SA Footy

should we have the death penalty fior horrendous or henius acts ???

i think we should

Sure, why not??

In this day of forensic science,DNA etc..and being able to prove guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt" will stop execution of "the innocent"

But where do you set the limit on what is classed as henius??

plain ol' murder? Serial murderers? killing kids? Drug Dealers/Underworld Figures? Terrorists?

Hanging for being a witch? (sorry, had to throw some python humour in there..)

Yeah good call Chicky, it would need to be pretty clearly defined .. Personally I've always felt Rape should be up there with Murder

I'm opposed to the death penalty for a number of reasons...
1.) What gives one person the right to take the life of another?
2.) Let the bastards rot behind bars IMO that'd be a punishment far worse than death!
Still these recent 'Von Einem special treatment' reports I've read about piss me off no end!
(Could be a media beat-up but who knows?)
3.) Also, if you wipe out a killer (re. Martin Bryant, Ivan Milat) how the Hell can you
learn about what makes 'em tick... Thus preventing a future 'copycat' type scenario?

Falcon Chick wrote:Sure, why not??

In this day of forensic science,DNA etc..and being able to prove guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt" will stop execution of "the innocent"

Will it? Realistically would you be comfortable sentencing someone to death? Have innocent people been sentenced as guilty in modern times? Yes they have. Despite the fact that the chance someone will be convicted of a crime they didn't commit (especially such serious crimes as murder) is extremely low it doesn't mean it won't happen. Regardless of this what gives any human being or group of human beings the right to decide whether someone lives or dies? Regardless of what the person has done it does not IMHO mean that other people can then decide whether that person lives or dies. Two wrongs don't make a right.

..

If the system was absolutely certain of guilt, for really serious offences I think the death penalty can be justified.

Letting them rot in jail until they die 30 or more years later is a hefty expense for the state.

However, perhaps the "appeals, final appeal, very-last-absolutely-no-more-avenue appeal etc etc" process of a condemned criminal would cause additional problems.

i did mean for those with 100% guilt, whether proved or they admitted to the crimes

CApital punishment perhaps? I'm against it, simply because mistakes can't be undone or compensated. That's a bit funny coming from a right winger like me

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PhilG, those are good points, but if the guy's crime is so bad to warrant being behind bars the rest of his life, then whether he suffers maximum mental anguish over a long period of time or not by waiting out his years in jail seems besides the point, to me. Society wants protection from him - achieved either way (unless he escapes) - but also the best use of resources. If they could use the funds not spent on his 30 years to try to rehabilitate a number of petty criminals, or better yet fund schemes that stops some from ever entering the crime-prison cycle in the first place, it would be a much better result for society, in my eyes.

Sploosh wrote:PhilG, those are good points, but if the guy's crime is so bad to warrant being behind bars the rest of his life, then whether he suffers maximum mental anguish over a long period of time or not by waiting out his years in jail seems besides the point, to me. Society wants protection from him - achieved either way (unless he escapes) - but also the best use of resources. If they could use the funds not spent on his 30 years to try to rehabilitate a number of petty criminals, or better yet fund schemes that stops some from ever entering the crime-prison cycle in the first place, it would be a much better result for society, in my eyes.

If financial costs are being considered in whether someone lives or dies it reflects extremely poorly on what society has become.

PhilG wrote:

Sploosh wrote:Letting them rot in jail until they die 30 or more years later is a hefty expense for the state.

And completely justified.

Don't use that as an excuse for legal murder, Sploosh. It makes the law makers no better than the criminals. A truly civilised society doesn't engage in tit for tat measures unless it's given up. And a society that gives up is a society that is doomed.

The most appropriate punishment for the worst sort of criminal is pain. And nothing is more painful than deprivation of their freedom for the term of their natural life - and utter isolation.

Death is quick - and therefore not an appropriate punishment.

I remember reading/ hearing somewhere that it actually costs more to execute someone than it does to keep them locked up for the rest of their lives. Something about court costs and needing it to be proved beyond any doubt. I will of course need to find facts to back this up...

PhilG wrote:Death is quick - and therefore not an appropriate punishment.

i agree. if suicide is considered the cheats way out, then surely capitol punishment is as well.
and as far as im concerned, killing murderers makes us no better than them.

I voted yes, only if they really are the ones who did it and it was proved in court.

PhilG wrote:Don't use that as an excuse for legal murder, Sploosh. It makes the law makers no better than the criminals. A truly civilised society doesn't engage in tit for tat measures unless it's given up. And a society that gives up is a society that is doomed.

The most appropriate punishment for the worst sort of criminal is pain. And nothing is more painful than deprivation of their freedom for the term of their natural life - and utter isolation.

Death is quick - and therefore not an appropriate punishment.

So killing a felon is not the hallmark of a civilised society - but causing them protracted pain is?!? Face it son, you're as much an animal as the rest of us. Might as well drop the pretension to being civilised.

Bury the scumbags alive or lock them in a cell and let them starve to death. This should satisfy your primal urge to cause them pain - while saving My Tax Dollars for better things.

One of pet hates when people follow others errors

Yep, all for it. Sturt should have been SHOT for impersonating a football team in the latter half of last season!

CENTURION wrote:Yep, all for it. Sturt should have been SHOT for impersonating a football team in the latter half of last season!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


CLASSIC!