If a Criminal Wants to Be Executed Rather Than Life Imprisonment Why Do we Deny Them This Right?

Question

Anyone know the reasons for this?

Answer 1

Why should we give then a right to choose they chose to do something against the law so they should have to take whatever punishment they are given!!! They lose their rights when they commit the crime xx

Answer 2

Maybe the idea of murder is really contrary to justice even if the politicians use it for votes from the less well educated .The
idea of imprisonment hardly sways the criminal mind these days with termination and a better deterrant would be working for their stay in the prison saving taxes and and not getting off the hook with death. I don't think they have always been denied but each state is differrent . the only killing that is not murder is justifiable homicide and that is self defense . How does a prisoner pose a threat more than a regular citizen ?put them to work and lengthen their sentences and the crime rate will still go up because we don't believe in rehabiliation but we set them free anyway so where is the reason.Did you know the average prisoner cost approx. 100,000 dollars per year . I wish I made that much. But I don't think murder will stem the rise or change the mind of the criminal . It only serves as rational for their actions

Answer 3

1) Because it is not for the criminal to choose his or her punishment. The whole point of the law is that it is for the State to decide what punishment is appropriate for each crime. In this country, we as a State have decided that the death penalty is inappropriate.

2) Since it is against the law to assist someone who chooses to die rather that suffer the agony of terminal illness, you could argue that, morally, why should someone be removed from mental suffering, (through imprisonment) especially when they have caused that suffering themselves (through committing the crime leading to the custodial sentence).

3) People with serious mental health problems (who constitute a vast proportion of the prison population) might not be a position to make a rational choice about this.

4) The wrongly convicted might choose to die rather than spend decades being perceived as a murderer. There is then no chance of the punishment being justly overturned if new evidence comes to light.

5) There is still a chance that even lifers can become useful and productive memebers of society - as long as you don't kill them! Some are very dangerous and have a long history of violence, but many murderers in fact only have one conviction for "a moment of madness". Although they have caused a very high level of harm to a member of the public, and the risk that they will do so again one day always remains, their risk of *reconviction* is actually very low. As it is, lifers DON'T spend their whole life in prison - they come out the the Parole Board (or in special cases, the Home Secretary) deems it safe and appropriate. They are then on life licence under supervision of the Probation Service, but can work (with permission).

Answer 4

i think we deny them this right because if they want to be executed for the crime they commited instead of life in prison they are taking what they think is the easy way out so if a criminal wants to be executed and we grant them that request then they are really not being punished for what they did they are being rewarded because we gave them what they wanted.plus i think that the only reason why a criminal would want to be executed is because they cant live with themself after commiting the crime and they dont want to pay the price for what they did.

Answer 5

The family of the victim should decide not the criminal. If their crime is severe enough to warrant life imprisonment they should have lost all rights by this stage. They would only chose a pleasant quick end and that would be a real insult to their victim's family....

Answer 6

Because it makes everyone happy.

Religious - Leave the punishment to the afterlife
Atheist - He'll wallow in guilt as long as possible


Although it would be better if prison's weren't so much of a holiday spa.

I personally plan to turn the moon into a prison and host Unreal Tournaments there and make a channel dedicated to it. If anyone wants to loan me the money for that I'd be pretty damn grateful.

Answer 7

i agree with you, why should we have to pay for them to be kept in the the life of luxury, fed three meals a day, access to a TV, clean bed...etc...... yet then have committed the most horrible brutal crimes?...makes no sense...

i can see the other view point to though,..... if someone wants to die and they think that i some you it may be good to be infamous,... they go on a killing spree, knowing full well that they are going to be sentenced to death anyway,......so they have no regard......

they should be left to rot in prison!! not given the easy way out?!

conversely i think they should bring back chain gangs,.....and extremely hard labour, dawn till dust......... make them build new prisons and hospitals etc.... and if they don't want to work then I'm sure the rest of the psychos in the chain would persuade them too!!....if they complain then they get more.... that would teach them a lesson,... and if they die whilst doing it,...at least they did something half useful!..

in 2004 Britain signed a treaty banning the use of the death penalty altogether,.... as pre 2004 you could still get the death penalty for treason.... this is no longer the case ... it's effectively gone!

Answer 8

These kind of criminals should not have the right to make any choice.
They probably want to be executed because they see it as the easy way out.
The ones who deserve to choose the outcome of violent offenders are the victim(s) and their family.

Answer 9

There is no right for punishment.Court gives punishment based on evidence and gravity of crime.It is not an ask and give game.In the system there is a provision to give appeal against the punishment.

Answer 10

If it is for life then there must be something serious that they did, therefore they should not have a choice, but I do think that we should cut the balls off of pedo's and rape attackers and then execute them but only if they don't want it! - if you do the crime - do the time, and anyway it is not like life = life is it! !