If asked to attend a public execution, would you go?

Question

A relative was part of a group of people killed by a serial killer in Texas in 1988. The serial killer recently lost his appeal to the Supreme Court aginst the execution. The execution is scheduled to go ahead shortly and 3 relatives of the deceased have been invited to attend. My Aunt form Austin has asked that I would accompany her to the execution. Would you go?

Answer 1

Personally no. I am against the death penalty and certainly wouldn't want to witness anyone die. If you are very close to your aunt perhaps you should consider going just to support her, but don't if it is something you really couldn't bear.

Answer 2

Sure, why not? Shame it'll be only a lethal injection or the like. Think the arabs still got it going on with public beheadings. It's the way forward. We've gone soft in Western Society. Corporal and Capital punishment should be brought back in the UK. Not saying necessarily public ones but just that criminals like mass murderers and rapists know what will come to them if they get caught and will hopefully make them think twice. Very worst, even if it doesn't, it will free up some prison space.

Answer 3

No, even though this serial killer killed many people, I'd much rather see him "rot" in jail. Being killed is an easier way out, I think, than spending the rest of your life in prison. And after watching "the Green Mile" I could never go to an execution!

Answer 4

It totally depends on your view of the death penalty and what you are expecting to get out of being a witness to the execution. Will attending the execution provide you with some kind of closure? If yes, the go.

I personally would be there if one of my family members was killed by the person being executed.

Answer 5

Apparently your Aunt feels like she needs YOU there. You could go to support your Aunt but you could turn your back so you wouldn't have to see the execution.

Answer 6

I'm not sure if you were close to their victim or not makes much of a difference.

Do you want to watch a human being be killed by society? Yes or No...

I must admit I would watch just out of curiosity... This sounds really wrong but: Its probably a once in a life-time opportunity to watch someone be killed in such a cold/odd environment...

Answer 7

I guess if you expect to be protected etc by the LAW, then you have a duty to SUPPORT the law, yes I would go, obviously not a memory I would care to carry all my life, but we expect our boys in blue to do that on our behalf.

On top of which if I was totally convinced the killer was one hundred percent guilty, particularly where children are concerned, hell, I would personally push the button!

Answer 8

No way.
Justice has been served.

But a human life is still life, no matter how evil it is.
I don't think i could ever sleep properly again after watching another life been forcefully - wrongly or rightly, taken away.

Personally I am all for capital punishment, but witnessing it makes a very different debate.

You just need to ask yourself, how will this affect me.
Do you NEED to see this man die?

I hope you come to an answer, I don't envy you, this is a very difficult decision to make. x

Answer 9

i wouldnt know whether i would go or not to be honest. to me it would hold a certain sense of intuige into the whole thing but it would also be rather morbid and pretty freaky. i would probably go as the curiosity into the whole process would get the better of me, and if a relative wanted to go due to a brevement suffered from this person then i would support them and help them as much as i could as obviously they would already of been through a lot of pain, and bad as it may sound, this process might help them get over it a little

Answer 10

Go. If executions were public they might not be so politically correct. You can then make informed opinions. But, mind you, they will close the curtain just after the flow of poison begins and then open them after the doctor has examined them.