Timmah! on 15 July 2007
| Crono said: I used to be completely pro-death penalty for all cases of rape and murder. Now I'm only pro-death penalty when the person involved cleary is a sick psycho with no chance to contribute anything meaningful to society. I've been pretty down on the Criminal Justice system lately. Prison isn't suppost to be JUST a punishment, its supposed to be a place to send people who are DANGEROUS to society. They're supposed to protect us from people trying to hurt us. More an more, prison is just a "punishment", without the whole danger to society thing mixed in. Sell an M game to a minor in NY, you could go to prison. WHY? is the store clerk such a danger to society that he must be removed from it? Then WHY SEND HIM TO PRISON? We'd have a lot less overcrowding in prisons if we doled out probation and community service alot more. Death penalty should be reserved for the most heinous of criminals with little or no chance to ever contribute to society. Death Penalty has its place. This argument bugs me: "Second, killing a murderer means you act on the same level he does, but you should try not to make his mistakes again." No, No No NO, No, and No. Society (thats us) determine laws. Murder is a crime because we say it is. When a society determines that someone has committed so heinous a crime that the world would be better off if they didn't exist, that is careful and considered justice. Killing a store clerk so he won't be a witness to a robbery is not careful and considered justice, its murder. The death penalty is not murder. Its taking drastic steps for the good of society. Which leads to the next point: "This also goes for his relatives. They may strongly disagree with his action, but they still love him meaning you create new, unguilty victims by killing him." Yes, but society as a whole benefits more than these people are hurt. That is something else that is (or should be) weighed when deciding the death penalty. Does the murderer have an immediate family? Does he have Children? What is his demeanor towards his family? Is he a decent father/husband, or a scum bag? Ultimately, it is the jury's decision to weigh these factors in a death penalty case, and if they deem that the pain and suffering of the murderers family is less than the benefit to society or appropriateness of the punishment relative to the crimes, then the Death Penalty should be used. |
Crono, I agree, death penalty in extreme cases only. Serial killers, brutal killers, etc that have 100% evidence should be killed.
