Capital Punishment / Execution

Victims and those left behind count for nothing !!

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.

Derek Bentley was murdered

Blinko,you are spot on,i agree totaly.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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

Exactly Mealybug

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.

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.

I can’t agree with the death penalty under any circumstances. But the oubliette does hold a certain appeal for the select few like Ian Bradley.

BRADY. For goodness sake. My fingers went off on their own route there.

May I suggest anyone supports the death penalty read the
cases of Stephen Downing and Stefan Kiszko

And Ruth Ellis , should she have been hanged ?

No, she shouldn't have been, but I can't see much in common between her and the likes of the Wests, and Brady.
It should be reserved for the most heinous crimes.

I couldn't push the button, give the injection, drop the guillotine so I couldn't ask it of another person therefore no, I do not support the death penalty.
However I would like to see life mean life in the cases of child murder, murder of a policeman or any other cold blooded murder.

The trouble is realistically life never would mean life would it ?

There will always be the bleeding hearts human rights lawyers eager to take on a ‘lifer’ and appeal for their release.

Then the canny murderer would only have to convince a gullible psychiatrist that they have reformed and bingo, freedom.

How about terrorists?
Does anyone honestly believe they have a right to live, serve their sentence, then be released to carry on with their evil ideology?

Fortunately most either blow themselves up or are killed by the police, but not always.

In his autobiography Albert Pierrepoint wrote

... is said to be a deterrent. I cannot agree. There have been murders since the beginning of time, and we shall go on looking for deterrents until the end of time. If death were a deterrent,
I might be expected to know. It is I who have faced them last, young lads and girls, working men, grandmothers. I have been amazed to see the courage with which they take that walk into the unknown. It did not deter them then, and it had not deterred them when they committed what they were convicted for. All the men and women whom I have faced at that final moment convince me that in what I have done I have not prevented a single murder.

Chilling account ..

I have never understood the fuss over Ruth Ellis. If you believe in the death penalty (which I don't), then she was 100% guilty, she freely admitted her guilt.

She was guilty, 1955 no thought was given to the state of mind
of a woman who suffered a miscarriage from being hit in the
stomach by the father of her unborn child.

I admit many years ago I was one of the "flog em and hang em" brigade but over the years there have been so many miscarriages of justice I have done a complete about-turn.

Me too. But not just because of the miscarriages of justice. I also now think of the family of the person being put to death and wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

I could never support the death penalty, cold blooded, pre meditated and state sanctioned are not the hallmarks of a civilised society and make no allowances for doubt when carrying out the final solution. That's not to say when reading about atrocious acts I haven't wished the perpetrators "to rot in hell" but I imagine I'm not alone in that feeling.