Do you think they should bring back public lynching as a means of death penalty?
594501
yes but we won't because it's to cruel and makes to much sense.  plus the government won't be able to syphon off the extra money it takes to house an inmate.  I've been to prison and in my state the say it takes about thirty thousand dollars to house an inmate.  well they spend more money to feed the pigs than the humans.  thats just one example.  my estimate is including the costs of running the jails it realisticlly takes maybe no more and i'm being genorous than 15-17 thousand dollars a year if that.  and the amount of food thrown away everyday is enough to take care of the hunger problem in this country
423022
I don't think they should be done in front of the public. I know public execution is seen as a deterrent by some, but the media covers executions thoroughly enough that we all know that that notorious killer got it today, etc. I am against it being televised because it is a serious matter, and not particularly pleasant; but also because it should not be given an opportunity to become entertainment. We don't need reality shows about criminals's lives and demises. That's risking a reawakening of Rome's Coliseum. Criminals lose their rights and privledges when committing such crimes as receive a death sentence, and shouldn't warrant more than factual air time as notoriety is sometimes what they seek. The public needs to know that the person was caught, and brought to debatable justice, not all of the gory details.\n\nAfter reading other responses, I feel compelled to say that the death penalty, while a sentence of judgment, is meant to be the difficult decision that someone cannot be rehabilitated and is a permanent menace/threat to others. It is meant to protect others from the criminal; it is not punishment at that point, like it is with prison time. Cruel and unusual punishment is banned so we don't have citizens reveling in the torture of others. Judges' roles are to show neither mercy nor contempt, but to be objective in  balancing justice. It is base and savage to seek vengeance in cruelty and abuse to criminals, no matter the nature of their crimes. In carrying out such a sentence, justice is best served by a quick, clean extermination.
1069926
Abosfuckinglutely!\nI think there ought to be a special law allowing us to bludgeon repeat offenders.\nWith a bar of soap in a pillow case.
838802
Yes for the death penalty.!!!\nMurder,Rape,Kidnapping.!!!\nHang them all, that way criminals can learn to respect the rights of others.!!!
1097642
i agree with eye for an eye, the only downside is if they are innocent then they are being punished for no reason, then again innocent people get executed even in our society... some people have been executed only to find out later that they truly were innocent... if the crime was prooven then yes I think thats what should be done!
285606
I think people convicted of raping and killing children should be flogged in public ( THE FIRST TIME, that would cut down on repeat offenders ).
933200
Only if they are personally repsonsible - which is unlikely. You cannot impose collective punishments, particularly for historical events - to do so would be as unjust as the original crime. It would be no more justified than arresting every black man in a town because one black man committed murder 30 years earlier.\n\nIt should also be borne in mind that it was not only white men that indulged in slavery - many slaves were captured and sold into slavery by rival tribes or by arabs. Slavery at the time was not generally recognised as wrong - attitudes and recognition of basic human rights have come a long way in the last 200 years. No slave trader would have considered that they were doing anything wrong (as indeed they weren't on a strictly legal basis). If any slave traders should be punished, it should be those who continued after slavery was made illegal.\n\nTony Blair's intention to use the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery in the UK to express regret at slavery is about right (I guess he had to get something right eventually). There is no need to apologise because the people who should be apologising are dead, as are the people who should be apologised to and the slavery industry was not recognised at the time as anything other than a legitimate business, taken in the context of the times. It is only now with hindsight that we see how truly awful slavery was and in that respect an expression of regret to the descendants of those affected by slavery seems about right.\n\nNeither racism nor sexism are by any means exclusively the failings of white men.
307891
You can look at it 2 ways....not enough or too many.  But what difference does it make if nothing realistically happens to them on death row since they sit there for 20+ years not having to worry about the crime, their victims or their victims family, room, board, etc.  I think there are way too many appeals given, I mean come on 20+ years of appeals.
