Thread: what is the purpose of the death penalty?

Originally Posted by OSECS

So where do we draw the line ? you use a gun and kill someone in a robbery ? That's pretty brutal as far as I'm concerned, it's not pre meditated 99 times out of a 100 I'm guessing so maybe the death penalty isn't warranted. But you take that same situation and have the robber put the victim on the floor and put a bullet in them execution style, that's pre meditated I think, and that crosses a line to me. Forensics can determine a lot about how a murder takes place you'd need a threshold of basic across the board standards.

I think determining when a person reaches that capitol punishment threshold should be a set of federal standards. A check list of criteria needed to be met to seek the death penalty. Maybe the death penalty shouldn't be a state trial at all, but must be a federal trial ? Take those cases out of the hands of the local prosecutors all together.

I think drawing the line should ultimately be in the hands of the jury, but I agree with all of your suggestions to ensure that the jury isn't even presented with the question in inappropriate cases. That's also part of the reason I think there should be an elevated evidentiary threshold for capital cases - prosecutors will be less likely to pursue marginal cases if they're going to have a harder time meeting their burden of proof.

Originally Posted by liv2ski

Cool dipshit, I will ask the state of CA to send you your 1/1000th portion of the annual bill to keep murderers on death row alive since you are one of the few down with keeping their sorry asses alive. Not on my dime.

It's not my fault your statements are so full of holes.

So you're going to make the appeals process quicker/cheaper?

How? How much of an increase in wrongful executions would you tolerate in order to save $$$s.

Originally Posted by PNWbrit

How? How much of an increase in wrongful executions would you tolerate in order to save $$$s.

Depends, would that also mean less lawyers?

How can anyone opposed to the death penalty call himself a Christian? Obviously, the death penalty was put on Earth by God and to oppose it is to oppose God's will. Think back to the good old days when the Church used the death penalty quite effectively. Going back further still, if the Romans had not made such good use of the death penalty there would be no Christianity. Am I right, OSECS?

The Romans understood that the death penalty is the best way to demonstrate to the people how to be tough on crime. Only Republicans truly understand this. Sadly, the death penalty is only a deterrent if it is carried out often as reminder that it is there. American justice looks incompetent next to China, Saudi Arabia and Iran, countries that execute death sentences quickly and efficiently without all the machinations and motions of due process.

Fortunately, Rick Perry knows and understands how to use government’s guillotine even if it means possibly executing innocents because his supporters love him for it. As one of them so eloquently put it, “It takes balls to execute an innocent man.”

Originally Posted by liv2ski

Cool dipshit, I will ask the state of CA to send you your 1/1000th portion of the annual bill to keep murderers on death row alive since you are one of the few down with keeping their sorry asses alive. Not on my dime.

Ah, so you're the one using my Tax money to pay for police officers to catch murderers and petty criminals and put them in a jail which runs on MY TAX DOLLHAIRS!!! Damnit man!

Seriously though. There are too many fucking cops, and if we are having this converation they are obviously not stopping the murders. Should we just kill them too? Then we don't have to pay their pensions.

Originally Posted by JimmyCarter

Depends, would that also mean less lawyers?

Maybe just cheaper, less experienced ones?

After all we're only talking about the state executing someone here.

As Socrates once said, "'Crito, we owe a cock to Asclepius. Do pay it. Don't forget"

Originally Posted by shaft

Seriously though. There are too many fucking cops, and if we are having this converation they are obviously not stopping the murders. Should we just kill them too? Then we don't have to pay their pensions.

Really, to many cops? What the fuck are you up to that the man crimps your mellow? There are not enough fucking investigators around if people are getting away with murder. As far as cop/public/military/congress pensions are concerned, we should all be on the same plan that starts to pay out at the same age. Why do I have to wait to 67 to get my $2k SS when politicians can retire after 6-8 years and get a fat retirement check, then, for life? Seeing public sector employees retiring at 50 is BS. I mean you can quit your teachers job, but the pension doesn't kick in until 67. Shit kill all the fucktards on death row and we can use the savings to cover the pension sortfalls

What nobody wants to talk about is innocent people, mistakes.

