is it just to execute a man for the crime of murder(or any crime)? when i here of a murderer who has been executed, i have no real sympathy for the perpetrator however i dont think the death penalty is a humane way to deal with criminals. shouldn't we just keep them in prison for the rest of their lives. isnt that a harsher sentence than death? the law was abolished here in 1948 and no longer exists in many european states. yet the US still exercises it quite frequently.
whats your view on this issue?

Originally Posted by robertjordan

whats your view on this issue?

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

• When a person is convicted of rape, they should be sentenced to be raped. I don't know how we're going to fill that job, tho?
• When a person commits arson, the court should burn their house down.
• When a person speeds, well, I don't know the answer to that one.
• When a person commits fraud, they should be tricked.
• When a person murders a child, the state should kill their children as punishment.

These punishments have been valid since before Christ. I don't want to hear any nonsense about modernity.

Originally Posted by Learning Newbie

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

• When a person is convicted of rape, they should be sentenced to be raped. I don't know how we're going to fill that job, tho?
• When a person commits arson, the court should burn their house down.
• When a person speeds, well, I don't know the answer to that one.
• When a person commits fraud, they should be tricked.
• When a person murders a child, the state should kill their children as punishment.

These punishments have been valid since before Christ. I don't want to hear any nonsense about modernity.

On the surface I mostly agree with and eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. However -

• When a person commits arson, the court should burn their house down. What about that person's family that did no harm? Is it fair to them to destroy their home and belongings? What of the neighbors, is it fair to reduce their property value by destroying that house, pollute their air with the fire?
• When a person speeds, well, I don't know the answer to that one. My personal punishment would be to make them drive a vehicle that will not go out of first gear and not more than 20 mph.
• When a person murders a child, the state should kill their children as punishment. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. How is that fair to the innocent child? What gives society the right to punish the child for the acts of the parent?

Hehe Kandi, I think he was being facetious. I forget what movie it was where they froze criminals in blocks of ice (Sylvester Stallone I believe), but I kind of like that idea. Low cost, doesn't deal with the morality of "Killing" the criminal, and out of sight out of mind. If only.

Poor violent criminals. I feel so sorry for them.

Facetious or not - on some levels I agree with capital punishment, especially in the age of DNA evidence. But my point is that it's not a perfect solution either. I think the punishment should fit the crime. The more serious the crime the harsher the punishment. I do not believe you should be able to rape a child, get sentenced to 10 years, get a college degree while in prison on the taxpayers $, then get out of prison to commit the same crime again (statistically very few rapists only commit the act once). I would be a lot more comfortable with killing the criminal than with serving on the jury that gave him the sentence that allowed him to hurt another child.

what about some form of rehabilitation? and is it possible?

Rehabilitation is possible sometimes, for some crimes. I have read recidivism statistics anywhere from 50.4% - 89.7% when the crime was a sex crime. That's not a very good track record. For two sex offenders released back into society, one of them will re-offend. How would you feel if it was your child, or a child close to you that was the victim of that criminal?

i simply put forward rehabilitation as an idea i dont necessarily agree with it. but on the issue of the death penalty i just dont think it needs to, or should be, done.

I like the idea of using them in research like experiments and stuff for medicine; we can do it with un-born babies why not inmates. It would certainly eliminate a lot of problems.

Originally Posted by Cheshire_cat

I like the idea of using them in research like experiments and stuff for medicine; we can do it with un-born babies why not inmates. It would certainly eliminate a lot of problems.

Because prison conditions are bad, and people who live in prisons are in bad health. Just the dental problems alone lead to inflammation which infects the blood stream. We'd get more accurate data by experimenting on monkeys.

Psychological testing would probably have some value, tho.

Forcing them to generate our electricity through a series of activities, such as a mouse wheel. Then we'd get somewhere .

Originally Posted by Cheshire_cat

I like the idea of using them in research like experiments and stuff for medicine; we can do it with un-born babies why not inmates. It would certainly eliminate a lot of problems.

Research is done on a few cells not babies.

I was just joshing around...

I do not think that an eye for an eye is a particularly good way of stopping criminals from reoffending - rehabilitation should be a focus of the prison system as well as punishing a criminal and showing others what happens if you break the law.

Prisons in the UK generally seem a bit too nice really - this might not be the case in the USA. I think prisoners should be forced to do work that would otherwise have to be done by people employed by the councils/government - for example, sorting out rubbish and recycling. The 80,000 people in prison in the UK is a potentially free workforce that could be put to the overall benefit of society. At the moment, they simply get free accommodation and have no work to do all day. We could put these prisoners to work so that they are contributing something back to society

Originally Posted by whym

I do not think that an eye for an eye is a particularly good way of stopping criminals from reoffending - rehabilitation should be a focus of the prison system as well as punishing a criminal and showing others what happens if you break the law.

Prisons in the UK generally seem a bit too nice really - this might not be the case in the USA. I think prisoners should be forced to do work that would otherwise have to be done by people employed by the councils/government - for example, sorting out rubbish and recycling. The 80,000 people in prison in the UK is a potentially free workforce that could be put to the overall benefit of society. At the moment, they simply get free accommodation and have no work to do all day. We could put these prisoners to work so that they are contributing something back to society

AMEN!

Prisons in the US go a step further --- you can get a college degree while in prison. They do have to cook their own meals, laundry, etc but big deal. The argument is that the staff that supervision would require would out weigh the benefit.

maybe I agree a little. Prison could be a living hell, I mean what could not happen in prison, I mean theres no other gender coming in its only all male or all female, a rapist could be raped in a prison, a murderer could be killed in a prison.

prisoners being able to get an education whilst in prison is a positive step. dont you see that?

Originally Posted by robertjordan

prisoners being able to get an education whilst in prison is a positive step. dont you see that?

So even though I am still paying off my student loans from 15 years ago and busted my butt for my education it's okay for someone to rob a store at gun point, traumatize the person that is working for minimum wage for life, get sent to prison and come out 5 years later with a better education than I have and receive that education for free?

i not talking about access to harvards finest professers. just some basic education. if you came from a working-class backround its likely you'd be in prison too. theres a reason why the wealthy rarely find themselves in jail. in truth, kids living in certain areas should be thought right from wrong at an early age.