Capital Punishment / Execution

I don't think that makes any difference, though.

She did meet him, and she took an active part in torturing and murdering children.

An ideal candidate for the death penalty.

Hindley and Brady have been mentioned. No one can condone what they did. But I'd just make point: I think Brady would have committed these crimes or something similar whether or not he had met Hindley. I don't believe she would have committed the crimes had she not met Brady. I believe she was in his thrall.

Exactly Mealybug

It depends on circumstances - crimes, multiple time offenders, etc.

A life sentence should mean just that, whole of life not just let them out after five or ten years as sometimes happens. Imagine if one of your loved ones was murdered and the person who did it was free to walk the streets after a few years. How many times do we hear of murderers committing another offence after serving their reduced term?

I am totally against state sanctioned murder. It has been argued that due to the responsibility of convicting an accused person of murder which would automatically lead to the death penalty prior to abolition, many juries were unwilling to convict and therefore some accused were accused of the lesser charge of manslaughter. Also, due to the likelihood of hanging after committing a murder, a suspect may decided to kill other witnesses to the crime to lessen the chance of being caught. This is apart from my abhorrence at the hypocrisy of killing someone for killing someone. This does not mean that I do not have great sympathy for the families affected, nor does it mean that I wouldn't want to rip the head off, slowly, of someone who injured or killed anyone of my family or friends, but emotions are not the best judges.

I don't think that capital punishment is a deterrent. Think back to the 19th Century when people were often hanged for sheep stealing. I doubt whether the thought of execution would have stopped the serial killers. People just don't think about being caught. If they did there would be fewer violent crimes.

Furthermore, most capital crimes are committed by someone known to the victim.

There would probably never be the need for a discussion on whether or not to bring back capital punishment if we were reassured that murderers would be imprisoned for life, and detained in a harsh environment, befitting their crime, rather than the derisory sentences they get.

Even then we all know that, say, 20 years behind bars doesn’t mean that as they commonly only serve a portion of their sentence.

There has been much talk on here about the death penalty being violent and barbaric.

How about the poor victims and their loved ones condemned to a life sentence of grief at the hands of these monsters ?

Am I in favour of the death penalty?

Under certain circumstances yes I am.

Yes Derek Bentley was murdered. And we see it time and time again, those who are different, and sometimes those with learning disabilities or mental health issues, are seen as the likely perpetrators of a crime. Look at what happened to Christopher jefferies.

Blinko,you are spot on,i agree totaly.

Derek Bentley was murdered

Of course those who oppose the death penalty are concerned for victims and those left behind BUT I don't want to see innocent people put to death . The system is not perfect, mistakes happen, people who sit on juries aren't infallible , and I think many would not want to condemn a prisoner to death knowing that . Many guilty would walk free.
As I am sure many of you know the death penalty was used for many crimes, including carving your name on Westminster Bridge , impersonating a Chelsea pensioner , stealing a silk handkerchief, and stealing sheep. Juries would often acquit under those circumstances as it became increasingly obvious that the crime did not merit such punishment. I think many people think that a mistake could be made and would be reluctant to be involved with state sanctioned murder.

Victims and those left behind count for nothing !!

I certainly believe in a lasting deterrent such as a lethal injection.

How would any of you feel in Marie McCourt's shoes ? Ian Simms who was convicted and jailed for her daughter's murder didn't even say where he'd put her body, no remorse and he's now released and free again. Why should this ever be allowed ?

A couple of posters have stated that many released murderers go on to kill again. I would like some stats. on that please.

Life does mean life, even when the person is let out of incarcartion, they have very many restrictions on their loves, no permitted to get a passport, any new job and attempt to move home has to be reported and permission given/not given. A lifer, outside the prison is ' On Licence', and that can be withdrawn at any time.

As has been said, a society should be judges on how they treat the most disadvantaged, and that includes prisoners. No prison should be be privatised . There is a fallacy as to the 'luxuries' that prisoners have - many are kept locked in their small cells for the majority of the time.

Do think there should be some way of getting long term prisoners doing paid work. Some of this would be used to pay towards their keep, some to go into a victim fund, and some to be kept for them to give them some sort of start whenever they get released.

I was a child when Bentley was hanged for a murder, at the time of which, he was actually in custody - a revenge hanging because a policeman had died, My father, when stopped and asked to sign a petition, explained it to me and I have been opposed totally to any form of capital punishment , under any circumstances since that time.

