Why NOT amputation for theft?

Post Reply New Topic

But its use has not stopped others from committing murder.

Perhaps as claimed, but claiming something isn't the same as it being true. Most criminals are never caught, regardless of where they committed their crimes.

Again, those crime rates are what the Saudi princes only want their minions to report.  The rates are much higher, especially for assault, battery, and rape against foreign guest workers; but if the truth was to be officially confirmed, fewer foreigners would want to work for the Saudis, who would then have to clean their own houses, cook their own meals, and raise their own children.

There's that aspect and there's also why bother reporting if you don't believe the investigation will be effective, especially if you have worries about an innocent person being brutalized so the cops could claim they solved it.

This is not surprising for a a country in which a woman who has been raped can be executed for the crime of adultery while her attackers go free, especially if the woman is a foreign citizen.

It's not even a problem limited to that one place, instead it's an inherent problem caused by police corruption and biases within legal systems.

If the local police want to maintain the appearance of 'always getting their man' and aren't held accountable when they do things that compromise access to a fair trial it's easier to get a false conviction. This can include active approaches like forced confessions or planted evidence or passive approaches like failing to provide evidence that undermines the official case when providing disclosure.

Once a conviction is secured the case will be considered solved, but objectively speaking that's not true.

I got some really good answers to my question.
I now see I was wrong about this, and that barbaric punishments has no place in a civilized society.

I'm glad you think so

When I was in the AF back in the 70s I was stationed at Keesler AFB in Mississippi (which no longer exists). At the time the US was on good terms with Iran. There was an Iranian soldier who shoplifted something from the base exchange. He was immediately sent back to Iran (by the Iranian government). Because he had brought disgrace to Iran plus he stole from his hosts he had his hand cut off. This was a double whammy because his right hand was cut off and arab society use the left hand to wipe themselves and is viewed as unclean. Nobody would ever shake the left hand.


P.S. This was related to me by another Iranian soldier who worked in my department

I dont know if the chair is classified as cruel and unusual as Im no constitutional lawyer but I am pretty sure cutting someones hand off would be.Plus how could someone make a honest living with work if they only had one hand?

It's a whatabout- deflection.
Whether or not the chair is also cruel (I'd argue it is) execution via electric chair (and the death penalty more broadly) is a distinct issue from whether or not maiming people for theft is reasonable.

Even people who might consider the death penalty acceptable (I'm not one of them) still might consider mutilating people for non-capital crimes a bridge too far.

For petty theft? If you're amputating people I hope it's at least in punishment for stealing something extremely valuble and not just for that time I forgot to scan the cheese at the self-serve checkout.

Poverty breeds crime and amputees are cut off from many types of work, increasing their poverty. It's happened in Africa. Poor people get healthy limbs cut off, then they can't work, then they're even poorer.

Barbarism, a tooth for a tooth will never be the answer. Crazy world out there, and there’ll always be some who need to be locked up and have the key thrown away. Stealing though, can be better served with psychology, understanding and rehabilitation. I watched a program on the Swedish prison system and was amazed at how well it works. They set an extraordinary example for rehabilitation! Unlike any other country I’ve seen. I had an Uncle who worked in the Prison system in Australia.

Flogging, eh? How long does that take? A few minutes? If you put a young man in prison for 30 years, He'll come out a 50 year old man with no skills and no recent work experience. The only skills he'll learn will be taught by other criminals.

With no employeable skills or experience he'll be forced to support himself by a life of crime. On the other hand, if you spend a short time flogging him, you can send him straight back to the work force or education without using up half his adult life.

Barberic punishment? I honestly think that using up half a life time is half a death sentance. Even the remaining half of his life will be reduced in quality. The flogging is more civilized.

How do you know? How do you know there wasn't someone who wanted to murder someone else but he didn't do it because he feared the electric chair? You can't possibly know that fear of punishment has never stopped a crime before it even begun.

How many people commit crimes assuming they'll be caught?