Capital Punishment

No, capital punishment doesn't make any sense. If it is wrong to kill somebody then it is wrong, full stop.

No, but life should mean life.

I watched am American prog on the death penalty. Theory was it's not a deterent because A they don't think they will be caught or B it's a spontaneous crime without thought of the outcome.

If it is wrong people to kill, and our laws support this, then it wrong for the judiciary to pass a sentence of death on any citizen.

No

Before we demand longer prison sentences it could be useful to compare rates of imprisonment in different countries

World Prison Brief, www.prisonstudies.org compares rates of imprisonment per 100,000 population.

For England and Wales, the figure is 138, this compares well with USA which has the highest rate of 550 , Turkey at 374 and Albania at 177, but is higher than most European countries such as Spain at 116, France at 106, Italy at 96, Belgium at 91, Ireland at 86, Sweden at 74, Switzerland at 72, Germany at 67, Norway at 54 and Finland at 51.

Do we really want to be more like the USA? The USA not only has the highest rate of incarceration, but many states still have capital punishment yet the murder rate in the USA is four times higher than in the UK.

www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/United-Kingdom/United-States/Crime/Violent-crime

I don't think that the death penalty is a deterrent or that it was ever viewed as such.

No, but I’m totally with Irishdancing, life should definitely mean life, even though it grieves me that the tax payer has to keep them.

No I don't think it should be bought back. Examples are: in the past there have been set ups/wrongful guilt sentences.

Even with forensics and DNA it's not to say it couldn't happen again. If there was a situation where a bent copper wanted too, set someone up. I'm sure it would still be possible.

Given what is going in in the police atm you can't say it couldn't happen, as more and more comes to light.

Also my thinking is: would I be prepared to take a life even legally in law. The answer is no. I couldn't do it.

On that basis alone if I couldn't do it, I can't expect anyone else to do it.

As my late mom used to say "Two wrongs don't make a right" and "don't ask someone to do what you won't do yourself"

It is worth recognising that in the USA, most prisons are run by private contractors who obviously have no incentive to rehabilitate or educate inmates. I had an interesting conversation once with a prison officer, and his experience of prisons being run on the cheap, using Serco/G4S staff. Yet another example of public service being run, badly, on the cheap, but putting money in pockets.

Never. Living for years with the consequences of the crime a greater punishment than a life cut short.

I agree with the many people on here who say that life should be life. What used to be a death sentence can now be as little as 15 years in prison. Death penalty can never be right, it brutalises society and does not reduce crime, but yes, some people should never see the light of day.

I think I would support the return of the death sentence. In my opinion it wouldn’t be a deterrent it would be a statement from society that this behaviour is not acceptable and the person found guilty is removed.
I read some horrific reports of crimes where people get basically a slap on the wrist and a sentence of ten years ( 5 ) for putting a child through years of torture. I would never let them out. They should be sterilised never allowed to have children.
And then there is the addictions and mental health excuses really it is to easy to make an excuse for a heinous crime and then a softer sentence.
Using a machete to hack to death a soldier in broad daylight really do they deserve to be alive. There would be no mistake of guilt in that case
Yes we are human but some people don’t seem to show any humility and we don’t need them and I am loath to support them or try to rehabilitate so that they can be released and commit some similar atrocities again

addictions and mental health excuses? Hmm.

Further to my previous post regarding ownership of prisons, the USA actually has a mix, with the majority in public/state ownership, so apologies for not doing my research. Interestingly though, there are a few privately run prisons in the UK now.

Mental illness is an excuse ?

Janetashbolt

I watched am American prog on the death penalty. Theory was it's not a deterent because A they don't think they will be caught or B it's a spontaneous crime without thought of the outcome.

Yeah! Hardly works as a deterrent in the US does it?

I know how you feel Stephania1954 for horrible cases where there is no doubt at all who did the murder.

There’s been miscarriages of justice tho in the past, and people were executed who were innocent of the crime.
For some crimes the criminal should never ever be back in society.

Absolutely never. I will never accept the state committing legalised murder in my name.
However. Life in prison should mean just that. And forget all the going to prison is the punishment bit. Life prisoners should be uncomfortable every day and not allowed to forget what they have done.
But I also disagree with a mandatory life sentence for murder. There are many cases when it is totally inappropriate ie a woman who finally snaps after years of abuse. She should not have the burden of a life sentence round her neck - even though the judge may be lenient with the actual sentence.

I agree with usernametaken.
The whole history of a family changes when someone is killed.
THAT imo deserves the death penalty when it is 100% proven.
In the case of Ian Huntley fir instance he was 100% guilty.
He imo should have the death penalty OR the parents who`s child has been killed could decide.

timetogo2016

I agree with usernametaken.
The whole history of a family changes when someone is killed.
THAT imo deserves the death penalty when it is 100% proven.
In the case of Ian Huntley fir instance he was 100% guilty.
He imo should have the death penalty OR the parents who`s child has been killed could decide.

Well what a terrible burden to place on the parents of a murdered child.

As if they don't have enough to cope with and to think about for the rest of their lives.

Whilst I could never agree with the death penalty, I think that a life sentence should mean just that, and that the length of sentences in general should reflect the severity of the crime, which I don't think is always the case at present.

As has already been said I think there would be fewer in favour of the death penalty, if life meant life.

No. There were numerous miscarriages of justice while it was still the law.

timetogo2016

I agree with usernametaken.
The whole history of a family changes when someone is killed.
THAT imo deserves the death penalty when it is 100% proven.
In the case of Ian Huntley fir instance he was 100% guilty.
He imo should have the death penalty OR the parents who`s child has been killed could decide.

And how do you think killing another person's child will help a family to get over the murder of their own child?

My daughter and her husband have taken in the two children of a friend of the family. Their mother was murdered by their father. She took the children to school and returned home. Her husband was there. She told him she had met someone else and wanted a divorce. She had put up with years of violence and intimidation and had had enough.
He took a kitchen knife and killed her. He got 19 years. 19 years for the life of his wife. He destroyed her life and that of her children. 19 years is just not long enough for such a callous and dreadful crime.
Hanging ? No. I am old enough to remember the days when people were hanged and it felt awful. Timothy Evans was enough on his own to stop it.