Capital Punishment

[xelasnave]

In the interests of stimulating emotion I ask is there a case for capital punishment?

If we have a dog that bites a child it will be put down..the dog unfortunately does not understand how it has offended human norms.

Yet if we have a nasty person torture and kill a child knowing that is evil and the expectations of the society are outraged we say we must rehabilitate that human.

We put down the dog because it must have within its genes a propensity to attack yet we see no merit in eliminating evil genes from the human race.. I find that curious.

Why not put the dog in for retraining and put down the human evil doer.

I have no views..do you:shrug:??
alex:):):)

[casstony]

In general I'm against capital punishment for the reason that innocent people are put to death. However if the victim is my child I'd like to have the option to organize a public stoning with medium to small rocks. I find it easier to simply accept that I have a double standard on this issue than to reconcile it.

[Glenhuon]

I'd vote for that !

Bill

[rumples riot]

It is well documented that capital punishment does not work as a deterrent. Partly brought about by the fact that a homicidal killer is amoral and thinks nothing of having their own life taken. Most career criminals have the same characteristics. The US has more people on death row than any country in the world and it is clear that the death penalty is not working there. The legal system that kills innocents is another ethical problem in itself.

Sterner prison sentences do on the other hand work.

So a big fat no for the capital punishment from me.

[iceman]

I'm sorry Alex, but this thread really isn't appropriate for an astronomy site and is sure to upset some people.
I'm going to lock it now.