Do you believe in the death penalty?

[Rambhutan]

What on earth are 'Biblical crimes' - wearing clothes made out of mixed fibres and 'rounding the corners of your head'?

[Pantera]

I'm torn. Death as a deterrent for future criminals doesn't work but from what I've seen rehabilitation is also a load of bullshit.

I think some people deserve to die. Serial killers or rapists or people that fuck with children or elderly more than once. I also think death is a little too good for some of these assholes. Hacking their arms and legs off and leaving them to fend for themselves would be better, but no one would ever go for that...

Like I said, I'm torn. Torn between my basic human decency and a frothing hatred of humanity. Eh.

[Kadagai]

I think we should institute the death penalty for every single crime. Like, say, downloading a song from the Internet illegally, or stealing a raisin, or talking too loudly on your cell phone. Moreover, the death penalty should be dealt by crack squads of government forces roaming the streets shooting everyone who commits a crime without bothering to tell the criminal what they'd done wrong.

It would serve as a deterrent to encourage people to obey the law, or maybe just to leave the country. Either way, crime will decrease.

Or even yet, we legalize everything. That would reduce crimes rates too. WIN!

[H N Fiddlebottoms VIII]

Only children believe in the death penalty. What really happens is that people on death row are randomly flown, via helicopter, to an island covered with unicorns and elves, where they spend the rest of their natural lives getting in touch with their inner 12 year-old girl.
Like our feeble, human government is really competent enough to kill someone, give me a break.

[Vojvodina-Nihon]

What on earth are 'Biblical crimes' - wearing clothes made out of mixed fibres and 'rounding the corners of your head'?

Don't forget eating shellfish, and defying one's parents. (Death to the shrimp-eating rebellious teenagers!)

[Vojvodina-Nihon]

I think we should institute the death penalty for every single crime. Like, say, downloading a song from the Internet illegally, or stealing a raisin, or talking too loudly on your cell phone. Moreover, the death penalty should be dealt by crack squads of government forces roaming the streets shooting everyone who commits a crime without bothering to tell the criminal what they'd done wrong.

It would serve as a deterrent to encourage people to obey the law, or maybe just to leave the country. Either way, crime will decrease.

Or even yet, we legalize everything. That would reduce crimes rates too. WIN!

Ooh yeah, I hadn't thought of that. If there are no laws, after all, there are no lawbreakers! It would put lots of hardworking lawyers and police out of work, though. But I suppose they could always steal stuff to survive, since it won't be illegal anymore. :D

[Dempublicents1]

I absolutely believe that there are crimes for which the punishment should be death.

I also believe that there's not a government on Earth that I would trust with that kind of power.

^This.

And it's not even just because I don't trust governments. It's because I recognize that human beings are fallible. We can't know with 100% certainty that someone is guilty of a given crime. We can't even know with a certainty approaching that unless they did it in front of an awful lot of witnesses. And I don't think killing even one innocent man is justified.

[New Limacon]

I absolutely believe that there are crimes for which the punishment should be death.

I also believe that there's not a government on Earth that I would trust with that kind of power.

^This.

And it's not even just because I don't trust governments. It's because I recognize that human beings are fallible. We can't know with 100% certainty that someone is guilty of a given crime. We can't even know with a certainty approaching that unless they did it in front of an awful lot of witnesses. And I don't think killing even one innocent man is justified.

The fallibility of the executing government is the biggest reason I don't support it, but I don't even know if there are crimes for which the punishment should be death. There's a lot of talk about justice as an ideal, but the justice system also has a much more utilitarian function: discouraging people from doing things which ultimately harm society. The death penalty can't punish because the people being executed never re-enter society. So even if crimes do exist which should be punishable by death, I can't think of what they are.

[H N Fiddlebottoms VIII]

I think we should institute the death penalty for every single crime. Like ... stealing a raisin ...

