Capital punishment
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Doesnt it cost a similar amount to keep someone on death row as it does to keep them in prison for the rest of their lives?
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Yup... that's why I've never understood death row. I've seen in some cases where an inmate was sentenced to death and spent 20 years on death row before his execution! It should be done a couple days after the jury's/judge's verdict.
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Seriously?! What if the courts got it wrong, as they have been shown to do in so many cases?
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Yep, but with all these advances in crime scene technology etc... the number of botched cases should be next to none (but there is always that chance). Most of the cases I've seen around here that have been overturned were from years ago when the technology sucked and we didn't even know what DNA was. DNA has become an integral part in murder cases... just recently here in my home state a man was released from jail after spending 15 years telling everyone he was innocent. Once DNA testing came about... they figured out they had the wrong man! He was reimbursed by the city, county, and state over $500,000. That's not going to get those years back but I'm sure it will help the healing process!
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As good as DNA evidence is it is not perfect. I think the right to appeal is also pretty important
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Never.
Anssi
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WHILE IT CAN INDEED BE ANNOYING...
I don't really think people should be punished for using all capitals.
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ROSS YOU ARE TERRIBLE
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All jokes aside. I'm against it.
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As am I. The death penalty's an immoral and primitive concept.
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I am for it.
The argument that someone innocent may be executed is simply no argument.
If you follow this line of thinking then logically you should be against using cars, trains, aeroplanes.
You should be against medical treatment. You should be against vaccines etc etc.
In fact, you should be against any human invention or practice that could, possibly, cause an innocent person to lose their life. All of the above are responsible for many thousands of innocent lives being lost every year.
Most of us accept this loss of innocent life because the benefits to society overall far outway the negatives.
The same priciple should apply to capital punishmentRegards
Mr S -
Mr s, i believe your argument is flawed.
In the situations you describe there is a risk of death, although in all these situations the benefits far outway the risks.
Capital punishment on the other hand cant really be argued to provide any measurable benefit to society. What difference does it make wether someone who has truly commited a crime is in prison for the rest of their life or dead? There are only disadvantages, in that innocent people may be wrongly killed.
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I suppose another disadvantage is the costs of lifetime incarceration. In contrast a quick execution can be cost effective. Chop-chop-get-out-the-mop!
I'm against Capital Punishment. I like to think that there is the potential for the convicted killer to still contribute something meaningful to society.
-- Ross
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The cost of killing someone is the same as keeping them in prison for the rest of their life, quite strange really, but thats the way it is.
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An eye for an eye, like the dark ages never went away.
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Don't believe that Remus. It is bullshit. If those sentenced to capital punishment were swiftly executed the costs would be insignificant compared with lifetime incarceration.
In the USA where they have capital punishment they usually keep the condemned on 'Death Row' for many years allowing time for all legal options to have due process. Add the cost of incarceration + all the legal costs and yes the result would likely equal (or exceed) the cost of lifetime incarceration. On the other hand, if the Judge read the sentence and the dude was taken out back and a bullet was put in his head, the costs would be really insignificant. Bullets are cheap.
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Ross, this is starting to look very much like the conversation i had with bubba at the start of this thread.
If it worked as you said then a huge number of innocent people would be dead. I dont know about you but i find that quite disturbing, especially if it was done in the name of keeping costs down.
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Remus,
I seem to recall that this was discussed on the old forum, I'll say again what I said then. The last person to be hung in Britain (in the 1950s) was "innocent" in as much as he could not be held responsible for his own actions because he had learning difficulties. He shot a policeman because his friend said "let him have it" meaning "give the policeman the gun". He was later pardoned, but a fat lot of good that did him once he was dead.
To my way of thinking anybody that can take a human life is mentally sub-normal and should be treated. I know it isn't that black and white though. Granted there are also some thoroughly evil b******s in the world, but for them death is the easy way out. Keep them alive, treat them humanely and keep them in very basic surroundings. I reckon boredom and isolation is a really underestimated punishment. -
Hello !
I'm against death punishment, however murderers should start.
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I don't care... I'm all for it!
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