British MPs could vote on whether to bring back the death penalty

Batsy

British MPs could vote on whether to bring back the death penalty.

Campaigners plan to use an online petition scheme launched by the Government to press their case.

And any petition which receives more than 100,000 names MUST be considered for debate in Westminster.

They want capital punishment - banned in Britain in 1965 - to be restored for those who kill kids or police officers. It would mean people such as Ian Huntley, who murdered two young girls in Soham, Cambridgeshire in 2002, would be hanged.

At the moment, the worst sentence any prisoner can get in Britain is to die in jail - to spend the rest of their life there - which is often handed down for murder. It is a sentence which replaces the death penalty and prisoners including Huntley, the Yorkshire Ripper and Moors Murderer Ian Brady are to die in jail. The UK has the EU's largest prison population and has more prisoners serving life sentences than the rest of the EU combined.

The bid to bring back hanging is being spearheaded by blogger Guido Fawkes and its supporters hope to launch it next week.

Tory MP Philip Davies said: "It's something where once again the public are a long way ahead of the politicians.

"I'd go further and restore it for ALL murderers."


Final hangings ... Allen and Evans

House of Commons leader George Young said the new e-petition system was "a step towards a more accessible and transparent" Parliament.

He said: "The public has many opportunities to make their voices heard. This system could give them a megaphone."

The last two executions in Britain were those of Gwynne Owen Evans and Peter Allen, who were hanged at the same time on 13th August 1964 at Liverpool's Walton jail and Strangeways in Manchester for the murder of Jack West.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3723479/MPs-could-vote-on-bringing-back-the-death-penalty-if-online-petition-gets-100000-names.html

jhegarty

Long way between a vote and "names MUST be considered for debate".

JustinDee

...says The Sun

irishh_bob

Batsy wrote: »

British MPs could vote on whether to bring back the death penalty.

Campaigners plan to use an online petition scheme launched by the Government to press their case.

And any petition which receives more than 100,000 names MUST be considered for debate in Westminster.

They want capital punishment - banned in Britain in 1965 - to be restored for those who kill kids or police officers. It would mean people such as Ian Huntley, who murdered two young girls in Soham, Cambridgeshire in 2002, would be hanged.

At the moment, the worst sentence any prisoner can get in Britain is to die in jail - to spend the rest of their life there - which is often handed down for murder. It is a sentence which replaces the death penalty and prisoners including Huntley, the Yorkshire Ripper and Moors Murderer Ian Brady are to die in jail. The UK has the EU's largest prison population and has more prisoners serving life sentences than the rest of the EU combined.

The bid to bring back hanging is being spearheaded by blogger Guido Fawkes and its supporters hope to launch it next week.

Tory MP Philip Davies said: "It's something where once again the public are a long way ahead of the politicians.

"I'd go further and restore it for ALL murderers."


Final hangings ... Allen and Evans

House of Commons leader George Young said the new e-petition system was "a step towards a more accessible and transparent" Parliament.

He said: "The public has many opportunities to make their voices heard. This system could give them a megaphone."

The last two executions in Britain were those of Gwynne Owen Evans and Peter Allen, who were hanged at the same time on 13th August 1964 at Liverpool's Walton jail and Strangeways in Manchester for the murder of Jack West.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3723479/MPs-could-vote-on-bringing-back-the-death-penalty-if-online-petition-gets-100000-names.html

not a bad idea , too much influence by wooly liberal do - gooders when it comes to justice theese days , rehabilitation is mainly an excuse for sociologists to earn a liviing studying why some loser shot up a classroom

Manach

My understanding is that any introduction of Capital punishment is forbidden by an EU article on human rights. As EU law operates at a higher level than national law, the MP's vote would be nullified.
However, slightly OT, the online petition scheme seems an interesting way at least of highlighting issues of concern to voters.

dlofnep

irishh_bob wrote: »

not a bad idea , too much influence by wooly liberal do - gooders when it comes to justice theese days , rehabilitation is mainly an excuse for sociologists to earn a liviing studying why some loser shot up a classroom

Firstly - Capital punishment does not deter crime.

