Booyah!

Death penalty = nay

I still haven't changed my mind, but for several reasons I'm kind of unsure.

"Prevent the crime, and the punishment doesn't matter." -- EXCELLENT PHILOSOPHY!

However, in the real, present-day world that is impossible. It is a wonderful idea, however, impossible to implement. Not when one factors in the human condition.

Socio-economic, biological, enviornmental, psychological, and era-dependent conditions are but a few of the variables that would need to be controlled to even attempt such an impossible dream. Utopianism is a wonderful idea to shoot for, as long as we understand we will never get there.

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Originally posted by Brehon:

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Prevent the crime and the punishment doesn't matter.

Wise words.

Thats all good and everything, but how do you propose on doing that?

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Prevent the crime and the punishment doesn't matter.

Wise words.

I guess I also need to word things differently.

Basically, I think that prisons need to be restructured so that prisoners pay for their own incarcerations. Make them grow their own food etc. Or, as my physics teacher would suggest, hook up a bunch of exercise bikes to a generator and make them provide their own electricity, too. I love how prisoners help to train service dogs. If the state is going to pay for them to be locked up, they should be doing something useful - not to "pay their debt to society" even, lest we set a monetary value on human life, but just so they're being useful.

Of course, I do support rehab for drug-users etc. The prisons are way too crowded with people who aren't really dangerous and just have a problem.

Alright, I should have worded that differently. I wasn't suggesting we turn the prisons into gas chambers of anything. I was talking about the people who are in jail for life, for horrible crimes like rape and murder.

And as to the whole "rehab prisons" I have to say that for serious crimes, I just don't think that would work. It would be nice if we could change people, but most of the time, it just doesn't work that way.

"These people"
You're generalizing. Not all people in prison are there due to rape or murder. Some are totally innocent, some are there for minor crimes, and some, as I said before, have very complicated cases. You have to consider each person as an individual.

No. I am not entirely against the death penalty. I am, however, against a messed up justice system that spends ridiculous amounts of money on trivial lawsuits, prisons that just let people rot instead of making an effort to reform them (yes. I know there are prisons that do make an effort, but we need more), and a death row system that is so inefficient that prisoners stay on it for years at a time.

I really, really don't like capital punishment. I think in situations where someone is going to get an extremely long sentence, they should have the option of death, and that in extreme cases prisoners should be executed, but I certainly don't like capital punishment the way it is now.

Alright, I've been thinking on this and recently changed my views. So anyone who's read something I posted about this before please disconcern it.

Nay- I think that keeping people who have done such aweful things to people is such a waste of the country's money. Not to mention that tons of criminals are getting out due to 'good behavior' Hello, good behavioor. Think for a minnute about why they're there! I'll give you a hint, it wasn't for good behavior! The only thing these people are diserving of is a round to the head.

Prevent the crime and the punishment doesn't matter.

Southern-
I don't think you're taking into account the complexity of the reasons most people end up in prison. Yes, having a shitty life or a low IQ is not an excuse for murdering someone, but you can't just take away the humanity from a person once they end up in prison.

Rather than debating if it's right to kill someone, we should be working on reforming the prison system altogether. It's evident that prisons do not reform criminals or deter crime. We need to work towards rehab, prevention, and reform instead of punishment.

Yay. If the rules are broken, punishment is given out. It must fit the crime, lest it be too severe or not strong enough to leave an impact. Prison is not supposed to be a nice place. It is for people who broke the rules and are being punished. Take away thier privilages for being "good" and let them suffer. Death gets rid of the thorns in society's side. We won't have to worry about escapees or people getting out for "good" behaviour. The reason they are in prison is because they are selfish. Most selfish people are to concerned about thier lives to risk sure death.

Those are exactly my sentiments certfx. Call it what you want: justice, law, etc. When it all comes down to it, you are just killing another human being.

The economic argument concerning the death of a human being (death penalty) is chilling. The amount of money a civilised government pays is irrelevant when discussing the death penalty. The true question concerning this argument is this: Should a civilised people who are against murder, condone and indeed facilitate murder? Those that commit the most heinous of crimes; is it not better to lock them in a 10X10 cell with no human contact for the rest of his/her life, than to render him/her into enternal unconsciousness?

wow, I didn't even see this one... oops

1. Well, yea if you kill them. But, as for the criminal, it is an easy way out. They don't have to spend the rest of their lives cooped up in a cell with no freedom while they think about what they have done.

2. I wouldn't go so far as to say they aren't human beings anymore. They haven't morphed into some kind of mutant creature. Every human is capable of murder and rape and other such things. And even though that is completely detestable, they are still people. There are many cases where a criminal, even ones on death row, change completely and hate themselves for what they've done.

3. This may not be everybody's belief and I know that, but only God has the authority over justice of a human life. He is going to be the one who ultimately judges everyone. But again, not everyone believes that so I know that isn't much of a basis for argument. But thats just my personal reason why I don't like the death penalty. Nobody can really convince me otherwise.

to repsond to you Hollie
(in order)

1. it get's rid of them and keeps them from doing what they did again

2. they aren't human beings any more, when they break the laws of society that bound us and take a life of another, or rape someone they lower themselves to the level of animals, specifcally an animal with rabies and you know what the proper cure for a rabies infected creature is? euthanasia is the nice term but killing them is the english translation

3. Justice has that authority

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(Oh and it's not like it would be slavery either, because prisoners are typically paid a small stipend for the work that they do, and I think they already have one federal prison that already does this...)

What does that have to do with it. If you are in prison for life you probably did something pretty heinous. Why should you get paid? What does it matter if people think it's slavery. Unless it's all black males....

No I'm kidding..I'm black it was a joke. Seriously though working for free should be the last thing on their minds.

I personally do not agree with the death penalty.
1. what does death accomplish? For the criminal, it is almost like a way out.

2. You are basically justifying the killing of a human being.

3. Who on earth has the ultimate authority to judge another person's life?


~ I know it may be cheaper than keeping criminals in prison, AND that the atrocities people commit are ones that seem as if they are deserving of death. But, I just feel like if you are going to punish someone for something, death wouldn't count b/c they will be DEAD. Rotting in a cell with nothing but your thoughts about what you have done seems more just to me. But that's just my opinion and I've never had anyone close to me be murdered so I'm not sure what reaction might generate out of me.

I think we should put people in prison for life and then make them do jobs that most citizens do not want to do. This would take care of the fact that we need illegal immigrants to do them for us, and it would also force the prisoners to work for their keep, thus allowing American tax dollars to go to something more worthwhile...

The type of jobs I'm thinking is the ones on big farms where the work is hard and tedious. It would be relatively easy to secure the perimeter of the farm. Also, since fast food restaurants are now able to have the drive-thru orders taken by someone sitting in a different state and enter the orders on a computer which is then beamed to the restaurant, the prisoners could do that without ever leaving jail.

Just a thought...not like it'll ever happen...

(Oh and it's not like it would be slavery either, because prisoners are typically paid a small stipend for the work that they do, and I think they already have one federal prison that already does this...)

The death penalty is barbaric.

Spending your life in prison cost so much money that innocent people have to put out. I think that the convict should live his life doing work to pay for everyone else no luxuries like TV or a weight room. They are in prison they should live worst then the homeless.