the numbers) my heart breaks , we the people stole something we can't return. Someone's lives. How can we continue to use any form of capital punishment before fixing our justice system? We have had people on death row who were innocent... I do agree that there are some who are beyond redemption , they have no place in a civilized society...they would only continue to prey upon others if left free...so yes they should cease to breathe...until we fix our system we as a society will continue to produce more and more of these predators ...
You really don't get it do you? That guy was proved innocent after spending 10 years in detention. The judge who gave him 40 years in prison could gave him life sentence if would be in a cranky mood. Life sentence that, according to your view, should automatically transform in death penalty.
Eh..don't bring Bible to justify death penalty. Eye for an eye? Sure. But why not "turn the other cheek"?
I support these statements. I, too, are against of the death penalty. I think that imprisonment or jail is by far the most reasonable consequence. At some cases, there are criminals who were wrongly convicted and before the full truth is revealed, say the death penalty is on them. And then they got executed normally by hanging. And then we don't know how many years later, the full truth is finally revealed and the criminal is proven innocent. The wrongful execution of an innocent person is an injustice that can never be rectified. Even the justice system may not be 100% perfect. At this rate, the family of the criminal may have to get a giant compensation for who is wrongly convicted to death! I would recommended locks in cells that are escape-proof so that the criminal cannot easily go out from jail and be in loose! In my opinion, this is a better punishment than death penalty indeed! While criminals are locked in prison at least the criminal's families still get the chance to meet and talk for a while! Much better than little to no chance of meeting if it is death penalty, of course! I'd also say that the criminals would be more humiliated to be in prison for life than facing death! It'll give them their chance of time to reflect for the guilt they have done! If the criminals DO change, perhaps death penalty is no longer necessary anymore! Even when a criminal is in prison, at least it is not too late to change and become a better person. P.S= Moose, I'm very sorry if I went off-topic on the thread. If it's not accepted, please tell me and I won't comment again!
Exactly, Arcanicus...and that would be just stupid. That's putting bible on a table in order to justify death penalty is not really smart. Basically you can find something in Bible to justify any of your actions. Good or bad. I rather to listen a harsh but an honest reasoning like OliBear's "we don't want to spend money on you so you better die" instead some hypocritical reasoning inspired by Bible.
This is Old Testament VS new testiment stuff, but the broader point you make applies very well. Scripture is too complex to be boiled down to bumper sticker arguements. Also, I think scripture, or what ever religious text you follow, should be used to guide your personal life, but should not be used to infringe upon the rights of others. Doing so creates a theocracy, and theocracies of any stripe are bad
Willy, you're not off topic at all, and I'd welcome further posts from you, as you're bringing really good discussion to the thread
Yes moose we try and turn things into a theocrisy to often. Yet still our government tries to be an anti-theocrisy to keep everyone in line and often they bump heads. One of those places is thus issue. I like olis "we don't care enough to spend money on you" thinking because I honestly would rather be paying taxes to humanitarian aid or not at all.
Exactly Moose. Hence my reply to his reply to me. One can use Bible to justify almost any bad actions. And I do agree with you: setting a set of laws according to a religious book would be theocracy. But let's assume USA (because here we are talking about USA penalty system) would be a theocracy. Most likely would be a Christian theocracy and now a mozaic one. So New Testament should be the "inspirational" boo in this case.
That would be stupid with the turn the other cheek mentality.JESUS turned the other cheek. WE happen to be human... those darn diddly facts preventing me from being a god... well because I'm not a god I intentionally choose to not act like one and take an eye for an eye. I don't care if these convicts live really, as long as its in a place as hellish as what they out their victims in. They made their own beds.
Which continent has waged more and bloodier wars in its history? America is still young. A country born of war, rebellion, and the fight for freedoms. And with the history and present state of religious bigotry, desecration, and terrorism in Europe; I'm not sure they're a great example of "love". There is no peace where mankind is involved.
I can't agree more on this! I wonder how would the society change if this kind of system was implemented- sadly some countries who still retain the death penalty may have made this happen... Innocents.. Executed!! In that case if it's also proven that the criminal won't change anymore, death penalty may then be used. Lethal injection is the most humane way to put the criminal to end, in my opinion. And from my point of view in terms of death penalty methods... Hanging, execution by chopping of the neck with an axe or shooting, is too much. Gets far more suffering and pain compared to lethal injection.
In my thinking, it's also a more suffering death-penalty method compared to lethal injection. I can just imagine how suffering it is to breath toxic gases. Hydrogen cyanide for example. While in lethal injection, the criminal is first put to sleep. They may not be able to feel anything while they're asleep. Then, the criminal stopped breathing and the heart stops beating. Least suffering of all the death penalty methods! Thank you very much! I feel so blessed to be on this wonderful thread!
I believe if u do something to deserve the death penalty... Than human is out of the window. If u suffer GREAT!!!! Im sure he/she was not human doing the crime ..
For as much as we bash the Americans, and talk about their "gun crazed" ways and violence; as a world economy and violent species we rely on them quite a bit. I agree with the "hand that rocks the cradle rules the world". The society in America has become one that rewards having children and yet doesn't provide real consequences for not being able to care for them. Education and upbringing leave their present and future in an alarming state. Killing killers is like treating symptoms. It will never cure the disease. But I think the world doesn't hold them accountable either. We are all humans in one world. Accountability and consequences as well as rewards.
Since when has demanding justice involved being as bad as the criminal. The idea of punishment and justice is that we remove the unjust from our society. If the justice is as bad as the crime, there is no justice. Many people's beliefs on here are as bad as the criminals they would harm. Claiming a moral high ground for a crime committed against you is not justice when you then commit the same crime in as much brutality with as much hatred as the criminal. And it certainly doesn't do anything to help breed a decent tolerant society. Punishment should be swift and fair. It should be a deterrent to most and a punishment when needed. Not an act of vengeance. As for religion. No one thing on this planet has caused more hate crimes than the bs so called religious holier than thou followers have. Basing judgment on religion is totally barbaric. Maybe we should resort back to 2000 year old medicine and science as well. Those citing America and guns. They aren't the worst so look at those that are worse first. And would you choose to live like they do in those regions ? Did not think so.