Who has the right to deal out death and punishment?
A state that kills children
- Thread starter Adam
- Start date
Tsk, Tsk. You call yourself an abolitionist. Please, we don't need your support. This is the tired old rhetoric we hear from proponents of the DP. Who's getting away with something, Xev? If we don't kill him we have to let him go free? Ever heard of ife w/o the possibility of parole?
oz
Ya, no shit Oz, I am a huge supported of the death penalty, I know the figures okay?
My point is, what difference does it make whether the person be executed right away or rot in jail for the next 50 years? What if any contribution can he make for our society? What the hell can he offer other then taking up space?
Oh, and Welcome to Sciforums! Post long and happy
My point is, what difference does it make whether the person be executed right away or rot in jail for the next 50 years? What if any contribution can he make for our society? What the hell can he offer other then taking up space?
Oh, and Welcome to Sciforums! Post long and happy
This demonstrates to me a sever lack of understanding of the problem. Ask your self what happens before killer is made into a killer. There are forces that create and mold people to become killers. And in the US, these forces seem to be increasing. Killers are not born, they are made.
You can just kill them. But don't we, as a society, have an obligation to our children to try and prevent future killers from killing them. The only way to do this is to study the killer. To find out what forces created him. If we kill them, we will never know.
oz
Oz
In a way I agree with what you say. About keeping them alive to study them. But in another way I feel no matter how much you study criminals, we will never know why they do what they do. The law should be that if you take a life with special circumstances, your life will be taken from you. If we stuck truly to that policy, I think people would think a little before pulling the trigger. But they dont, they go to jail and get stuck in the appeal process for years. Then they lift weights, do drugs and drink Pruno unti some shitty governor pardons them. Why should they be scared? Some people prefer prison to living on the streets ya know.
In a way I agree with what you say. About keeping them alive to study them. But in another way I feel no matter how much you study criminals, we will never know why they do what they do. The law should be that if you take a life with special circumstances, your life will be taken from you. If we stuck truly to that policy, I think people would think a little before pulling the trigger. But they dont, they go to jail and get stuck in the appeal process for years. Then they lift weights, do drugs and drink Pruno unti some shitty governor pardons them. Why should they be scared? Some people prefer prison to living on the streets ya know.
strtgrl:
Thanks for being honest. I have great respect for that.
Now we get into the deterrent effect of the DP. The problem I see with deterring serial killers is this:
IMO, and I am in no way an expert, a serial killer is one step removed from suicide. In fact, I'm can speculate that many serial killers contemplate suicide. Then something happens. They start to think, "well if i'm going to die, I'm going to take a bunch of mother f*****s with me." DP doesn't do much to deter this mind set.
And then there is the thinking that, "well, I already killed one, might as well kill some more since I'm getting the DP."
I think that what we as a society do after the crime is merely picking up the pieces. The damage in many ways is already done. US criminal justice system is just like Western medicine: reactionary. Very few resources are put into prevention, i.e. actually preventing the harm before it occurs. The only way to prevent sociopathic killers id to get in their head. This likely will not happen while their young and hateful but may come around in their later years.
oz
Thanks for being honest. I have great respect for that.
Now we get into the deterrent effect of the DP. The problem I see with deterring serial killers is this:
IMO, and I am in no way an expert, a serial killer is one step removed from suicide. In fact, I'm can speculate that many serial killers contemplate suicide. Then something happens. They start to think, "well if i'm going to die, I'm going to take a bunch of mother f*****s with me." DP doesn't do much to deter this mind set.
And then there is the thinking that, "well, I already killed one, might as well kill some more since I'm getting the DP."
I think that what we as a society do after the crime is merely picking up the pieces. The damage in many ways is already done. US criminal justice system is just like Western medicine: reactionary. Very few resources are put into prevention, i.e. actually preventing the harm before it occurs. The only way to prevent sociopathic killers id to get in their head. This likely will not happen while their young and hateful but may come around in their later years.
oz