Execution or suicide?

[Cabra West]

Imagine the following scenario :

A prisoner on death row. He has, throughout his trial, maintained his innocence, but got sentenced anyway. He has filed for appeal several times, but unsuccessfully. He has now decided to give up appealing, and has instead asked to be allowed to commit suicide rather than being executed.

Do you think his request should be granted? Or should he be forced instead to wait for his scheduled execution?

[Douchebaggerry]

Imagine the following scenario :

A prisoner on death row. He has, throughout his trial, maintained his innocence, but got sentenced anyway. He has filed for appeal several times, but unsuccessfully. He has now decided to give up appealing, and has instead asked to be allowed to commit suicide rather than being executed.

Do you think his request should be granted? Or should he be forced instead to wait for his scheduled execution?

I think he should be allowed to commit suicide, but then I don't support the death penalty, so my view is irrelevant really.

[The Blaatschapen]

This could be a nationstates issue, but anyway. Let me think...

I'm against the death penalty. But regardless of that, it is meant as a punishment. So I guess his request shouldn't be granted.

[The Beautiful Darkness]

I also don't support the death penalty, and I find the option of suicide to be a more humane penalty, and certainly the option I would choose for myself.

[Hairless Kitten II]

Imagine the following scenario :

A prisoner on death row. He has, throughout his trial, maintained his innocence, but got sentenced anyway. He has filed for appeal several times, but unsuccessfully. He has now decided to give up appealing, and has instead asked to be allowed to commit suicide rather than being executed.

Do you think his request should be granted? Or should he be forced instead to wait for his scheduled execution?

Suicide can't go. Else no-prisoners should have that right too. In most countries suicide is against the law and despite this, I'm aware that it doesn't stop a lot people. However, maybe if it's granted by law more people would maybe commit suicide.

There's a reason why suicide is unlawful, no?

And in movies, and probably only in movies, some guys are rescued when they are already sitting on their electric chair.

[Cabra West]

I think he should be allowed to commit suicide, but then I don't support the death penalty, so my view is irrelevant really.

I don't support it either, and that is actually why I would be in two minds in a situation like this.
On the one hand, he always maintained his innocence. So I personally would always have doubts about the fairness of the judgement placed on him. But, maintaining that he's innocent, he still decides he no longer wants to live. I would have to suspect that this wish has been brought on by the struggle and failure to prove his innocence, and the stress and aggravation put upon him by the accusations. Under those circumstances, I think his death would be a tragedy.

On the other hand, I would sympathise with a person suffering the cruelness of having to wait in prison for his more or less certain death. I could understand that in such a situation, taking this little bit of control and taking his own life must seem massively empowering, and a relief.

[HunterBradleyLand]

well, it doesnt really matter, so id say let him commit suicide

[The Beautiful Darkness]

There's a reason why suicide is unlawful, no?

I'd always been under the impression that the reason for that is that you could be excluded from being buried on hallowed ground/ going to heaven if you were a suicide.

[Douchebaggerry]

In most countries suicide is against the law and despite this, I'm aware that it doesn't stop a lot people.

Is it?

[Hairless Kitten II]

There's a reason why suicide is unlawful, no?

I'd always been under the impression that the reason for that is that you could be excluded from being buried on hallowed ground/ going to heaven if you were a suicide.

I doubt. Since I know people that committed suicide and were buried on a Catholic graveyard.

[Douchebaggerry]

I doubt. Since I know people that committed suicide and were buried on a Catholic graveyard.

That can't be right.

[Hairless Kitten II]

In most countries suicide is against the law and despite this, I'm aware that it doesn't stop a lot people.

Is it?

Yes.

Suicide has historically been treated as a criminal matter in many parts of the world

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_views_of_suicide

[Douchebaggerry]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_views_of_suicide

That only has a few countries listed, so it doesn't really back up your earlier assertion.

[Cabra West]

There's a reason why suicide is unlawful, no?

I'd always been under the impression that the reason for that is that you could be excluded from being buried on hallowed ground/ going to heaven if you were a suicide.

I doubt. Since I know people that committed suicide and were buried on a Catholic graveyard.

I think the Catholic church has reviewed it's position on the issue, but the rule had in fact been in place for centuries. Unbaptised children and suicides were not allowed to be buried in "sacred earth"

[The Beautiful Darkness]

There's a reason why suicide is unlawful, no?

I'd always been under the impression that the reason for that is that you could be excluded from being buried on hallowed ground/ going to heaven if you were a suicide.

I doubt. Since I know people that committed suicide and were buried on a Catholic graveyard.

Yeah, hence why I used the past tense. Because it used to be like that. I imagine current laws to be a carry over from those times.

