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Frequently, in this forum, the subject of the death penalty is brought up.
Murderers, rapists, paedophiles are all to be killed, according to the majority view that I see.
My own position is that such crimes should be appropriately punished, but that the death penalty has no place in a civilsised society, because mistakes happen, and innocent people do get convicted.
The answers I see are clearly felt very strongly, and I want to know this:
Are you prepared to be the executioner?
When you get it wrong, as you will from time to time, how do you put it right?
How do you apologise to the person you killed - in the name of "justice"?
How do you reinstate him/her to their previous life?
How do you apologise to their family and friends?
Are you prepared and willing to meet their spouse and children?
How do you say to their spouse and children "I'm sorry, but mistakes happen, and this is one of those times we got it wrong?

2007-01-25 13:20:23 · 21 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture Other - Society & Culture

Let's not avoid the issue. This is a question about personal responses. If you favour the death penalty you have, I think, to be prepared to answer these questions at a personal level. Take responsibility for your point of view.

2007-01-25 13:44:32 · update #1

No-one in favour has addressed the issues have they?
Would telling the person's spouse " hey, bad things happen" really cut it?
I take the "Times", am considered to lean to the right, politically, and NEVER read the Guardian.

2007-01-25 20:24:18 · update #2

Dowahdidd, I have not emailed anyone to solicit their view, and if I had would certainly not avoid a discussion.
No I am not a social worker.
No-one is answering the points, are they?

2007-01-27 05:31:28 · update #3

Agony Aunt. Your profile says that you cannot receive IM or email. So far as I can recall I had one email in response to this question, which asked how I, who am, as I have said above, am opposed to the death penalty, would compensate an innocent who had spent 50 years in jail. I replied to it, essentially saying that whatever compensation, at least the person would be alive. Whilst I did not rule out financial compensation, I suggested that it was not essential. Other forms of support would clearly be vital. Thanks for your reply. You are marked as spam on my mail filter.

2007-01-28 01:05:46 · update #4

Thank you all for some really well put responses , most of which endorse my own viewpoint. Agony Aunt is the only one who attempted to answer from a death penalty support point of view, so has to get the points. She, I feel, has at least had a go, but see comments below!

2007-01-28 01:46:00 · update #5

21 answers

I seriously think in some (by no means all) cases, I could be an executioner. However, can you really say that the executioner should be the one to apologise to the family, if that person wasn't guilty? Surely it would be the responsibility of the Judge/Jury wouldn't it?
In England they did away with the death penalty when they hung Ruth Ellis - and there was another case with a bloke, who was a little simple, over the death of a policeman. He'd shouted to his accomplice, 'let him have it' referring to a gun. The jury seemed to think this meant - shoot him, whilst the defence said, he meant hand the gun over to the policeman.
Can you answer this - If someone has been imprisoned for fifty years and then its found they were innocent, how would you apologise to him and his family then? how could you give them the last fifty years back?

REPLY TO THE E-MAIL YOU SENT ME: THAT STRANGELY ENOUGH WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO REPLY TO YOU.

Firstly, I hadn't kept returning to your question to see what other
people had written. But to say your questions weren't answered - I've just read them again.
1 - As I said before, in some circumstances, (by no means all) I could be the executioner.
2 A wrong can't be righted - by way of an apology - no matter how sincere it is. (having faced death penalty or imprisonment)
3 You could say you were sorry to a corpse before burial/cremation - not after.
4 You couldn't reinstate them to a previous life.
5 It wouldn't be the executioner who apologised to the family, but the government.
6 If I had been paid to be the executioner and killed an innocent person, yes I would have the conscience to meet with the family and tell them how horrified and genuinely distressed I was - (although I doubt they would either want to meet or accept
the apology).


Incidentally....... I worked as a Funeral Director for several
years...during that time I had to collect a six week old baby
who's father had killed him. I won't go into too many of the details. I carried that baby in my arms (I was only 21 years old at the time) it brought out every bit of maternal instinct I had. One of the hardest things I had ever to do in my life, was to leave the baby in a mortuary, ready to be butchered up in a post mortem examination. I saw girls the same age as me, who had been raped and murdered - not just that
their lives had been snuffed out - but the indignity of what their bodies were subjected to during their murder and after - was horrific. I also saw the bodies of men who had been beaten, raped and murdered (committed by a serial killer).
Whilst I believe any 'first' crime could be committed in a jealous
rage, accidental - or self defence - I don't necessarily think 'that
person deserves to die'. I think in the case of terrorists, sadistic gits and cold blooded murderers - its a different ball game.

I noticed that you said in your question that you didn't mean
financial reimbursement for their time in prison - so what did you mean? You also implied that they could be reinstated to their previous life - (I think that would be impossible) I suppose there is a chance that their spouses might wait 20 years or more (but its unlikely). So without financial reimbursement, how would you give them their lives back?- how do they go back to work?- would society accept them as an innocent man who'd been mistreated by the criminal courts or would they
always think 'there is no smoke without fire'?

So to answer the questions you asked - if a person has been released after 20+ years in prison - how would you compensate them?
Would it be righting a wrong to release them after so long institutionalised?
How would you explain to the victim of the crime, that the wrong person was convicted and that the person responsible has never been punished?

