Should the death penalty be re-introduced in the UK, and for what crimes do you think it would be appropriate?
816198
Dont reintroduce it? That'd be my vote, but dont ask me how to then deal with our overcrowded prisons...cos i have no idea sorry
236586
I'm one of those people who you would probably want to move along (and aside from this issue and a few others, I'm very conservative), but I ackowledge that this is a Democracy and I am in the extreme minority on this issue in America, so I sort of accept the death penalty. Personally, if I did a heinous crime, I'd want to die instead of rot in prison, so in my eyes, "Lock the door, throw away the key" is worse than "fry the b_stard". But in spite of my opposition to the death penalty, I don't get worked up about someone who committed a terrible crime being put to death. So given that, these are the crimes I think warrant the worst penalty we dish out:\n\n- Murder (substantiated by either strong evidence- multiple witnesses, confession, video, or DNA).\n- Rape (1st offense for strong case).\n- Selling or distributing drugs to minors (2nd offense). If you distribute to an adult, I don't consider that a crime. If you distribute to a child, that's a serious offense.\n- Any kind of terrorism plotting.\n- Treason.\n- Any sexual activity with a child(below 13 would be a good age).\n- Any violent crime involving a weapon- first offense. None of this "three strikes, you're out" b s.
368916
Wholeheartedly. I think we should have a stupid box that we can put all of the stupid people in and then burn them all. (j/p i know that's not feasible...) The death penalty is a necessary evil, and i support it.
1144197
nope. i believe that all murderers should die. i dont wanna spend my tax dollars on their jail cell for longer than i have to. plus, what the criminals did was barbaric. shouldn't they get a barbaric punishment for what they did?
122002
I think hanging is an appropriate form af exacution for certain types of crime (murder, rape, torture, child molestation), but not publicly.  That sort of thing should be done in private behind closed doors with only court appointd whittness there to veiw and document the exacution.  If death by hanging were to be made available it would become a specticale, nothing more than entertainment (which is partly why it was banned in the first place).  It would do little to intimedate potential felons and only create a demand for "capitol offenders" to sate the public thirst for blood.
677152
That's a good idea, actually- but I don't know what the sentence should be...\n\nMaybe three years mandatory in prison (minimum!)- without the possibility of getting out early. But if the crime is premeditated and cruel, then the sentence should be more severe.
914165
Absouletly. In UK we have to many liberals keen to protect the rights of criminals but the victim is sadly lost in the process. If rehabilitation can be acheived in the criminal justice system that's great but it is primarily but punishment and the punishment should reflect the crime. I am not a fan of habging but we should use lethal injection in cases like this.
549946
I would mention how permanent a penalty it is.  When a mistake is made, there's no way to correct it.  With DNA evidence now freeing falsely convicted people almost weekly, it's clear that the system is flawed.  Even DNA evidence that clears an executed person can't bring him back from the dead.  Research the "Innocence Project," and you should get some powerful arguments for abolishing (or at least modifying) the death penalty.
716116
Well a few states here still utilize this ultimate punishment, I guess it should be a national issue and should probably be brought to a vote.\n\nUnless Parliament can actually discuss this matter calmly, rationally, and use public opinion to guide their final decision.\n\nCould this happen? I don't know...
901115
I'm an American now living in the UK. I'm in complete agreement with the death penalty in murder and rape cases. I feel that if you take a life, your life is forfeited. Rape takes a life in a different way. Chances are a woman that's raped won't ever be normal again.
732314
I don't agree with capital punishment in principle. But even if you do, it's not a solution to prison overcrowding. In the US, people spend years on death row and it costs much more money than regular prison because of all the appeals etc.\n\nAnd there is no evidence that death sentences would deter paedophiles for the most serious offenders for whom it is a compulsion. Paodophilia is dangerous, disgusting and evil - I understand the anger that makes us want to kill in revenge - but it would not put off other paedophiles from doing the same sadly. All the emphasis on 'stranger danger' makes us forget that most child abuse is within the family & home.\n\n\nBritain's prisons are overcrowded because more and more people are being locked up for relatively petty crime. Paedophiles have always been imprisoned and rightly so. But we also lock up people for not paying their TV licenses....\n\nOnly people who are dangerous or who are serious or repeat offenders should be locked up. People who are addicts or mentally ill should be treated. People who are petty criminals or anti-social should be put to work cleaning up the mess they and others have made, not locked up for year at public expense.\n\nWe could save a fortune by ensuring that people get a decent education - reading, writing, IT and social skills and learning a trade - rather than making everyone sit lots of exams and then excluding the kids who can't keep up. And we need to do more to tackle drugs and family breakdown. A bit more money on counselling could save the whole of society a lot of grief in future.
578063
I think it is a necessary evil. I only wish the appeals process didn't take so long. There are times when I think we should have public executions again. Then, capital punishment would be the effective deterrent it is supposed to be.
633507
We stopped capital punishment many years ago in this country (UK).  The result has been that murders are on the increase every year, as a 'life' sentence can see a prisoner released in as few as six years with good behaviour etc.\n\nThe absence of capital punishment, in my belief, discriminates against the victim.  With the advent of DNA fingerprinting, the chances of convicting the wrong person for a crime should be 3,000,000:1.  Unfortunate if you are the 1, but far more likely that you would be in the 3,000,000 - unless, of course, you committed the crime....
1151083
i think to make murder punishable by murder is a joke, what is the difference between the criminal and the law if both are commiting murder. also if i were facing life in prison i would much prefer the death penalty and im sure many people on death row see it that way, fortunatly in my country we abolished the death penalty long ago and now killers have to live with their nightmares for the rest of their lives rather than getting an easy way out. we are supposed to be promoting modern liberal western values to the rest of the world but it is not very good when the wests leading nation itself cannot follow these ideals
193385
Without any shadow of a doubt I would impose a custodial sentence and all but the most minor of criminals.  For a second offence I would give them 10 times the sentence, the thrid offence 100 times the sentence etc.  \n\nLoss of liberty is the tried and tested method that has been used for thousands of years in just about every country in the world.\n\nIn recent times we've seen a softly softly appraoch and lo and behlold a massive rise in the number of offences and repeat offenders.\n\nI'd also ensure that during their custodial sentence there was no interaction with other criminals and the only materials available to them were educational ones.\n\nIf they wanted any luxuries such as chocolates, cigarettes etc they'd have to buy them and to buy them they'd have to earn wages by doing work inside the prison that would benefit the community as a whole.\n\nOh, and I'd keep themn under lock and key 24 hours a day.\n\nThat should cut down on the enormous costs incurred - here in the UK it costs an average £8500 a week ($15,000) to have an offender on probation.  That money should be spent on more deserving causes such as the elderly, schools, hospitals etc.
943456
yes absoloutly i think anybody that takes another life for any reason should be given capital punishment. good luck and god bless and happy holidays.
899454
To answer your question and to refute the genius who compared captial punishment to abortion:\n\nThe fact is, yes, there have been far too many instances where people have been put to death then later found innocent.  Our judicial system needs to put policies in place that will prevent this from EVER happening.  But generally, if a person, without a doubt, has been convicted of a malicious crime, they should be put to death.  How sane is it to allow someone who raped, tortured and killed a young girl to sit in a jail cell and live off taxpayer money?  If that individual feels someone INNOCENT deserves to die, why should they be allowed to live?  Again, I believe there should be WITHOUT a doubt concrete evidence against a person who is put on death row.\nAnd concerning abortion...unborn babies have not committed heinous crimes.