The Ethics of Capital Punishment

[Sky Dancer]

Do we want to keep company with China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia? They are the only three countries who execute more people than we do. Funds now being used for the costly process of executions could be used to help families put their lives back together through counseling, restitution, crime victim hotlines, and other services addressing their needs.

Almost all religious groups in the United States regard executions as immoral.

 

[Sky Dancer]

The death penalty in the U.S. is unjust, costly, discriminatory and used disproportionately against the poor and minorities.

More importantly, it is morally wrong.

 

[syrenn]

Do we want to keep company with China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia? They are the only three countries who execute more people than we do. Funds now being used for the costly process of executions could be used to help families put their lives back together through counseling, restitution, crime victim hotlines, and other services addressing their needs.

Almost all religious groups in the United States regard executions as immoral.

All three of those country the death penalty is used to silence political decent.

Iran and SA are considering crimes against the islam.... a religion

China has the nasty way of putting people to death to harvest body parts for the world market of organ needs.

It makes no difference what religious groups want or don't want. The law is the law.

We punish people for crimes and not even close in numbers to the countries you mention.

 

[syrenn]

The death penalty in the U.S. is unjust, costly, discriminatory and used disproportionately against the poor and minorities.

More importantly, it is morally wrong.

The death plenty is only unjust to those how disagree with it. It is only costly becasue of the appeals snail pace process. It would be VERY cost effective if criminals sentences were carried out in a timely manner.... say immediately after the first appeal is lost.

I my opinion... it is morally unjust NOT to kill them outright.

 

[Sky Dancer]

The death penalty in the U.S. is unjust, costly, discriminatory and used disproportionately against the poor and minorities.

More importantly, it is morally wrong.

The death plenty is only unjust to those how disagree with it. It is only costly becasue of the appeals snail pace process. It would be VERY cost effective if criminals sentences were carried out in a timely manner.... say immediately after the first appeal is lost.

I my opinion... it is morally unjust NOT to kill them outright.

Lynching and mob violence is cost effective too. We outlawed that.

 

[Sky Dancer]

Do we want to keep company with China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia? They are the only three countries who execute more people than we do. Funds now being used for the costly process of executions could be used to help families put their lives back together through counseling, restitution, crime victim hotlines, and other services addressing their needs.

Almost all religious groups in the United States regard executions as immoral.

All three of those country the death penalty is used to silence political decent.

Iran and SA are considering crimes against the islam.... a religion

China has the nasty way of putting people to death to harvest body parts for the world market of organ needs.

It makes no difference what religious groups want or don't want. The law is the law.

We punish people for crimes and not even close in numbers to the countries you mention.

As an American, I certainly do not want to keep company with the likes of China, Saudi Arabia and Iran.

 

[syrenn]

The death penalty in the U.S. is unjust, costly, discriminatory and used disproportionately against the poor and minorities.

More importantly, it is morally wrong.

The death plenty is only unjust to those how disagree with it. It is only costly becasue of the appeals snail pace process. It would be VERY cost effective if criminals sentences were carried out in a timely manner.... say immediately after the first appeal is lost.

I my opinion... it is morally unjust NOT to kill them outright.

Lynching and mob violence is cost effective too. We outlawed that.

Exactly.


Capitol punishment is not a lynch mob.

 

[Sky Dancer]

The death plenty is only unjust to those how disagree with it. It is only costly becasue of the appeals snail pace process. It would be VERY cost effective if criminals sentences were carried out in a timely manner.... say immediately after the first appeal is lost.

I my opinion... it is morally unjust NOT to kill them outright.

Lynching and mob violence is cost effective too. We outlawed that.

Exactly.


Capitol punishment is not a lynch mob.

Not allowing appeals sure is.

 

[syrenn]

Do we want to keep company with China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia? They are the only three countries who execute more people than we do. Funds now being used for the costly process of executions could be used to help families put their lives back together through counseling, restitution, crime victim hotlines, and other services addressing their needs.

Almost all religious groups in the United States regard executions as immoral.

All three of those country the death penalty is used to silence political decent.

Iran and SA are considering crimes against the islam.... a religion

China has the nasty way of putting people to death to harvest body parts for the world market of organ needs.

It makes no difference what religious groups want or don't want. The law is the law.

We punish people for crimes and not even close in numbers to the countries you mention.

As an American, I certainly do not want to keep company with the likes of China, Saudi Arabia and Iran.

And you do not as far as i am concerned. But feel free to move is that is what you wish.

 

[syrenn]

Lynching and mob violence is cost effective too. We outlawed that.

Exactly.


Capitol punishment is not a lynch mob.

Not allowing appeals sure is.

I said one appeal. This bull shit of appealing the appeal is stupid. Sorry you were sentenced to die... you lost the appeal.

Get the shot and put it down.

