is the death penalty an effective deterrent ?

**rayner** · 05-08-2011 05:59 AM

would it be better to give them a life sentence in prison?

**CHANDLERS WISH** · 05-08-2011 06:05 AM

Yes.

No one has a right to take a life.

**spurzzz** · 05-08-2011 06:40 AM

I have seen documentaries on prisoners in death row camps who openly admit a fetish to pain and torture, they get a thrill from inflicting pain and are excited by the prospect of recieving it. Recieving the death penalty a deterrent? More like a propellant for some crazy lunatics lol

Very shocking to watch actually, a lot of them do not feel any remorse for what they have done and actually continue to commit murder inside the camps!

With that being said, No I do not think the death penalty is an effective deterrent. To live a life of nothing but isolation and a strict monitoring procedure which decreases the chance for a suicide attempt (cowards that they are) is imo a better punishment. Isolation 18 ours a day, with little to do, will have them stew in the crime they have perpetrated and hopefully be a harsher lesson than a quick death.

However, how would the family members of a loved one that died because of these evil cowards feel? Should they be given a choice of death or not? Would we change our minds and want death on the people who took away one of our loved ones? It is easier to feel a certain way when it is not us who have the pain within us.....

The ultimate judgement is for the one above.

**spurzzz** · 05-08-2011 07:29 AM

Depends on how you look at it

I can think of 100 different areas where our tax money is going to waste

What I described will create jobs and also serve a worth punishment for many people........not exactly a waste

The olympic stadium is a waste. Especially after spending so much on it, they will demolish it for another stadium.

**jns** · 05-08-2011 10:39 AM

Originally Posted by rayner

would it be better to give them a life sentence in prison?

For some who would do certain types of crimes, having the death penalty probably deters them from doing those things. For psychopaths and multiple murders, it probably isn't a deterrent. For mass murders like leaders causing mass slaughter and genocide, probably not. However, it provides a certain amount of closure to the families of victims of violent crime and I believe that can make it worth it. Life imprisonment is a penalty on the entire society that society should not have to pay. Life imprisonment should be used very sparingly. Maybe society should withdraw it's protections from some, letting anyone who wants to, be able to kill them like they were an insect.

Deterrence was an idea that came about when some did not want to consider prison and punishment as avenging a wrong on society. The proponents of deterrence considered those to be revenge. I feel civil actions are much more revenge. I also don't believe that much rehabilitation occurs in prison due to high recidivism rates.

**ItsASecret** · 05-08-2011 10:47 AM

It is only a deterrent for those who commit lesser crimes. The people who receive death row are the criminals that have done some of the most heinous crimes. If a person has sick fantasies of killing, torture, rape etc and wants to carry them out they are going to. No amount of "but please be good" no "but you will go to jail" no "they can change their behavior" is going to stop someone with a psychopathic or sociopathic mind. The psychopaths and sociopaths are the real issue for the legal system as they are not your average criminal shoplifting or dead beat abusing their gf. They are the ones receiving death row, they are the ones causing the unimaginable crimes, they are the ones creating the manipulation scenarios of being released and going on the hunt again. Btw a psychopath and sociopath are not the same but both cause great amounts of trouble. You can cause them all the pain and torture you want prior to handing out a death sentence, they will feel no remorse no care in the world for what they have done. There will never be an end to the psychopaths or sociopaths and nothing is going to stop them if they want to commit their crimes.