Should we bring back capital punishment?

I believe that capital punishment should be brought back to the U.K because it acts as a better punishment than prison, as prisons these days are like fun houses with sky T.V and weight rooms etc.
Also the prisoner can just walk out early on good behaviour, and even if they don't there is a 99% chance that they will walk out alive and with a lot of vengence for the people who put them there, so they will attack or even kill people, or even just do things that will get them back in as everything is provided for them.
Capital punishment puts people in prison, but the main difference is, they don't walk out alive, which puts out a new statement based on a Biblical quote "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth", so people will think twice about going and killing other people.
What are your opinions on this?

Big fat negative on this one from me.

Why? Look at the Birmingham Six, Guildford Four, Angela Cannings, and Stephen Downing. These people would have been strung up when they haven't done anything at all.

Timothy Evans found this out in 1950 when he was hanged for a murder he did not commit.

I sometimes read and watch footage of murders such as Ian Huntley and thing, "F**king scum, just give them the injection"...And then think, hang on...That makes us just as bad as them.

Originally posted by speight89
Also the prisoner can just walk out early on good behaviour, and even if they don't there is a 99% chance that they will walk out alive and with a lot of vengence for the people who put them there, so they will attack or even kill people, or even just do things that will get them back in as everything is provided for them.

I just want to clear this up a bit:

Recidivism

-Two-thirds of the people leave prisons are rearrested within a few years.”- (“New Strategies for Curbing Recidivism”, The New York Times, January 21, 2005)

-4 out of every 5 state prison inmates are repeat offenders and offenders on parole, probation or pretrial release commit nearly 700,000 additional violent crimes each year according to the FBI.- (“Getting Away with Murder and Other Violence” Karl Zinsmeister.-(The American Enterprise), “Crime busting Tips for Clinton,” Washington Times, February 1, 1996.)

-39% of jail inmates in 2002 had served 3 or more prior sentences to incarceration or probation. -(BJS “Profile of Jail Inmates”, 2002)

External Source- click here to view.

This sodesn't get specific as to what crimes they will recommint, but one can assume from this page, that they repeat the same crime. Not all prisoners are killers. In fact, the majority aren't.

-3 out 4 offenders released has a substance abuse problem.

-1 out of 3 have some form of physical or mental disability.

From the same site.

This leads me to believe that they can be helped. Killing them is not an answer. For population control it is. For justice, it is not.

I have often struggled to form a concrete opinion on capital punishment, if the justice system was perfect then i'd likely be inclined towards supporting it. Sadly i know of no perfect justice system.

If it true that prisoners often re-offend, then perhaps it should be considered for those who persistently break the law because they clearly haven't learnt their lesson. Even then though, where is the line drawn for the death penalty and what if the conviction that triggers the death penalty is later proven to be unjust?

Then theres the question of whether death is quick way out of punishment for the criminal, as opposed to a life time of imprisonment.

It is a difficult one for sure.

How about Hard Labour? If it's a definite "yes" that they are responsible for the crime...I'm a lazy bugger, the thought of hard labour terrifies me.

Perhaps things like hard larbour is probably a better alternative to death penalty at this time.

I think there is just too much corruption in the justice system to allow someone's life to be decided by it. Even if one could be 100% certain that a person committed a crime worthy of losing their life for, I reckon that the death penalty would be preferred over life imprisonment. At any rate, who are we to decide who lives and who dies?

This is interesting. Myself as well as many of you would consider ourselves against the death penalty.

However after reading that statistic from the previous poster that a majority of prison inmates are repeat offenders I say to myself, "hell, maybe they should die, whyshould I pay money for these people if they are too stupid to live, does it come down tonatural selection?"

In the same token I dont think we should have our proclaimed healers such as anesthesiologists, doctors, or nurses killing these people. Didnt they have an executioner in the old days?

Originally posted by Kool Aide Sipper
In the same token I dont think we should have our proclaimed healers such as anesthesiologists, doctors, or nurses killing these people. Didnt they have an executioner in the old days?

