Is there any point in capital punishment?

Question

Does it seriously act as a deterrant? Is it worth satisfying the public mood for revenge? Can taking a life ever be justified? Does it clear the air after a wicked crime to eliminate the criminal?

Opinions welcome, constructive examples a bonus.

Answer 1

I think capital punishment doesn;t serve as a deterrant just look at history for example when capital punishment was more prevalant it certainly didn't stop the crimes from being commited. Also its worth noting the countries that still employ Capital Punishment, you'll find the crimes are still being commited. I think the Prison system needs to be a form of punishment in itself..inmates get things way to easy these days..they have more rights than they know what to do with not to mention 3 meals a day, air conditioning, TV's etc do I think that is a deterrant? No I think they need to overhaul the prison system to atleast make it a place not so comfortable where those for instance who are homeless commit crimes just to be incarcerated during winter because its a lot more cosier than the streets. Yes we are paying hard earned Tax dollars to keep them there but if they didn't have so many luxuries it would cost even less of our tax dollars.

Answer 2

The big problem with capital punishment is that the justice system is by no means infallible. It has happened many times that people were convicted of crimes later proven, sometimes years afterwards to be innocent and then freed on appeal.

Such a situation though intolerable as it is would be unthinkable in the case that the innocent person has already been executed.

A successful appeal would be too late. No way back. The blood of a guilty person is one thing but an event of one single innocent person sent to die cannot be justified in any society.

Personally I do not think capital punishment deters anyone fit of committing these type of crimes. They never believe they will get caught in the first place and have no sense of remorse or boundaries anyway.

Answer 3

Yes as far as I am concerned capital punishment can be justified. In Australia the last person to be hanged for the murder of a Prison Guard while he was escaping from Prison and spent several weeks on the run in 1966 was Ronald Ryan. After that the death penalty was abolished here. These criminals are still alive, eating, drinking, and having all the luxuries inside, that people on the outside sometimes can't afford. The victims families suffer for the rest of their lives and the pain never goes away. I wish they would bring it back in. Why should we as taxpapers pay to keep these people in Prison. Life is 25 years, and at times these criminals are out after 10 years for being model prisoners, even after violent crimes, which I do not agree with. When they are sentenced they should serve their entire 25 years. The government would be saving money by bringing back the death penalty.

Answer 4

Obviously whenever there is a murder it failed to act as a deterrent. But how many lives are spared because it was a deterrent with some people ? We'll never know.
Now I live in Texas and we have capital punishment. I believe that there are crimes so horrendous that the punishment fits the crime. When someone murders another then in Texas you lose you right to live. The criminal was deservedly punished.
And I have always said this...Heaven forbid, but if someone did that to one of my kids they had better hope they get caught before I find them.

Answer 5

Let's back up a little. First, capital punishment is reserved for those who take the life of an innocent victim, murder. My question is this, does any one individual have the right to take a life? I would say, no.
Captial punishment is based on biblical teaching of that very idea, to take a life unjustly is playing God. Only God can take a life, because only God can create life. However, God has delegated authority to the governments to institute justice. Romans 13:1-4. Unfortunately this authority has been so abused that it is fouled up beyond all recognition(FUBAR) Second, we have to consider the possibility that if the murderer is not executed, and is only incarcerated, that one day he might to released to kill again. This sadly has been repeated many times over, as with sexaul crimes against women and children. I wonder if the women would feel safe if they knew a convicted rapist was on the loose; capital punishment would solve that problem.

Answer 6

Some people don't believe that people can truly change. In particular, a lot of people go around saying that we can't change our boyfriends and stuff like that. If we can't even change our boyfriends (who presumably are at least somewhat willing to work with us), what makes people think that we can change serial killers? They've killed more than one person already. If they're alive, they might escape, or maybe the laws will change in the future, or maybe someone will strike a deal with them and let them out, in which case, if they haven't changed, they're going to start killing people all over again. If they're dead, that can't happen. In the cases of serial killers, it would seem to protect the rest of society to make sure they can never do it again.

So, no, it's not revenge at all, and it doesn't clear the air. But it protects everybody else. And yes, death is quite an insurmountable deterrant. It deters the same person from doing the same thing again, because a lot of people believe that we can't change people.

Answer 7

It does act as a deterrant, although I question statistics which would verify this because statistics are so manipulateable. It could be argued that the victim's family could see justice instead of "revenge" when their loved one killer is put to death. In a way, capital punishment still does not solve the ultimate question though of addressing the issue of why humans kill other humans.
Also, if we actually had "correctional facilities" instead of mass holding cells, and the rehabilitation function of the criminal justice system was functonal, then there would be no need for capital punishment.
I could see your last argument being accepted, but that is such a weak reason for keeping it, might as well get rid of it if that's the dominant reason.

Answer 8

its a quick fix solution to crimes against humanity. I agree in principle with the death penalty - some individuals are so psychopathic or sociopathic or plain evil that they will never stop and never feel remorse - prison is not a punishment. I would personally pull the switch on them.
In practice though, we have a legal system that is so full of inequalities and corruption that the hope of every person accused of a capital offence getting a fair and impeccable trial is impossible. I could not condone a legal system that would put to death an innocent person due to poor legal advice, bureocracy, incompetence or a corrupt police investigation.
This government cant even get Working Families Tax to run efficiently, why should we trust it to not kill an innocent person?

Answer 9

There's a lot of questions here,,, but the basic one is is it OK fro capital punishment?

I think so, it should act as a deterrent for some not all but a lot,, and that must be an improvement.

The jail sentences these day are to low, and the criminals know it.

Answer 10

With the near impossibility of maintaining ample beds for all the the criminals, parole is inevitable.

How many paroles have been meted out to repeat murderers?

You or my children could be a victim of a repeat murderer on parole.

We are in an age where, hopefully, more accurate evidence will prevent injustices.

Penalties of any kind will never deter crimes of passion. Thought process of those are skewed. But, leniency must be weighed carefully when murder is "premeditated".

One must bear in mind that a lifer spends every moment of his time devising methods of escape. Their ingenuity is beyond comprehension.

With 50 years in retail, I have seen hundreds of methods devised in order to steal. Always new ones. An amazing array of methods.
The criminal mind is sometimes, very near genius.