Death Penalty & Legal Assassination

Stakhanov · August 2003

<div class="IPBDescription">Is there are right to kill ?</div> I found it strange that some people , who claim they believe in the sanctity of human life and protect "innocent" people by any means , are supporting death penalty and find it perfectly normal to kill the "guilty" ones. How many of you aren't eager to kill Saddam or Bin Laden ?

I have trouble understanding how compassionate people think legal murder is the best way of dealing with criminals. What are the advantages of killing a criminal over jailing him ? In what kind of situation would killing a dictator be faster and more usefull than catching him ? How is killing a terrorist more productive than questionning him , knowing that martyrdom reinforces the terrorist's cause ?

Why should anyone <i>deserve</i> to die ?

Dread · August 2003

The question is: How can you kill a monster without becoming one?

Killing is part of human nature and as absurd war is, it seems to be just an extension of politics. I guess most of the people believe universally in "eye for eye"

dr_d · August 2003

I don't think the problem with captial punishment is the actual killing, but the fact that it is an ineffective solution to the problem. Until the goverment is willing to make the sweeping social changes necessary to diminish the influx of new violent criminals it has no right to even incarcerate much less execute them. They should take the millions of dollars it takes to keep people on death row (one execution can cost as much as 5 million dollars depending on the amount of appeals) and use it to perhaps attack the root of the problem which is the enviorment these people are spawned from.

As far as legal assassination goes that is a different story and it is more of a military action than anything else.

RyoOhki · August 2003

I think that imprisonment is a far more fitting penalty for crimes that in some nations currently recieve the death penalty. With death it's all over quickly, but imprisonment you are caged for the rest of your life, with little to do but reflect on what you have done and dream of the freedom you lost.

I don't think the death penatly deters criminals or is the best way to punish them. Assassinations are an interesting one: I think that war criminals or terrorists should be captured alive wherever possible. War criminals should be tried in apropriate international courts, whilst terrorists should be interogatted to learn more of their activities. Information is the key in combatting terrorism and such valuable sources of information as terrorists themselves should not be squandered by killing them.

pieceofsoap · August 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Stakhanov @ Aug 29 2003, 01:44 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> What are the advantages of killing a criminal over jailing him?  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
I know this will sound harsh, but its cheaper. Jailing costs about $22,000 per inmate per year.

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>Why should anyone deserve to die ? </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>

I believe that if a person has sunk low enough, it is best. The question is, What is low enough?
To me, Low enough is when human life becomes devalued, in the eyes of the criminal.
To take a life casually is to have given up your humanity, and your right to live.

The worst of these people, are the Genocides.
Tell me, do they not deserve to die?

RyoOhki · August 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>one execution can cost as much as 5 million dollars depending on the amount of appeals</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>Jailing costs about $22,000 per inmate per year.
</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>

Thus a state would have to imprison an inmate for 227 years to equal the cost of killing him.

Either one of you is wrong, or it's cheaper in imprison people. Not to mention you get labour from them. Making criminals work to pay back the society they harmed strikes me as perfect justice.

dr_d · August 2003

I said an execution. I suppose you aren't familiar with why death row exists. Death row is not normal imprisionment, it is the place people are put when they have already been sentanced to die and they are there until <i>mandatory</i> appeals are done. This means that even if the inmate doesn't want his case to be appealed it will be and these appeals will go on as long as necessary to deem the matter settled. Depending on which state the inmate was convicted in he could be on death row for up to 30 years, that means 30 years of appeals and 30 years of legal fees.

And yes it is cheaper to imprision someone, I guess that was your point, but I don't remember saying it wasn't. My point was both imprisionment and executions are ineffective since they do not solve the problem, maybe you oughta re-read my post.

alius42 · August 2003

Well there are ALOT of cases coming out now where people were improperly placed on death row. Thinking that innocent people have died due to this definately edges me towards abolishing the death penalty.

p4Samwise · August 2003

I don't think there's any good justification for the death penalty. Go read <i>Dead Man Walking</i> by Sister Helen Prejean if you think there is, and then report to me with your findings. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'>

Legal assassination... I dunno, I don't have as much of a problem with it. I think it's far better to assassinate one despotic leader than wage a war that results in the deaths of millions of his more or less innocent subjects. It's even BETTER, of course, to capture him and try him as a war criminal - both morally and strategically, since it removes the risk of him being held up later as a martyr.

CommunistWithAGun · August 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Stakhanov @ Aug 29 2003, 01:44 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> I found it strange that some people , who claim they believe in the sanctity of human life and protect "innocent" people by any means , are supporting death penalty and find it perfectly normal to kill the "guilty" ones. How many of you aren't eager to kill Saddam or Bin Laden ?  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
Not me. I think its bad they killed people but the message needed to be said. We aren't some indestructable being that most flagwaver rednecks think...I love what this country was founded on but its become to corrupt all for the sake of money. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'>

Death Penalty & Legal Assassination

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