 

[Dragon]

The best argument against capital punishment is not that "all life is sacred" (which I don't believe, and neither does Sky Dancer, who will otherwise never again eat a meal), but rather that judges and juries are not infallible and capital punishment is the only punishment that is irreversible and impossible to compensate for if a miscarriage of justice occurs.

When we can eliminate the possibility of human error in the courtroom, then capital punishment will be defensible. Until then, it's not.

 

[Sky Dancer]

The best argument against capital punishment is not that "all life is sacred" (which I don't believe, and neither does Sky Dancer, who will otherwise never again eat a meal), but rather that judges and juries are not infallible and capital punishment is the only punishment that is irreversible and impossible to compensate for if a miscarriage of justice occurs.

When we can eliminate the possibility of human error in the courtroom, then capital punishment will be defensible. Until then, it's not.

I believe all life is sacred. I also believe that we cannot get through life without killing insects and animals to eat. Every time I eat ANYTHING, I acknowledge that some being has suffered and offered life for this food.

I agree with you, that the justice system is fallible. As long as it's possible for innocent people to be convicted and executed capital punishment is not defensible.

 

[Sky Dancer]

Exactly.


Capitol punishment is not a lynch mob.

Not allowing appeals sure is.

I said one appeal. This bull shit of appealing the appeal is stupid. Sorry you were sentenced to die... you lost the appeal.

Get the shot and put it down.

The justice system is fallible. The appeals process is necessary. For your sake, I'm glad it's complex and takes time. You're trigger happy.

 

[Amelia]

The best argument against capital punishment is not that "all life is sacred" (which I don't believe, and neither does Sky Dancer, who will otherwise never again eat a meal), but rather that judges and juries are not infallible and capital punishment is the only punishment that is irreversible and impossible to compensate for if a miscarriage of justice occurs.

When we can eliminate the possibility of human error in the courtroom, then capital punishment will be defensible. Until then, it's not.

^^^^

What the Dragon said.


Too many ways we've seen the judicial process go wrong. Too much error even with the best intentions, and too much proof that the process isn't always carried out with the best intentions. The rightness or wrongness of capital punishment in the abstract is moot.

 

[Skull Pilot]

My only issue with capital punishment is that there have been innocent people executed by the state.

IMO the term reasonable doubt should not be used in a capital case and we had better be 100% beyond all shadow of a doubt certain of a person's guilt before we execute them.

 

[Dragon]

I believe all life is sacred. I also believe that we cannot get through life without killing insects and animals to eat. Every time I eat ANYTHING, I acknowledge that some being has suffered and offered life for this food.

I was including plants in the word "life," which would mean you could not avoid killing to live by eating vegetarian. However, you are presenting a different meaning of the word "sacred" here, one which has no necessary bearing on capital punishment. If "this living thing is sacred" does not mean "we should not kill this living thing," then no argument against capital punishment logically follows.

I agree with you, that the justice system is fallible. As long as it's possible for innocent people to be convicted and executed capital punishment is not defensible.

And that, I contend, is the real argument against capital punishment. You note that some on this thread have come out against any sort of lengthy appeal process. But it is only the length appeal process that gives the accused any semblance of justice here at all, and only that long time between conviction and execution has permitted innocent people condemned to death to be exonerated before it was too late.

However many people have been unjustly executed, the number would surely be a lot higher if we were not ready to provide a lot of time for appeals and reconsideration.

 

[High_Gravity]

An eye for an eye. Right or wrong?

I say it is wrong.

All human life is sacred. Society has a moral obligation to protect human life, not take it. The death penalty harms society by cheapening the value of life. Allowing the state to inflict death on certain of its citizens legitimizes the taking of life. The death of anyone, even a convicted killer, diminishes us all. Society has a duty to end this practice which causes such harm, yet produces little in the way of benefits.

I don't know, I think some people need to be put down, like that clown Nidal Hassan for instance. People like that don't deserve to breathe the same air as normal folk.

 

[syrenn]

Not allowing appeals sure is.

I said one appeal. This bull shit of appealing the appeal is stupid. Sorry you were sentenced to die... you lost the appeal.

Get the shot and put it down.

The justice system is fallible. The appeals process is necessary. For your sake, I'm glad it's complex and takes time. You're trigger happy.

I did not say the appeals process is not necessary now did i? I have said and maintain.... one appeal.

And that's it.

If you win your appeal... you get a second trial. If not... get the shot. That is not trigger happy.

 

[Montrovant]

The best argument against capital punishment is not that "all life is sacred" (which I don't believe, and neither does Sky Dancer, who will otherwise never again eat a meal), but rather that judges and juries are not infallible and capital punishment is the only punishment that is irreversible and impossible to compensate for if a miscarriage of justice occurs.

When we can eliminate the possibility of human error in the courtroom, then capital punishment will be defensible. Until then, it's not.

*You must spread around reputation yadda yadda*

Whether you agree with it or not, Dragon has summed up the best argument against capital punishment very well here IMO.

 

[SW2SILVER]

It IS wrong. So is abortion. We don't hesitate to do either.