We don't look, no real effort has ever been made to see if any of these guys were actually innocent. Logic tells you we probably have, shit, a number of guys have been really really close.

We never want to ask ourselves if one innocent man's life is worth feeling better about what 50 or 100 or 1000 shitbags did ?

Additionally I still don't see why people are arguing about the morality of the thing. If you think its a great thing for society that's fine but you still have to have a system that is at its basic level just and fair and bottom line we don't.

No state should be doing it at all because every single person knows the system is arbitrary at best and that isn't what the justice system is all about. You want the death penalty fine but you need a system that isn't complete and utter horseshit.

Originally Posted by PNWbrit

Maybe just cheaper, less experienced ones?

After all we're only talking about the state executing someone here.

How much would it cost to hire an official state sanctioned coin flipper?
Or maybe just a hot chick to spin the "wheel of death" with all types of ancient execution styles? At least that would add some entertainment (and advertising revenue?!)
Think about it - Jill Wagner telling someone they're about to be submersed in water in a sack, which also contains a dog, a rooster, a viper and an ape...

Originally Posted by ArmadaBC

What nobody wants to talk about is innocent people, mistakes.

No state should be doing it at all because every single person knows the system is arbitrary at best and that isn't what the justice system is all about. You want the death penalty fine but you need a system that isn't complete and utter horseshit.

As I have previously said, if we have 100% no doubt, forensic/DNA, eye witnesses, etc to have no doubt, the shitbag dies ASAP. In cases where we are pretty sure, but not 100%. We should use the legal term they use in say France, which is something to to the effect of "not guilty for now, but we will get more evidence and see you back in court if we get it". So your not released innocent as is the case here.

Originally Posted by archer

How can anyone opposed to the death penalty call himself a Christian? Obviously, the death penalty was put on Earth by God and to oppose it is to oppose God's will. Think back to the good old days when the Church used the death penalty quite effectively. Going back further still, if the Romans had not made such good use of the death penalty there would be no Christianity. Am I right, OSECS?

The Romans understood that the death penalty is the best way to demonstrate to the people how to be tough on crime. Only Republicans truly understand this. Sadly, the death penalty is only a deterrent if it is carried out often as reminder that it is there. American justice looks incompetent next to China, Saudi Arabia and Iran, countries that execute death sentences quickly and efficiently without all the machinations and motions of due process.

Fortunately, Rick Perry knows and understands how to use government’s guillotine even if it means possibly executing innocents because his supporters love him for it. As one of them so eloquently put it, “It takes balls to execute an innocent man.”

You are soooooo cute when you try irony on for size Archer.

Sep. Of church and state. Render unto Caesar those things that are Caesars.

To take care of this.

On Saturday, authorities announced they had arrested a neighbor, Shawn Morgan. Morgan, 43, told agent Tim Trowbridge of the Bootheel Drug Task Force that he found the child on a ladder in his backyard pool, grabbed her and carried her inside his home, where he suffocated her with a white plastic trash bag, according to a probable cause statement the agent filed.
Morgan told Trowbridge it "felt like it took an hour for the girl to die," according to the statement. He did not say why he killed the child.

^^^ In cases like that he should just be shot in the head. On the spot.

No trial. No jury. Just done.

I am down with that.

oh where's the compassion? i'm sure he had a difficult childhood.

Originally Posted by Ripzalot

oh where's the compassion? i'm sure he had a difficult childhood.

although not quite as difficult as the kid he just killed.

Not into the "eye-for-an-eye" thing. I don't think we should have the Death Penalty for a single murder unless it's of a child. Shit - you rape and kill a kid I'll shoot you myself and feel great about it. Jer, can I borrow a weapon?

Originally Posted by Tippster

Not into the "eye-for-an-eye" thing. I don't think we should have the Death Penalty for a single murder unless it's of a child. Shit - you rape and kill a kid I'll shoot you myself and feel great about it. Jer, can I borrow a weapon?

Not into the eye for an eye thing either. The death penalty can be many things to different people. If the eye for an eye thing helps a grieving family then that's their issue to live with. The state should be performing capitol punishment because it needs to send the signal that every living persons life is of equal value and if you wantonly/intentionally/willfully take the life of another your consequence is you forfeit your right to life.