DEATH PENALTY? Or should we also treat some minors as adults and punish them that way. (not death)?

Question

Do you believe in the death penality and why? Do you also believe that when a minor commits a crime (s) he /she should be treated like an adult? You know like punishment wise? This kids who are 11 or 12 shooting each other, killing their families etc? What are your thoughts, go to our lawmakes push for stiffer sentences or what do you think about all that? I do believe in that death penality NOT FOR MINORS, but its dependant on what someone does what are your thoughts?

Answer 1

I believe in the death penalty. If a kid of 12 years old has the ability to take a gun and murder someone with it, then I have to think this is not your typical 12 year old child. Somebody took my 17month old baby and never brought him back. If this guy is ever found, I would like to put the bullet in his heart myself. If he were here now, he would be 30 years old. After years of thinking, wondering, and missing my boy, the death penalty seems fair to me.

Answer 2

It has been scientifically proven that teenagers, possibly up until the age of 20, do not develop adult logic until that time. Therefore, you're going to have different behaviors and different circumstances that teens have no real experience, and are not mentally capable of logically deal with those situations.

I believe that if a teen isn't old enough to vote, buy liquor, get into venues that provide adult entertainment, then why should a crime be any different? They should charged as minors until they're 18. Then have at 'em once they hit the age of minority. If a child continually displays aggressive behavior since a young age, then that child's parents or guardians should be held accountable and charged for this child's behavior.

That's the problem with today's society, we're not making the parents' liable. Same rule applies to the social workers that may be handling the cases of these children and not really giving a damn what happens to them, they should be held liable too. We had a social worker charged in Michigan for the death of a toddler that she apparently saw the abuse and didn't try to an end to the situation as her position called for.

I don't believe the death penalty is appropriate for minors. I would prefer public caning like they do in China, where they're punished publicly. In regards to these children that are 11 and 12, where were their parents and why didn't they know their kid had a gun? It all goes back to parental responsibility, which this society is seriously lacking in today.

Answer 3

Death penalty should be for those hardcore criminals who take away people's lives. Anyone who kills others voluntarily and with the intention of causing grievous hurt should be imposed with the death penalty.

I think people like those terrorists and serial killers can readily come under this category.

In my country, death penalty is imposed on those who also traffick drugs . I think maybe they should do away with that part and just give them life sentence or may be canning.

As for minors, a crime is a crime..whether you are teenager or an adult. I think may be they should serve their sentences in prisons instead of just probation or corrective training. They should get a taste of prison life and maybe that will bring some sense to them. If that doesn't work, maybe canning might.

Death penalty is not for minors.

Answer 4

I agree with the death penalty but not for all murderers. It will be on a case by case basis.

ALL child predators and serial rapists will get the death penalty.

Children NO!!
It's not fair, it's the most hypercritical thing today and it's bad that they are being charged as adults. It says that they are old and responsible enough for punishment but are too young and not mature enough for privileges ie;vote, drive, buy cigarettes and alcohol.

I say if kids are to be charged as adults than you lower the age of majority to the age that you want them charged as an adult.

What kids need is parents to beat some sense into them. Parents need to step up and take charge.

Answer 5

I think if an adult has committed murder or rape to the extent that they are give life or more then life sentences the Death penalty would be more suitable.
I believe if a minor commits a felony (rape/murder/burglary) they should be tried as an adult. If a 5 year old can learn it's bad to hit someone then a 12 year old sure as hell should be able to tell you shooting someone is wrong.

Answer 6

I do not support the death penalty for any person for any crime. I certainly would never support the death penalty for a minor, the child would not understand the finality and the seriousness of their death - it would be their families that would be suffering.

Answer 7

I am very tempted to support death penalty for anyone over 15 but my problem is the fallacy of system too many people get convicted wrongly ( a tiny percentage ) but u can't raise dead. In its place we need tougher penalties like life without without parole period for "capital" crimes. If we did that then justice would be served and the criminal would bekept out of socirty forever. In order to accomplish this we would need to free prison space by not jailing minor drug offenders for years.

Answer 8

I do, and I believe in using it for some minors as well. I grew up with a serial killer. He should have been put to death as a teenager, when he made his SECOND killing. (The first time he killed someone was in the SECOND GRADE.) There are some people that are just better off dead. There are some people that just can't be rehabilitated. There are some people that just aren't worth my tax dollars.

Answer 9

Death penalty? Yes I do believe in it. Minors? I think anyone that reaches the age of puberty is old enough to know right from wrong and is considered an adult.

Answer 10

More a matter of opinion than hard fact. There is a case to be made for the death penalty, and against. For the death penalty, it speaks to the sense of justice in us, and adds a sense of "holy book" proportion to it. Both the Jews and Christians have a holy book that speaks to "an eye for an eye" and Islamic law is very strict on that side as well, the Quran legislates capital punishmnet for murder. The taking of a human life should remain the most serious crime on our books.

Yet what if you;re wrong, even just once. And you kill the wrong person. Justice is NOT served, as an innocent suffered, and the guilty walked. Reasonable doubt is enough to walk free, but in the death sentence, there will always remain a tiny shred of doubt. What if he/she REALLY didn't do it.

As to the family and friends of the victim, they are forever deprived of their loved one. The victim is deprived not only of life, but of the "enjoyment" of life. The victim's relatives see a guilty man who forever deprived them of their loved one still alive. Yes, he/she may be forever locked up, but they can still ENJOY life. Here in Canada, the inmates in pens enjoy TV, recreation, meals, education, voting. I have tasted the types of steaks they send to the pens (on the "gray" market) and let me tell you those are some of the best steaks I have ever tasted. You can't tell me they don't derive some enjoyment out of this. For the victim's family it seems totally unfair. To them, it seems like the guilty party is leading a somewhat "cosseted" life and they are left dealing with their loss.

Now to my opinion: I think a new system is required. One that solves a lot of moral questions in my mind. I propose the "sleep sentence". Once found guilty, the condemned is anesthesized until his/her natural death.
For society, it is a palatable alternative.
- The state and the legal system did NOT kill the guilty party and therefore reduce itself to their level.
- For the relatives and friends of the victime it provides a sense of "justice served".
- It can be reconciled with holy books. For Christians, it finally reconciles "An eye for an eye." and "Thou shall not kill". For the Islamic world, a small re-interpretation of "capital punishment" to mean the "denial of the enjoyment of life" would still legislate capital punishment in the Quran, along with the virtues of forgiveness and compassion that are also enshrined in that holy book.
- It IS reversible. Granted, massive rehabilitation is required, and probably a hefty lump sum payment and assistance for a long time. But I think for the few times the system makes a mistake, the cost savings in correctional failities would be more than sufficient to compensate.

The basis of the sleep sentence is that the legal system recognizes that the crime committed is the victim's removal of their right to "experience and derive enjoyment from life", as well as the relatives and friends' right to "experience and derive enjoyment from the victim's life", and that the penalty for such is the same; the removal of the accused's right to "experience and derive enjoyment from life".

A radical rethinking of the penal system would be required, but it would send out the message once and for all to those who would take a human life that it is quickly punishable by virtually the same. As to when to apply the sleep sentence, well... we'll let the legal system figure the rest out.

As to your other question... I think I;ve jawed at you long enough.

Cheers,

Thor