"Well, you're raisins are gone," Pa told the man. "You'll never see them again. Hanging's too good for raisin thieves."
"Yes." the man said.
~ Little House on the Prairie: The Raisin Edition

[Dempublicents1]

The fallibility of the executing government is the biggest reason I don't support it, but I don't even know if there are crimes for which the punishment should be death. There's a lot of talk about justice as an ideal, but the justice system also has a much more utilitarian function: discouraging people from doing things which ultimately harm society. The death penalty can't punish because the people being executed never re-enter society. So even if crimes do exist which should be punishable by death, I can't think of what they are.

I don't think of it as punishment, really. I think of it as protection. I'm willing to concede that there are human beings dangerous enough to those around them that society as a whole is probably safer without them around. But I don't see how we could determine that with certainty, nor do I think the death penalty would ever remain effectively restricted to such people. So those people end up somewhere - under heavy guard, hopefully.

[JuNii]

I absolutely believe that there are crimes for which the punishment should be death.

I also believe that there's not a government on Earth that I would trust with that kind of power.

wow... fouth post and already a post I can get behind on.

[Vojvodina-Nihon]

I think we should institute the death penalty for every single crime. Like ... stealing a raisin ...

"Well, you're raisins are gone," Pa told the man. "You'll never see them again. Hanging's too good for raisin thieves."
"Yes." the man said.
~ Little House on the Prairie: The Raisin Edition

I'll remember that for my bibliography when I make my argument in writing and submit it to all the best legal journals.

[Lunatic Goofballs]

What on earth are 'Biblical crimes' - wearing clothes made out of mixed fibres and 'rounding the corners of your head'?

Don't forget disobeying your father.

[Yootopia]

What on earth are 'Biblical crimes' - wearing clothes made out of mixed fibres and 'rounding the corners of your head'?

Eating shellfish.

[Poliwanacraca]

Bottle and Dempublicents pretty much nailed it, I think. There may very well be people who ought to die, but there aren't people who ought to kill them.

[Bottle]

Bottle and Dempublicents pretty much nailed it, I think. There may very well be people who ought to die, but there aren't people who ought to kill them.

Yeah, well, just so that nobody makes the mistake of thinking I'm a decent person, I should stipulate that I don't exactly walk the walk on this. I may find the death penalty inappropriate, and I definitely do VOTE against it and particularly against politicians who seem to (*shudder*) enjoy applying it, but I also can't claim to have felt sorry when, for instance, Tim McVeigh took a needle.

[Ifreann]

If those wrongly convicted of a capital crime could be brought back from the dead it'd certainly take one point off the minus column.

[Dempublicents1]

Bottle and Dempublicents pretty much nailed it, I think. There may very well be people who ought to die, but there aren't people who ought to kill them.

Yeah, well, just so that nobody makes the mistake of thinking I'm a decent person, I should stipulate that I don't exactly walk the walk on this. I may find the death penalty inappropriate, and I definitely do VOTE against it and particularly against politicians who seem to (*shudder*) enjoy applying it, but I also can't claim to have felt sorry when, for instance, Tim McVeigh took a needle.

It's all because you play violent video games!

[Jerry Christ]

Killing people is morally repugnant.

[Atreath]

Rape, child molestation, mass murder are all worthy of capital punishment. At the same time, I don't want to give the government that kind of power.

[Jerry Christ]

Rape, child molestation, mass murder are all worthy of capital punishment.

Do you think they're worthy of torture as well? Take a mass murderer for example. Do you think justice would be served by subjecting them to horrific tortures for, say, the rest of their lives?

[No Names Left Damn It]

In principle for some crimes, ie terrorism, piracy, child rape, but to be honest there's too high a chance of having an innocent killed, so in practice no.

[Jerry Christ]

I find that rather sad because it would accomplish nothing at all except lower your own moral standards.

[Atheist Heathens]

I fail to see how whether or not I "believe" in the death penalty really matters, as it still happens. That said I certainly don't support it, in any and all cases.

[Atreath]

Rape, child molestation, mass murder are all worthy of capital punishment.

Do you think they're worthy of torture as well? Take a mass murderer for example. Do you think justice would be served by subjecting them to horrific tortures for, say, the rest of their lives?

As a form of punishment? Sure! When it comes to torture I draw the line when it is used outside of punishment. Say, for example, interrogation.

Killing people is morally repugnant.

Morality is subjective.