[Risottia]

Imagine the following scenario :

A prisoner on death row. He has, throughout his trial, maintained his innocence, but got sentenced anyway. He has filed for appeal several times, but unsuccessfully. He has now decided to give up appealing, and has instead asked to be allowed to commit suicide rather than being executed.

Do you think his request should be granted? Or should he be forced instead to wait for his scheduled execution?

Well... apart from my usual considerations about DP being antiethical, I think that he should be allowed to commit suicide, in the way he prefers, and even with eventual help from medical personnel.
What changes, after all? He's going to die anyway.

[Douchebaggerry]

Well... apart from my usual considerations about DP being antiethical, I think that he should be allowed to commit suicide, in the way he prefers, and even with eventual help from medical personnel.
What changes, after all? He's going to die anyway.

I think prisoners should be allowed to pick how they're murdered. They could have a run the gauntlet thing going on, you could sell the TV rights, it'd be great.

[Risottia]

There's a reason why suicide is unlawful, no?

Yes, and the reasons given, at least here in Italy, are:

1.to prosecute those who instigate other people to suicide
2.to issue an order of mandatory, forced medical treatment on those who attempt suicide
3.to start an investigation on people found dead with writing claiming suicide (so to be sure that it's suicide proper, and not a "transitive" suicide, that is an homicide disguised as suicide)
4.to recover the eventual material damages caused by a suicidal act (let's say a guy jumps to his death from his balcony, and dies crashing on a car parked below: of course, the owner of that car has the right to have those damages refunded by the suicide's heirs).

Anyway, I think that suicide should be made legal, tightly regulated (medical personnel, psychological counselling etc) and granted to those who really want it, in a painless way. Just like euthanasia.

[Risottia]

Well... apart from my usual considerations about DP being antiethical, I think that he should be allowed to commit suicide, in the way he prefers, and even with eventual help from medical personnel.
What changes, after all? He's going to die anyway.

I think prisoners should be allowed to pick how they're murdered. They could have a run the gauntlet thing going on, you could sell the TV rights, it'd be great.

I know that the tv would buy such a thing... but it's definitely obscene - and also socially dangerous, as it would trigger emulation.

[Douchebaggerry]

I know that the tv would buy such a thing... but it's definitely obscene - and also socially dangerous, as it would trigger emulation.

Wasnae being serious...

[Hairless Kitten II]

There's a reason why suicide is unlawful, no?

Yes, and the reasons given, at least here in Italy, are:

1.to prosecute those who instigate other people to suicide
2.to issue an order of mandatory, forced medical treatment on those who attempt suicide
3.to start an investigation on people found dead with writing claiming suicide (so to be sure that it's suicide proper, and not a "transitive" suicide, that is an homicide disguised as suicide)
4.to recover the eventual material damages caused by a suicidal act (let's say a guy jumps to his death from his balcony, and dies crashing on a car parked below: of course, the owner of that car has the right to have those damages refunded by the suicide's heirs).

Anyway, I think that suicide should be made legal, tightly regulated (medical personnel, psychological counselling etc) and granted to those who really want it, in a painless way. Just like euthanasia.

I do not agree with that last one since I do not put it on the same line as euthanasia. Euthanasia is legal in my country, between the borders of the law of course, and I support it.

More than often people that commit suicide suffer from a personality disorder. We should treat the cause and suicide isn't the solution. However, it should not be criminalized, that's another bridge too far. People that commit suicide (and failed) should be forced to get mandatory psychological help, but putting them in a jail or fining them will not help them.

[Douchebaggerry]

People that commit suicide (and failed) should be forced to get mandatory psychological help

That might make things worse. If people want to kill themselves or not, it's entirely their decision.

[Hairless Kitten II]

People that commit suicide (and failed) should be forced to get mandatory psychological help

That might make things worse. If people want to kill themselves or not, it's entirely their decision.

No, it's not. Many of those people can be treated with therapy or medicines. Many of them are not diagnosed having some mental disorder, so there's room to interpret that they are not aware that they have some disorder. If they would take their medicines or/and get therapy then many of them would not be interested anymore in committing suicide. Many people that have a deep depression think about suicide. When the depression is over, the suicide ideas are often gone too.

A society should protect people that can't think clear anymore over life and themselves.

[Nanatsu no Tsuki]

Imagine the following scenario :

A prisoner on death row. He has, throughout his trial, maintained his innocence, but got sentenced anyway. He has filed for appeal several times, but unsuccessfully. He has now decided to give up appealing, and has instead asked to be allowed to commit suicide rather than being executed.

Do you think his request should be granted? Or should he be forced instead to wait for his scheduled execution?

The main issue with the granting of this request is, well, that there's no way of proving without a doubt that this prisoner is innocent, despite him maintaining such claim.

In any case, I would grant him the option of suicide. This person is going to die anyway, at least let him die the way he chooses.

[Douchebaggerry]

No, it's not.

Whose decision is it then?