Can’t speak for any other potential criminals, but the thought of spending the rest of my life in prison is way more of a deterrent than a quick jab followed by the long sleep that awaits us all in the end.
A quick death or a long suffering. Perps convicted of crimes against children are considered the lowest and the inmates will make his life a nightmare.
While I agree that a lot of the sick, twisted violent criminals are serious pieces of shit, I cannot wrap my head around the taking yet another human life...
And, you are correct that the families seldom find closure in the execution of the asswipe(s) who devastated their families...
• While many would like to see him/her done away with, that sense of finality rarely comes to them.
• Many fight the inner turmoil of right from wrong... yes, the bastard was executed vs the bastard is let off lightly because he can no suffer the rest of his rotting life in prison.
• Many battle the area of uncertainty within themselves that pares the sense of revenge against the knowledge that yet another family is devastated- all for a personal feeling of satisfaction and justice.
• Yes, there is also the lengthy time of the appeals process, further prolonging the agony of the victims' families.
• There is also the fact that there have been many convicted who, due to improvements in processes and technologies, later have later been found innocent, rendering it far too late for the ones executed... they cannot be brought back to life.
• Personally, I am of the opinion that, many prisoners released back into society after being prison for years, commit a crime again to be caught just because it's all they've come to know and find it too hard to re-assimilate back into Society.
• Finally, I wouldn't be surprised if there some on Death Row or have already been executed that see it as a way to commit suicide... akin to "suicide-by-cop".
And, currently, we have a dictator, authoritarian Oaf in the Oaful Office who would love nothing better than to bring back public execution... as a spectacle for all to see, as well as to continuously show his reign as our "Supreme Leader", and create/cause his reign to be ruled by fear rather than respect. He's even uttered his thoughts publicly of bringing back public hangings.
I don't oppose the death penalty for religious reasons... I just base it on the morality of it.
I remember reading that this post on FB changed the mind of someone who had been pro-death penalty and how happy that made you.
I have always loved how you do the research and know what you’re talking about, then make it entertaining and convincing in under 500 words. If you ever struggle with imposter syndrome, you know that your words have changed people’s minds and behaviour.
Neither. But as long as we ask 18-24 year olds to sign up and put their lives on the line, we must do our best to make a nation mean more than one person. It’s the bare minimum to uphold the basic social contract.
Generally, most capital crimes are committed by people who truly don't believe they will be caught. A good [fantasy] example of this mind-set [imho] were the villians in the series Columbo, none of whom actually considered any repercussions as a reality.
Thus, some deterrents are not that effective in law enforcement. Sheer brutality and indifference tends to increase recidivism, too.
Rehabilitation isn't about making a murderer a good neighbour, it's about making the [hopefully] much older former inmate a lesser danger to strangers. And if the crime is too egregious for any release, at the very least, keeps them away from society for the remainder of their existence.
In the U.S., the fondness for capital punishment is directly correlated to political conservatism, which is directly correlated to evangelicalism. Evangelicals prefer the theology expressed in the Hebrew Scriptures (aka The Old Testament), that big, fat collection of myths, legends, poetry, prophecy and proverbs featuring a jealous, peevish deity who's constantly smiting people who provoke his rage. Evangelicals are quite proud that they are "made in God's image," and accordingly, sport the same wide mean streak.
The theology of loving one's neighbor proposed by Jesus the Wimp as described in the New Testament isn't nearly as popular with evangelicals. They share an affinity with Saul the religious murderer who changed his name, but not his extremism. Even after his "conversion," he still thought women should sit down and shut up.
The point of this religious summary is that evangelicals and conservatives are eager to send social offenders to hell where they'll burn forever because these christians believe there is a hell. There isn't.
Execution just frees the offender from a lifetime lived in guilt and captivity. If we really want to punish criminals and discourage others from becoming criminals, we offer the consequence of spending an entire lifetime in prison, where there are no vacations, no restaurant dinners, no family gatherings, no drives in the country or anything else law-abiding citizens enjoy.
The bonus is that if our justice system makes a mistake, we have the option of correcting it.
Your reasons against capital punishment are the same as mine. I used to be in favor of it until I started reading more about how unequally it is applied.
Speaking of death row inmates who dont get killed, never forget that Charles Manson (yep, that guy) was scheduled to be executed in 1972 but because California abolished the death penalty shortly before his execution was to take place, he got life in prison without possibility of parole. His "parole" hearings were so scripted, they had to feel like they were out of a comedy movie.