125965
i think its a good idea.  It's certainly  better than a Governor being able to unilaterally execute innocent people.
777864
O think we should bring it back - and in fact in the US - a small project has already been set-up which does exactly that!\n\nIn short although people cannot be FORCED to submit to corporal punishment - some criminals can VOLUNTEER to be treated in that way under some conditions - and perhaps get reduced jail time in return.\n\nLots of details here http://www.okplus.com/fedup/index.html...\n\nVery interestingly, they presently have a ZERO recidivism level for people that have been through their system.\n\nDo not be thrown by the site, the program is still running BUT the website is badly in need of some updating (or was when I last looked)\n\nI think one hangup people have about corporal punishment, is the perceived severity of it. The old UK / USA way of flogging across the back in fact left little more than "shaving nicks" - if it cut at all.\n\nAnyone who has seen too many "Mutiny on the bounty" style films and wishes to disagree should try to remember that the make-up department tends to get more than a little carried away.\n\nWet rope is not sharp enough or dense enough to "lay a mans back open to the bone" Something does not need to cut to be felt ;)\n\nThe scheme mentioned above in fact uses low-voltage cable as a cheap disposable lash material. Like the rope, little or no cutting at all - but apparently the welts are quite tender at the time.\n\nI just wish we had a system like this in the UK too, I think it could be a valuable tool to help people stay out of prison and to reduce the prison population. Nanny-state in the UK though at the moment so not much chance for a while yet.
958116
Yes definetly.\n\nI pose to you a question, you come home your mum and dad and all your siblings are dead, you see a man in the hall holding a gun up at you with their blood on his hands you have a gun do you draw it and pull the trigger?\n\nAlso another question\nA child sex offender is realeased from jail and re offends, then goes to jail again released with the same result, do you use capital punishment to protect all his future victims?\n\nI am pro capital punishment in out and out clear cut guilty cases (violent/ sex crimes) , as far as i am concerned the fmaily of the victim should have the choice if they want the offender to die, because the offenders death will only bring closure to those he/ she has effected.
620757
The tug and pull can be summed up as the theoretical and the reality.  For the first, I would want us to rehabilitate people, make them into productive members of society - that maximizes social good.  Reality is, that aint gonna happen for some people, and many come out worse than they went in.  Theoretically, putting someone in prison for life is more expensive.  Reality, a death row appeal ends up costing more dollars b/c of the expense to the taxpayer on the legal system.  Theoretically, we should tell people that killing is wrong, and teaching that lesson by doing the same.  Reality is, people commit crimes not with fear of the level of punishment, but by balancing the likelihood of getting caught.\nReality - society doesn't care, and most people dont care what ridiculously high percentage of people get railroaded by the justice system.\nBut I will say this from my personal opinion, I am tired of caring for people that want to whine about how their punishment isnt fair.  People make choices, and if you step outside the bounds society lays out, they shouldn't be surprrised that they don't like how society reacts.
755586
No. Revenge is not what we are looking for. True justice is. I believe in very strict punishment but let the jury decide.
249091
absolutely.. if they are capable of murder, the authoraties need to know before it happens again.  It will be hard, but imagine how much worse you'd feel if they murdered several other people as well, and you had the ability to stop it.
88856
I personally think it can be appropriate in some cases, but I doubt the ability of a judge or jury to judge correctly in EVERY case.  DNA evidence has already shown many cases where someone was wrongly put to death, and I think that is reason enough for a moratorium on all executions.
790491
i think so. if the minor understood what they were doing and knew what the outcome would be then yes they should be tried as adults.  there areway to many young people out killing each other and know they can get away with it, because they will go to juvie and be out when they are 18.  i say lock them up with the adults so they can truly learn a lesson.
147898
Abolish it entirely.  Our justice system is not infalible.  There have been multiple people sentanced to death and exhonorated post-mortem.  That's enough reason for me.  Besides which the death penalty is motivated by revenge, not justice.  An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.