This individual may have faced his death with the most calm, but those closest to him physically recognized his tension- Perhaps he was calmer because he understood his end would be as intentional and deliberate as the act he carried out, both being homicide- But the finality caused him tension, even for someone as "steely" as he was-

www.cnn.com/2001/LAW/06/11/mcveigh.witnesses/

It is totally barbaric RoseCarmel I don’t know how anyone with an ounce of humanity can support it
I wonder if those supporting the death penalty could actually do it themselves, kill I mean and if the answer is no then what right do they have to expect someone else to do it for them

Davidhs

A psychopath may well fear being hung or injected, that is only because he cannot control the action. When he was a killer he was in control of events, his real fear is not being in control.

Of course control enters into it- But psychopaths fear death too- They aren't immune-

When people are executed, the cause of death is entered as lethal injection- The manner of death is entered as homicide-

It's all so barbaric ..

3nanny6

Davidhs ; I have mentioned on this thread that in the past when the death penalty was still used in the U.K several mistakes were made. In regard of that happening that is an awful thing.
When there is no doubt at all about someones guilt such as Myra Hindley and Ian Brady I would say they were evil disgusting people and when they were found to be culpable
of their heinous crimes they should have been punished to the extreme and prison was too good for them.

Rosecarmel : in your post you say "It's obvious to me that the majority of people who kill haven't a clue about what they did or will do"
I strongly disagree with you and say that those evil two knew exactly what they were doing and even planned it.
A few posters have even mentioned Fred West saying at least he hung himself in prison.
I hasten to mention his evil wife Rose West who played a big part in the crimes even resorting to killing one of her own daughters horrific to say the least.

My point is that any person who kills people intentionally doesn't know what it's like to be killed until they are waiting for their own end on death row- They live in fear of being killed until they themselves are killed-

So it has happened I see.
A curios relic of barbarity in a country which prides itself on supporting human rights and freedom.
US murderer Daniel Lewis Lee has been put to death, hours after the Supreme Court allowed the first executions of federal inmates in 17 years
Several executions were initially delayed when a judge ruled on Monday that there were still unresolved legal challenges
The condemned prisoners had argued that lethal injections constitute "cruel and unusual punishments"

BBC News website

If you look at the stats; 69% of murder victims are male . The most dangerous age is babies under 1 year of age , after that age 16-24. Males are more likely to be killed by a stranger and overwhelmingly the murderer was male ( about 91%). Statistically knife crime is on the increase but as the stats don't go back far enough it's difficult to say what it was like in the 19th century. It could be that some things haven't really changed.

Davidhs ; I have mentioned on this thread that in the past when the death penalty was still used in the U.K several mistakes were made. In regard of that happening that is an awful thing.
When there is no doubt at all about someones guilt such as Myra Hindley and Ian Brady I would say they were evil disgusting people and when they were found to be culpable
of their heinous crimes they should have been punished to the extreme and prison was too good for them.

Rosecarmel : in your post you say "It's obvious to me that the majority of people who kill haven't a clue about what they did or will do"
I strongly disagree with you and say that those evil two knew exactly what they were doing and even planned it.
A few posters have even mentioned Fred West saying at least he hung himself in prison.
I hasten to mention his evil wife Rose West who played a big part in the crimes even resorting to killing one of her own daughters horrific to say the least.

easybee it is 2 women per week.

A psychopath may well fear being hung or injected, that is only because he cannot control the action. When he was a killer he was in control of events, his real fear is not being in control.

We have this debate regularly in my Current Affairs group.
I don't believe the majority of people would vote for the return of the death penalty, although it is confidently stated by certain members that all Conservative voters would.

Someone said, it doesn't act as a deterrent; I think it did; not to the hardened criminals, the unbalanced, the psychopaths, but I do think it can deter those who like to indulge in grievous bodily harm; stops them going just that bit too far. Since the death penalty has been repealed, I feel, (no statistics to prove it) that there has been an increase in 'casual' killing: the man beating his wife, (I believe one woman a week is murdered by her partner); the fight in the pub car park, the murder of an abused child so she can't tell, the killing during a robbery, the huge increase in knife crime. The perpetrators plead mitigating circumstances, and frequently receive light sentences. Their victims lose their lives.
I would never vote for the return of capital punishment, but I do think there should be much harsher sentencing for some of the above crimes.