It's interesting that the suspension of the death penalty in the US was lifted in 1976 (Gregg v Georgia), the same year Canada officially abolished it.
When I was in high school at Western Canada in Calgary, we read an essay written by the last hangman in Canada who performed the calculations for that execution. I will never, ever support capital punishment.
Great article. I know it's distasteful, but the "United States of let’s-lethally-inject-this-mentally-disabled-person" caught me off guard and made me laugh out loud.
As a staunch supporter of the death penalty, I do see quite a few issues with some of the practical arguments, but I mainly want to push back from a principled standpoint. Applying the death penalty is not just about vengeance or closure for the victim, it's about justice for them, their family, and society. Very few people contest whether murderous child rapists deserve to die, it's whether the state has a right to take their life. It does. By prohibiting you from seeking private retribution on your daughters killer, the state is creating an obligation for itself to ensure that justice is delivered. Life in prison is not sufficient in some cases to satisfy this obligation, which should really only be disregarded if there are extreme practical issues. The high cost in the US is mainly due to the indefinite appeals that can occur which require specialist legal teams, judges, and juries. This could easily be fixed by allowing for only one automatic appeal per conviction. I won't go into every practical point, but almost all could be alleviated with good policy implementations.
For me, Clifford Olson, child predator and serial murderer, was the epitome of an A+ candidate for a sudden fall into the clutches of a noose. He died of cancer in Laval, Que. Robert Picton was another. He succumbed to his wounds after an attack by another inmate. Time and nature have their own death penalty. Our society is better off because we extend mercy and the opportunity for redemption no matter how slim the chances are.
Can’t speak for any other potential criminals, but the thought of spending the rest of my life in prison is way more of a deterrent than a quick jab followed by the long sleep that awaits us all in the end.
A quick death or a long suffering. Perps convicted of crimes against children are considered the lowest and the inmates will make his life a nightmare.
I am not a proponent of capital punishment.
While I agree that a lot of the sick, twisted violent criminals are serious pieces of shit, I cannot wrap my head around the taking yet another human life...
And, you are correct that the families seldom find closure in the execution of the asswipe(s) who devastated their families...
• While many would like to see him/her done away with, that sense of finality rarely comes to them.
• Many fight the inner turmoil of right from wrong... yes, the bastard was executed vs the bastard is let off lightly because he can no suffer the rest of his rotting life in prison.
• Many battle the area of uncertainty within themselves that pares the sense of revenge against the knowledge that yet another family is devastated- all for a personal feeling of satisfaction and justice.
• Yes, there is also the lengthy time of the appeals process, further prolonging the agony of the victims' families.
• There is also the fact that there have been many convicted who, due to improvements in processes and technologies, later have later been found innocent, rendering it far too late for the ones executed... they cannot be brought back to life.
• Personally, I am of the opinion that, many prisoners released back into society after being prison for years, commit a crime again to be caught just because it's all they've come to know and find it too hard to re-assimilate back into Society.
• Finally, I wouldn't be surprised if there some on Death Row or have already been executed that see it as a way to commit suicide... akin to "suicide-by-cop".
And, currently, we have a dictator, authoritarian Oaf in the Oaful Office who would love nothing better than to bring back public execution... as a spectacle for all to see, as well as to continuously show his reign as our "Supreme Leader", and create/cause his reign to be ruled by fear rather than respect. He's even uttered his thoughts publicly of bringing back public hangings.
I don't oppose the death penalty for religious reasons... I just base it on the morality of it.
That was thoughtful.
You caught me at the end though. Religious reasons? America's biggest religion is full of revenge murders.
I left Catholicism decades ago because of the hypocrisies that I saw and recognized.
In fact, I do not follow any organized religion.
Yes, I have always said the same thing about killing in the name of that invisible guy in the sky...
The Crusades, right off the top...
The Salem Witch Trials
Just to name two...
100%! Thank you for sharing your insights.
I remember reading that this post on FB changed the mind of someone who had been pro-death penalty and how happy that made you.
I have always loved how you do the research and know what you’re talking about, then make it entertaining and convincing in under 500 words. If you ever struggle with imposter syndrome, you know that your words have changed people’s minds and behaviour.