It goes under the "cruel and unusual punishment" thing. It is effective to lop off a head with an axe, but would be deemed archaic and barbaric
today.

EDIT: spelling

[edit on 25-2-2006 by Rouschkateer]

Originally posted by Rouschkateer
It is effective to lop off a head with an axe, but would be deemed archaic and barbaric
today.

Might deter repeat offenders.

I vehmentley disagree with any form of capital punishment. What right does society have to take someones life, if we do that then we base our selves to the criminals level.
Ghandi said 'An eye for an eye, and all the world will be blind'

People say that prison is a walk in the park, with sky tv and other 'luxuries'. That is absolute rubbish. The punishment for the crime is the loss of freedom. When that door closes on you at night I am sure tv is no substitute to the freedom to live your life. You are away from your family and loved ones, you must eat when you are told, shower when you are told. And you live with the constant threat of violence from other inmates. It is naive in the extreme to imagine that because certain offenders, and by no means all, have some luxuries, that prison is some kind of holiday camp. Luxuries are given to encourage good behaviour.

I just dont agree with the fact that the death penalty solves anything... does it bring back those that were murdered? It doesnt deter people in anyway, the majority of crime and murder is commited by poor and underprivelleged people, who have no real choice wether to enter a life of crime. In places where there is the death penalty, there are still high murder rates, so it is no detterent whatsoever.
As to the cost to the tax payer, thats just a cost that society has to pay. Its not nice but it has to be done. WE would all prefer for their to be no crime but this is not reality.

You can never be certain enough to impose the death penalty. And in my opinion we do not have the right, the same way as the criminal doesnt.

Dan

Originally posted by bigdanprice
I vehmentley disagree with any form of capital punishment. What right does society have to take someones life, if we do that then we base our selves to the criminals level.
Ghandi said 'An eye for an eye, and all the world will be blind'

- I agree entirely Dan.

Way above.

Dan, I see great irony between your avatar and statements.

Just no becasue it does not make up for the fact of what they had done, as it has still happened. Just stick peadophiles and rapists in jail indefinitely. These crimes are worse than murder for me. Lets not go down the path of the US and put innocent people to death.

Reading the posts has given me a good chuckle, im not however a sadistic person...

Yeah it would be easier to kill criminals, but I fundamentally believe we as a civlisation should not kill someone in cold blood, or in revenge. Obviously repeat offenders will be deterred, IF WE KILL THEM. lol how silly is that logic (ok so you said it as a joke, but to even hint that it's wisdom is laughable). People will still commit crimes wont they, death penalty or not, thats a fact noone can argue with.

And the killing innocent people, I dont really put much weight to that, we shouldnt be killing people for crimes. Make them work, rehabilate them, make the best of their life that we can.

And natural selection has nothing to do with this, because capital punishment is unnatural, i.e ending a life in an artificial enviroment. If anything the case for natural selection would show the criminal in a good light, using his/her abilites to do the best for themselves (whatever crime that may be, although I guess its a grey area with the insane ones).

As far as im concerned killing a human being should only be done if it is done in self defense, and even then, depending on the circumstances, killing them should be a last resort. I feel that anyone who believes that we should kill someone for a crime, lacks humanity (nb. revenge killings in any vein are futile and counter productive).

Another biblical statement, Thou shall not kill. You cant get any clearer than that. I think the OP is being slightly disingenious generalising typical prison life, I do however agree that prisons require a better structure of discipline and rehabilitation.

reply to post by Kool Aide Sipper


In my opinion, I think that Capital Punishment is good as well. Because They've done the wrong things.
Therefore, government should punish them

What is so wrong with the "Fight if fought" mentality?

Life, in general, is precious. But to those who have no regard for life or actions that affect others in negative way, should be punished severely.

Now, we are talking CAPITAL punishment. Not petty crimes. The real deal.

In the U.S, it almost always involves the killing of someone else, or a BIG mobster like scheme.

On top of that, it takes forever to execute prisoners for the sake of appeals.

Screw an eye for an eye...how about a heart for a heart.

People with no respect for others should get none themselves. I give everyone the same amount until they break the strings first.