General Chat

Do you think Capital Punishment should be re-introduced to punish terrorists? I'm interested in your views as I'm researching for an essay I have to write for RMPS. :-) Lucia

My personal view is that a life sentence, if imposed, should mean just that. The criminal should be executed. It is then up to the Judge and Jury to be sure beyond any reasonable doubt that the individual is guilty. .

I think yes. It should not be confined to terrorists but any adult who murders without personal provocation. Len

I say no, does anyone agree with me? Lucia :-)

May i ask what rmps is please, I wish they would bring back capital punishment, especially for those who have commited horrible crimes like premediatated murder, rape and child abuse. i do think though that there would have to be no doubt whatsoever that the person commited the crime though.

Hi, RMPS is religious, moral and philosophical studies. I don't agree with capital punishment because I think it is defeatist - there isn't any chance of repentance. And someone could be wrongly conviction. I also think its a cruel and backward form of punishment. It is ineffective in detering criminals and is carried out for completely the wrong reasons. Lucia :-)

That is very true, as a law student i know what you mean about not being a deterant there is very little evidence to support that misconception. however i do think that sometimes the families may feel they do not get justice with the so called life sentence. That sounds an interesting subject by the way. Very provocative i should imagine.

Peter, It is so sad what happened to your uncle. I don't think that anyone should be sentenced to death not even someone really bad like Hitler for instance. I just think there's a lot of hypocrisy in carrying out capital punishment and it would only be lowering yourself to the level of the criminal anyway. Lucia

Victoria, I see what you mean, but if I was in that situation I don't think capital punishment would achieve anything - it wouldn't bring the person back... Lucia :-)

no it wouldn't, purhaps its as peter says the need for revenge. I don't think this argument will ever be clear cut. Do you know does it work in America as a deterant.

I don't about that. I was just thinking that is capital punishment is an effective deterrent then this would only be true for premeditated killings etc People wouldn't think about the death penalty in crimes of passion Lucia :-)

very true, those are also tricky mind men are more likely to get that defence than women. example. One case i studied a man got the defence of diminished responsibility beacause his wife was an constant nag! However a battered wife was not allowed it because she sharpended the knife before she stabbed the hubby, that woman is still in jail. How unfair is that, or have i just opened a whole new can of worms.

No, I am opposed to capital punishment. As for the argument that it would be a deterrent, many terrorists are suicide bombers etc, so it wouldn't deter them. nell

I don't see Capital Punishment as revenge, nor necessarily as a deterrent to others. I do, however, think that there are certain individuals who commit crimes so horrible that they have no place in our society, and need to be excluded from it for the rest of their lives. Why then should the burden of keeping them fall upon the very society they have offended against? Far better to have them put down as you would put down a savage dog. As regards Peter's Uncle. The poor lad who pulled the trigger had no option, but his Superiors had to answer for their war crimes at Nuremberg. So what do we say about our boys and girls in Iraq? They have no option but to follow orders. We have, however, seen that today our society will not allow, even in wartime, atrocities being done to the captured enemy. But if ours are captured???

Nell, I agree... Wouldn't it encourage organisations to train underage terrorists because capital punishment will only apply for over 18s or something like that? Lucia

Jim, that's why I think it's unethical. I think it is horrible to kill someone just to save the cost of keeping them alive, Lucia

when capital punishment was used in this country there seemed to be far less murders then and the deterant seemed to work a murder then would seem to be headlines in the papers and on the radio now it is just part of every day reading There were some innocecnt people hanged but far less than the number of children we see killed today just my point of view dont be offended howard

does this also apply to serial killers who cannot be reformed, and kill for fun or because they feel they need to?

I'm not offended, I like to hear other people's opinions on the subject, Lucia :-)

Well I don't think they should have death penalty for that - if they are insane, Lucia