Imagine someone who you love - a child - partner - parent was murdered - raped - or killed in cold blood, would you feel that prison would be a suitable punishment?
What punishment would you think suitable?
Indeed, would any punishment be of any emotional compensation to you?
If two years later, this person was released - as they got off on an appeal - how would you feel?

My view is - If the death penalty was back - (not just for terrorists
and killers of policemen/women) along with corporal punishment, hopefully it would act as a deterrant before the acts were committed.

2007-01-25 13:35:37 · answer #1 · answered by Agony Aunt 5 · 1 2

The death penalty is all terribly final.

There should be a time limit on the appeals process - this would then sort out the mess in the USA where some people can wait 20 or more years to be snuffed out.

On the same point the prosecution must be called to task if evidence it failed to admit during any trial subsequently comes to light which has even the remotest chance of reversing the ultimate sanction.

Of course, you could threaten those, who in "fitting up" a criminal, pervert the course of justice, with the very same punishment.

Ask yourselves if killing is worthy retribution for some offenders. Then ask if you are 100% sure they are guilty as charged and convicted.

Then ask if the method of despatch is humane. Does it show mercy - if it doesn't, then it is not justice which is being meted out. Don't allow the question "Did they show mercy to their victims?" to cloud the issue, for, whatever God you believe in (or not) is the ultimate judge, and He (She) may very well condisder you guilty of the same offence when you face your ultimate judgement.

The natural instinct of mankind has always been that of seeking retribution. Don't fall into this trap - rise above it!

2007-01-25 19:49:23 · answer #2 · answered by Modern Major General 7 · 1 0

Sadly there's on way to reverse the mistake. The only way a death sentance can possibly be absolutely fair with no chance of mistake is if the person was seen, really seen doing the crime.
I serously doubt if I could serve as executioner, nor could I have anything to do with the trial leading up to the event.
Some proponents say that the chances of executing an innocent person is like 3-5%, but that is still too great a margin of error.
--That Cheeky Lad

2007-01-25 17:54:34 · answer #3 · answered by Charles-CeeJay_UK_ USA/CheekyLad 7 · 1 0

The more I hear about innocent people getting out of jail, I am unsure of the death penalty. If there was no doubt, then yes.( BTW: It costs more to sentence some one to death than it does to house them the rest of their lives.) I know that sounds backwards, but it literally takes millions once the death penalty is given.

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2016-04-13 20:32:47 · answer #5 · answered by ? 3 · 0 0

I do not support the death penalty.
How is the person to better themselves or atone for the sin if we kill them? Who learns anything from the execution of prisoners? Other criminals do not seem to be dissuaded from committing crimes.
Who are we to say that a person should be killed for their crimes, when we are not perfect beings ourselves?
I hear sometimes of prisoners killed 20 years after their crime, many times the person being executed has changed, has become a better person. What does this teach them?

Who are we to show people that killing is wrong by killing them?

2007-01-25 13:38:40 · answer #6 · answered by saopaco 5 · 3 0

As a partial answer to your question, the cost of the death penalty (much more than the cost of life in prison) is not only economic.

Couple of examples-
Executioners and wardens in Mississippi and Alabama all attributed their mental and physical health problems to their involvement with lethal injection.

New Jersey’s and New York’s last executioner, Dow Hover, committed suicide.

In New Jersey, after the body of the executed inmate is disposed of, the Department of Corrections, according to a 2001 statement, would offer psychological counseling to the entire execution team.

Executions traumatize clergy, jurors, journalists, and others.

Carol Pickett, a minister who witnessed almost 100 executions in Texas, attributed his severe health problems to the stress involved with executions. Whether the person to whom he was ministering was executed was not his decision to make, but his witnessing of the execution haunted him years after he stopped ministering to death row inmates.

Many people (including hammy, one of the people who answered your question.) misunderstand what DNA can and cannot do. DNA is available in available in no more than 20% of all murder cases. It is not a miracle cure for wrongful convictions. Speeding up executions will guarantee that we execute innocent people.

2007-01-26 03:32:17 · answer #7 · answered by Susan S 7 · 1 0

sorry doesn't cut it when someone is executed wrongfully. thank goodness for DNA now and those chances are slim. i do not oppose the death penalty. im all for it in every shape and form but innocent people have been executed and you make a great point. there is nothing you can say or do when that happens. it wont bring that person back to their families, that much is very sad. over all i believe the chances are very slim that this happens anymore with the help of DNA.

2007-01-25 13:38:04 · answer #8 · answered by hammy 3 · 1 2

This is very disturbing issue.We can not undone death and moreover the real criminal must be enjoying and planing for next crime.We should have same punishment for public prosecutor if he or she try to get death penalty knowing that he is innocent.Sorry to say that justice is blind.

2007-01-25 14:27:50 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Wish i knew the answer? The police can easily pick up anyone innocent and stick a knife or gun in their hand and tell lies to have someone executed 'cos they don't like someone's skin colour. If i get violated or thunbs down it would probably be from someone who can't accept the truth. Anyone who wants to believe something knowing it's a lie is a Racist or a fool, or both.

2007-01-25 13:35:42 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1 1

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