Is this inhumane?

Question

The following in no way represents my true beliefs. Okay, well, it does, but just in case the FBI break down my door after I post this, I can say that it was all purely hypothetical.

I suggest that the death penalty is wrong only because death is actually *too good* for those convicted of first degree murder. Hell, this might apply even to second degree murder. I'm thinking about it. First degree murder implies an intent to kill, and second degree murder implies that death resulted from an assault intended to harm.

What if, instead of simply being imprisoned, murderers were actually tortured? Killers, you see, often don't fear death, which is why statistics show that the death penalty has no effect as a deterrent. Many murderers actually desire death. Therefore, I suggest that murderers be subjected to agony that they didn't know they were afraid of. This is, of course, not realistic. It is unquestionably barbaric and generally not PC.

-continued-

However, I do not consider it morally wrong to torture and then kill a first degree murderer-- at least not based on the supposition I'm presenting here.

That is that anyone who commits murder in cold blood is no longer human. They have no rights, no emotions, and absolutely no value to the world. Murderous impulses do exist in the normal human mind, but if it was a normal human trait to overcome our inhibitions and commit murder in the first (or indeed second) degree, I would probably have killed someone already. By overcoming your inhibitions and taking another's life, you have erased what made you a part of society.

Murderers often have emotions, of course-- but I say that's too damn bad. Again, killing in cold blood removes your value as a human being, and you have no use except to be removed completely and to serve as an example to discourage such atrocities from ever happening again.

Looking forward to this discussion.

I see mostly very good answers despite the angry tone of my own post. Let me offer my sincere thanks.

It was Megan Meier who got me in this murderous mood, if you must know.

Answer 1

Murderers started out just as normal human beings. It's easy to think of them as evil incarnate, but they're still someone's son or daughter. They've probably got friends and neighbors that enjoy their company. There are very few cold-blooded psycho killers who have no shred of a soul left.

What's done is done as far as the crime. Torturing and getting revenge won't accomplish anything other than making us a more violent people. If you want to get rid of the killers then go ahead and give them poison of some sort. I can see your point somewhat in that they probably do deserve to suffer, but I don't think it should be at the expense of our humanity. If you want to feed them bread and water instead of a fancy last meal and leave them in a cold dark cell alone then that'd be ok I guess, but there are plenty of murderers who immediately wish that they could take it back. Just kill them humanely and get it over with I say.

Answer 2

Your "hypothetical" would violate the 8th Amendment to the Constitution.

You are correct that the death penalty is not a deterrent. For a punishment to act as a deterrent it must be swift and sure. The death penalty is neither. (If it were speeded up we would be executing innocent people; at least 50 of the 124 death row exonerees had already served more than a decade.)
I suggest that most people who commit murder, and probably most criminals in general, do not think they will be caught.

The death penalty costs much more than life in prison. Why take the money and spend it on crime prevention methods that have been shown to work. New York City, for example, started using smarter policing techniques even before Guiliani became mayor. (The program is called COMPSTAT.) This year, New York City 's murder rate is on track to be at its lowest since 1963.

Answer 3

Not really Inhumane because humans have thought it up.

I personally think that the victims family's should be the ones that decide what should happen to a convicted murderer.

I might even go so far as to say that I believe that the murderer should be given to the victims family to do with as they please. ie. tortured or turned loose as they see fit.

Is that the moral way? No.
Do I think that our Judicial system is good enough to implement that? No.
Would District Attorneys need to NOT worry about their close rates? Yes.
Would people that falsely accuse others need to suffer the same fate as the accused? Yes.
Would public officials need to be held accountable for all their actions ? Yes.

But we all know NONE of these things are going to happen, so we deal with what we currently have.

sux. but it is better than any other country that I know of.

: )

Answer 4

Who will be the torturer, a sick F...K, like you sound, what good could that possibly do. Revenge is no answer.
A friend's wife suicided, he did 3 months jail for her murder before being proved Innocent. He was never the same. Another friend punched a guy once in the nose, he fell hit his head & died, he had been groping the young girls at a party. Do you think punishment deters people from killing another, very few human beings will truly kill, they might say it
doing it is another thing. Anyway it makes me sad to hear your suggestion. Anyone close to you been murdered.

Answer 5

Well, i think you should kill the murderers just to get rid of them, of course they should be tortured first, but I don't want to pay to keep them alive in jail for very long either. I also think that thieves should have their hands cut off, that rapists have all of their limbs removed and tossed into jail without a way to fend off unwanted advances, that abusers be tortured and/or stoned, they should get to feel a beating or two.
Kind of looking for the "eye for an eye" kind of deal here, but it will never happen because it is "cruel and unusual" and we couldn't expect our criminals to ever be really punished into thinking of not doing something again.

Answer 6

I believe that the torturer would be no better than the murderer or rapist. It would be sadistic and on the same level as those who tortured & murdered over 6 million people during WW2.

Answer 7

actually I agree with alot of what you say.But until the prison system gets a much needed overhaul we will continue to pay for
murderers and the like to have cable tv,special diets,go to school,have fun time etc.etc..The inmates who are in there for non violent crimes are a waste of money and could be put to work in some sort of work camp for the state or something,like cleaning streets or something.One thing I will say is that if you resort to torture those in prison you in a sense have become just like them..I believe they should be back in the prisons of the old days..Make it something to fear in going to prison instead of "3 hots and a cot" I was watching a show and they say it is an average of 100,000.00 a year per inmate..hummm..dosen't make much sense to me

Answer 8

Yea I think if you continue to post things like this your gonna have some people in dark glasses going through your trash and checking recent purchases. I hope you dont go to my college

Answer 9

Then what do you say when the person is proven to be innocent later, or are you naive enough to believe everyone is guilty in jail?

Answer 10

Yes, and if pigs had wings they would fly , you are living in a dream world, never gonna happen