Capital Punishment?

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I noticed the beginnings of a discussion about this in another thread. To prevent derailment, what's your opinion?

Personally, I am a supporter in some cases. Mainly, in cases where there is no doubt about the perpetrators guilt and the crime is very destructive. Murder, rape, child abuse of any kind, crimes that can destroy lives.

Absolutely not.

considering that even one incorrect [capital case] verdict is the anathema of an innocent man lashed to a railroad car bound inexorably for the [premature] grave, i can't support it. besides, the supermax prison is living death itself. only folks like ted kaczinski bear up well in such a cognitively impoverished environment. only the biblical outer darkness could be worse. death itself [aside from the pain of execution] is relatively anticlimactic.

In the UK, the problem we have is that punishments do not fit the crimes. Life does not mean life, or anywhere close. My cousin was the innocent murder victim of a gang of 10 thugs. One of the gang got 'life', two got a few months, which they'd served whilst awaiting trial and the rest got off with it completely. The lifer was released from prison in less than 10 years, still a young man. He lives in my town and, for all I know, I could have spoken to him and my daughter may be attending the same school as his children. That chills me to the bone.

I wish we could bring back gladiatorial combat to the death, televise it and use the proceeds to subsidize the justice system.

This has an interesting secondary effect, only those with blood on their hands will have blood on their hands.

Of course you could discuss the "innocent" man issue. But I think that is a separate issue entirely.

Keeping a man locked in a cage for a lengthy period is just inefficient. It doesn't make any sense. If he is a continued danger to society, he should just get put down. If he is not a danger, why lock him up in a cage? It just doesn't make any sense.

With a reasonable system of appeals I support the death penalty.

If there was a system where it was rarely invoked, only with overwhelming evidence determined by some high standard laid down in law, and then the appeals process shortened, I'd be fine with it.

Make it a well warranted, relatively inexpensive way to take out the trash.

For heinous crimes in which the guilt of the perpetrator is unquestionable given the evidence I see no reason why there should not be capital punishment.

I'm completely against it and it baffles me how popular it is among modern people.

having seen just howe ridicoulous human bias is i wouldnt trust any system where any human can have any influence over the outcome of a death sentence,

then comes the discussion of what laws should warrant a death penalty and what circumstances should rpevent, all in all it is an ethical minefield where no one can ever walk true using only human perception.

If one cannot be corrected, then why should society supply them with the essentials of life? Supporting a person who does not, and/or who cannot, contribute is irrational and thus I fully support capitol punishment for at least these people.

I find it disturbing how most people who are pro-death penalty these days argue that we need a death penalty to protect the children. That's just immensely effed up in my book, to use our children as a justification for acting vengeful.