You have a great memory, because that is exactly what happened.
“The nation is supposed to be better than me.”
Why else would it be worthy of asking young members of the military to put their lives on the line for it?
I hope to live long enough to see that basic value take root in the USA where I live.
I'm confused. Are you pro- military or anti- military? Hawk or dove, in simple terms.
Neither. But as long as we ask 18-24 year olds to sign up and put their lives on the line, we must do our best to make a nation mean more than one person. It’s the bare minimum to uphold the basic social contract.
Generally, most capital crimes are committed by people who truly don't believe they will be caught. A good [fantasy] example of this mind-set [imho] were the villians in the series Columbo, none of whom actually considered any repercussions as a reality.
Thus, some deterrents are not that effective in law enforcement. Sheer brutality and indifference tends to increase recidivism, too.
Rehabilitation isn't about making a murderer a good neighbour, it's about making the [hopefully] much older former inmate a lesser danger to strangers. And if the crime is too egregious for any release, at the very least, keeps them away from society for the remainder of their existence.
In the U.S., the fondness for capital punishment is directly correlated to political conservatism, which is directly correlated to evangelicalism. Evangelicals prefer the theology expressed in the Hebrew Scriptures (aka The Old Testament), that big, fat collection of myths, legends, poetry, prophecy and proverbs featuring a jealous, peevish deity who's constantly smiting people who provoke his rage. Evangelicals are quite proud that they are "made in God's image," and accordingly, sport the same wide mean streak.
The theology of loving one's neighbor proposed by Jesus the Wimp as described in the New Testament isn't nearly as popular with evangelicals. They share an affinity with Saul the religious murderer who changed his name, but not his extremism. Even after his "conversion," he still thought women should sit down and shut up.
The point of this religious summary is that evangelicals and conservatives are eager to send social offenders to hell where they'll burn forever because these christians believe there is a hell. There isn't.
Execution just frees the offender from a lifetime lived in guilt and captivity. If we really want to punish criminals and discourage others from becoming criminals, we offer the consequence of spending an entire lifetime in prison, where there are no vacations, no restaurant dinners, no family gatherings, no drives in the country or anything else law-abiding citizens enjoy.
The bonus is that if our justice system makes a mistake, we have the option of correcting it.
100%
Your reasons against capital punishment are the same as mine. I used to be in favor of it until I started reading more about how unequally it is applied.
Speaking of death row inmates who dont get killed, never forget that Charles Manson (yep, that guy) was scheduled to be executed in 1972 but because California abolished the death penalty shortly before his execution was to take place, he got life in prison without possibility of parole. His "parole" hearings were so scripted, they had to feel like they were out of a comedy movie.
It's interesting that the suspension of the death penalty in the US was lifted in 1976 (Gregg v Georgia), the same year Canada officially abolished it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregg_v._Georgia
Very interesting indeed
When I was in high school at Western Canada in Calgary, we read an essay written by the last hangman in Canada who performed the calculations for that execution. I will never, ever support capital punishment.
All the facts prove unequivocally that the death penalty is far from a deterance
Great article. I know it's distasteful, but the "United States of let’s-lethally-inject-this-mentally-disabled-person" caught me off guard and made me laugh out loud.
As a staunch supporter of the death penalty, I do see quite a few issues with some of the practical arguments, but I mainly want to push back from a principled standpoint. Applying the death penalty is not just about vengeance or closure for the victim, it's about justice for them, their family, and society. Very few people contest whether murderous child rapists deserve to die, it's whether the state has a right to take their life. It does. By prohibiting you from seeking private retribution on your daughters killer, the state is creating an obligation for itself to ensure that justice is delivered. Life in prison is not sufficient in some cases to satisfy this obligation, which should really only be disregarded if there are extreme practical issues. The high cost in the US is mainly due to the indefinite appeals that can occur which require specialist legal teams, judges, and juries. This could easily be fixed by allowing for only one automatic appeal per conviction. I won't go into every practical point, but almost all could be alleviated with good policy implementations.
For me, Clifford Olson, child predator and serial murderer, was the epitome of an A+ candidate for a sudden fall into the clutches of a noose. He died of cancer in Laval, Que. Robert Picton was another. He succumbed to his wounds after an attack by another inmate. Time and nature have their own death penalty. Our society is better off because we extend mercy and the opportunity for redemption no matter how slim the chances are.