Capital Punishment

Just remember, when the death sentence was used prison officers used to have to carry them out. It isn’t just the condemned person that suffers.

There are some crimes where it would be appropriate for the offender to stay in prison for life. These are the most heinous crimes that are committed. It happened with Hindley and Brady, they stayed inside until they died, but I wonder if they would have done if they were convicted today.

I don't agree with capital punishment either but I do waver a little when children are killed. I agree with other posters when they say a life sentence should be carried through.

Judges can give out 'whole life' tariffs for murder - I think the piece of shit rapist/murderer Met policeman got one. We all know his name but I don't say it.
While life sentences are not unknown but there are criteria to be fulfilled.
Carrick's sentence is under review as too lenient, it seems.
And we should never forget Timothy Evans and Derek Bentley. Even now there are those who argue the two were both guilty and the sentences were correct. Truly appalling but I wonder if Lee might be amongst those people.

I also think that a life sentence should mean just that. Life.
Capital punishment won't happen in this day and age I don't think.

Should be 'whole life' sentences in 2nd para.

No from me. I've sat through enough criminal trials in my working life to see how juries can easily be swung on one piece of evidence. (I know there are appeals processes etc, but still...) I do think there are some crimes for which a whole life sentence is the only appropriate one though.

I think we all get a bit wavery when children are murdered - at the time I think I could cheerfully strangle a child killer given the chance, but of course couldn't really.

A very foolish, unconsidered remark.

If anybody killed my child I'd want the killer's goolies (where applicable) cut off with rusty tinsnips and the living disembowelled body hung upside down in a public rubbish dump to slowly bleed to death while being abused by members of the public.

But that, I came to realise, was precisely why emotion should be kept out of justice. I know it feels wrong, that justice should be cold and free of emotion, but that is how it has to be.

I'm not often given to quoting Tolkien but one quote struck me hard when I first read The Lord of the Rings (aged 15) and it has stuck with me ever since:

"Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends."

Well spotted Cs783. Don’t think it was noticed 😀.

I agree that some need to be locked up, often for a long time for the safety of society, but I don’t believe the death penalty can ever be justified.

I would like to think that it may be possible to rehabilitate some offenders depending on circumstance, but accept this is a more contentious issue.

Many in prison have mental health and/or drug problems, and rehabilitation doesn’t seem to be the priority in many prisons. I’m not saying that it is possible to rehabilitate those convicted of same of the worst crimes before everyone starts jumping on me.

Great quotation LadyH.

I do have sympathy with your sentiment, child murder is so horrific.

Callistemon21

No, it's not. Miscarriages of justice are not unknown.

I do sometimes wonder, though, if someone is convicted of more than one heinous crime, why their sentence should be current.
A consecutive sentence of sufficient length would mean they will not be released and cause terror again.

Rapist Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick has been handed 36 life sentences, with a minimum term of 32 years, after committing “violent and brutal sexual offences” against a dozen women.
They are to run concurrently.

Consecutive sentences are a feature of American justice, but I don't believe they prevent people from committing crimes.

I have always been and still am opposed to capital punishment, and I find it hard to believe that if you risk the death penalty for having murdered someone the temptation to do away with any potential witness won't be very strong.

Longer sentences would of course increase public expense. Whether they would work as a deterrent, I have no way of judging, but I suspect they would not.

Perhaps murders and rapists should like the criminally insane be kept in prison until a board of psycologists is willing to certify that they will not repeat the crime.

This too will cost money, but surely it is more important to protect people against those that commit violent crimes than to cut the costs of public expenditure?

Oh my God absolutely not! it's so horribly premeditated and cold blooded having seen films about Timothy Evans, Derek Bentley and Ruth Ellis just horrible sending people to the gallows. I think most people would like to feel that truly awful crimes receive the appropriate custodial sentences and in some cases that means LIFE!

No, I don't think it is ever acceptable. After it was finally repealed, and for some time afterwards, the thinking was that in a referendum, the vote would be for restoration. I wonder if that is still true, or if society has, in fact, moved on.

Anniebach

Timothy Evans. Derek Bentley and many others , innocent but
hanged

Yes!

TerriBull

Oh my God absolutely not! it's so horribly premeditated and cold blooded having seen films about Timothy Evans, Derek Bentley and Ruth Ellis just horrible sending people to the gallows. I think most people would like to feel that truly awful crimes receive the appropriate custodial sentences and in some cases that means LIFE!

Yes, I agree that life should mean life in some cases.

grandtanteJE65
Consecutive sentences are given in the UK.

No. I agree about life sentence being for life, not because I think it would stop the crimes being committed, but because if you’ve taken someone’s life, and ruined the lives of the victim’s family, why should you have a life?
I couldn’t vote for capital punishment when on a jury, and I couldn’t perform the capital punishment.

Never.

I don’t agree with capital punishment, and do agree that life should mean life, but the dilemma comes where there are those who premeditatively kill for whom having to spend a whole life in prison would mean from well under the age of majority until their death, like the killers of James Boulger. Where do you draw that line?

I think that's a "Case by Case", Grey.

I don’t draw a line. I’d be happy for someone else to explain their opinion on that situation though.

The consensus of views so far is interesting. It’s a common belief that if there was a referendum on Capital Punishment the majority would vote for reinstatement!

Farzanah, that was the case in the past, I believe. More recent surveys suggest that most people, now, are opposed to the death penalty.

Some people do not deserve to live - if no remorse, reincident crimes, ...

For some cases, I say yes