Capital Punishment / Execution

All crimes have to be proven beyond reasonable doubt. So even when mistakes have been made, it was still beyond reasonable doubt. Bye the way, most evidence is circumstantial, people dont seem to realise what it means. DNA, fingerprints, forensics etc are all circumstnantial evidence.

boodymum67 that’s isn’t an argument for capital punishment but is an argument for penal reform.

The problem is how some convicted murderers and rapists do get let out on parole...they go on to re-offend or torment the families of those they murdered by breathing.

It is not a deterrent.

For a country to be able to consider itself civilised it cannot use the death penalty, but treat those guilty of the most heinous crimes with humanity and whilst incarcerating them for life ensure prison always means reform.

Sighs

Circumstantial evidence WOULD be useless.

Orangerose

I agree boodymum67. I support the death penalty where it is proved beyond a doubt that they are guilty. The likes of Brady and Hindley being just one example. It would have certainly given me closure if this truly wicked pair had killed a member of my family.

You can only find someone guilty if it's proved beyond doubt. So a lot of criminals would be walking free. Circumstantial evidence would not be useless. Juries would not be finding people guilty

As for it being a member of your family, you'd be surprised to hear that many American families request life imprisonment and don't want the accused to be executed.

I agree boodymum67. I support the death penalty where it is proved beyond a doubt that they are guilty. The likes of Brady and Hindley being just one example. It would have certainly given me closure if this truly wicked pair had killed a member of my family.

Hi, Iam64, how do know that witnessing a state execution by family members of the people slain, does not bring closure? Do you have personal experience of this?

I believe it is right where absolute proof is given that someone has been murdered, that the death of the perpatrator is warranted.

Harold Shipman was an unrepenting fiend and took his own life. Best decision he ever made...shame he didn't do so before killing so many good people.

Derek Bently was hanged and he didn’t murder anyone, the chap he was with shot a police officer, he was too young to hang so Derek Bentley was hanged in his place.

I knew Timothy Evans sister, she suffered so much.

Another definite no to the death penalty , too many miscarriages of justice for me. Furthermore I fail to see how it can possibly be a deterrent; there would have been no crime when the penalty was hanging,drawing and quartering if that was the case. Barbaric!
And I would not want to sit on a jury knowing that I was responsible for another person being killed.

No. I don't agree with death penalty. Some good points made here.
But the system as it stands is often too lenient on murderers. In many cases life should be life..and hard labour. No privileges. Why should people like Myra Hindley have even one minutes enjoyment in life.

Yes Ian Brady did continue to torment the victims families. The mother of Keith Bennett who I think was called Winnie
continually begged Brady to tell her where her son was buried
she begged him for an answer up until her death but she never found out where he had been buried.
Those two people were evil beyond belief I hope their souls are tormented for ever.

Apparently Ian Brady was terrified that he would hang; the death sentence was abolished about the time of his conviction and I believe he and Hindley were the first convicted murderers to escape the death penalty. He continued to torment, obliquely, the families of his victims throughout the remainder of his life.

Life imprisonment until they die with as little privileges as possible.

The death penalty does not allow for making mistakes but I think murderers should never be free to enjoy a life their victim forfeited.

The British death penalty was abolished in 1965 with good reason as Timothy Evans was hung for a murder he did not commit which later came to light.

I have often watched documentaries on Myra Hindley and Ian Brady as so many British people do have a fascination into these awful crimes. I believe they were evil and those children that they murdered were never spared a thought .
I always had thoughts they should have hung them instead of letting them rot in prison at least now they have gone and
good riddance.

grandMattie if someone's mind is " so out there they can never be trusted" then surely they should be in a secure psychiatric unit.
I don't agree with capital punishment either but sometimes when I hear of horrific crimes perpetrated against children then momentarily I wish it could be applied.

No. Murder is wrong whether its state sanctioned or not.

No, I wouldn't ever want the death penalty back.

What do you think yourself, rosecarmel?

I abhor the death penalty. I was privileged to be allowed inside a category B prison and it changed me. There are no words to describe the feeling of despair in the atmosphere, even in a prison with the most modern facilities. It's not cushy, nor should it be, of course, but the thing that struck me was that the prisoners could never see more than a narrow tranche of sky. I met a murderer who was my son's age, 24, and wondered what his background was.

“It is better that 10 guilty men go free than one innocent man should suffer.”

Once you have executed someone should they subsequently prove to be innocent as has happened then you can apologise all you like but you can’t bring them back their life.

Not a supporter of the death penalty

The most famous hangman, Pierrepoint didn't think it was a deterrent either

“It is said to be a deterrent. I cannot agree. There have been murders since the beginning of time, and we shall go on looking for deterrents until the end of time. I have come to the conclusion that executions solve nothing, and are only an antiquated relic of a primitive desire for revenge which takes the easy way and hands over responsibility for revenge to other people.

I agree with @henetha - life should mean life. As for execution - it is illogical to say 'thou shalt not kill' - & then kill a person via capital punishment.

To take someone's life, no matter what they have done , is barbaric. And there is always the chance that the jury/judge got it wrong.
But I do believe that life should mean life for some particularly evil murderers, not just released in 20 or whatever years.

We must never have the death penalty back, to want it for the likes of Ian Huntly and Peter Sutcliff but not for other murderers would mean 1st, 2nd, degree murders

Who remembers Ruth Ellis, Derek Bentley and others

I could never ever support the death penalty.
Peter Sutcliffe suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. He undoubtably was very ill mentally at the time of the murders.
I agree you can judge a society on how we treat our prisoners.
For those who think prison is a cushy number , all I can say is have you visited a prison and seen the conditions?