Secondly - Rehabilitation is not an excuse for anyone to earn a living. It is to offer criminals a chance to re-assimilate back into society, and make something of themselves. Obviously, certain elements of society - such as serial killers do not deserve a chance in society - but to treat rehabilitation so negatively is a testament of your ignorance.

Mint Sauce

Even if it was restored, I doubt they could use it on already convicted criminals such as Huntley, as the punishment would not have been available the time.

For some though, hanging would be the easy way out, living in fear for the rest of your life in some place such as Broadmoor or Strangeways is more appropiate. Its well known that rapists and child killers dont have an easy time inside.

irishh_bob

dlofnep wrote: »

Firstly - Capital punishment does not deter crime.

Secondly - Rehabilitation is not an excuse for anyone to earn a living. It is to offer criminals a chance to re-assimilate back into society, and make something of themselves. Obviously, certain elements of society - such as serial killers do not deserve a chance in society - but to treat rehabilitation so negatively is a testament of your ignorance.

ive no interest in rehabiliting creeps who commit horrific crimes , i just want them out of the way , out of sight , out of mind , if that makes me ignorant , so beit

sollar

irishh_bob wrote: »

ive no interest in rehabiliting creeps who commit horrific crimes , i just want them out of the way , out of sight , out of mind , if that makes me ignorant , so beit

I'm the same. It would be alot cheaper to hang them than keep them in prison for 40 or 50 years too.

dlofnep

irishh_bob wrote: »

ive no interest in rehabiliting creeps who commit horrific crimes , i just want them out of the way , out of sight , out of mind , if that makes me ignorant , so beit

You made a sweeping generalisation about rehabilitation. Nobody is disputing that certain criminals cannot be rehabilitated.

smellslikeshoes

sollar wrote: »

I'm the same. It would be alot cheaper to hang them than keep them in prison for 40 or 50 years too.

If it was done in a similar way to capital punishment in the USA (which I'd assume it would have to) it costs much more to execute someone than to imprison them.

the bolt

irishh_bob wrote: »

ive no interest in rehabiliting creeps who commit horrific crimes , i just want them out of the way , out of sight , out of mind , if that makes me ignorant , so beit

would that happen to include the guilford 4 ,or the birninham 6 or the cardiff 3,when we get asystem that is infallable then maybe but not before.

jam_mac_jam

If you are sure that you will never ever with the smallest chance kill somebody who is inocent then maybe you could consider it. However, as has been pointed out the Birmingham six would be dead, as I am sure many others who I dont know about who have since been released. Why is the life of a child worth more than an adult anyway, if you bring it back it should be for all.

Alopex

ironically huntley has tried to kill himself several times

hatrickpatrick

Taking the life of another human being is wrong. Under any circumstances.

bob50

Also Barry George would have been hanged found "guilty" of the murder of Jill Dando he was released about 2 years ago after the case against him collasped

If hanging was restored as above what happens to the person who dies as a result of a jury verdict they dont have anyway back of seeking an appeal

Manach

Whilst I would be marginally against the penalty - I would also put more emphasis on the rights of the victim's family. To have a loved one taken away in such a manner, it would not heal the pain by talking of rehabilitation of the murderer. A life sentence must be a deterant of at least 30years before any form of parole for a pure murder(akin to a US 1st degree). In some rare cases life must be for the lifetime of the individual.

dinorebel

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

Taking the life of another human being is wrong. Under any circumstances.

Which is why people should be executed for doing so.

joshrogan

dinorebel wrote: »

Which is why people should be executed for doing so.

A stronger punishment/deterrent is more suitable to murderer's. Sentencing should be increased for murder to 20/25 years minimum . While execution delievers swift justice to families of victims it is quick and doesn't give the perpetrator enough time to reflect on his/her actions and therefore allowing him/her to be remorseful about their actions.

Lapin

Batsy wrote: »

British MPs could vote on whether to bring back the death penalty.

Two hopes of that happening.

They'll have to vote themselves out of the EU first and that would require a referendum.

mike65

Non story. Illegal for the state to execute those convicted of a crime and wouldn't be passed by the parliament anyway.

irishh_bob

joshrogan wrote: »

A stronger punishment/deterrent is more suitable to murderer's. Sentencing should be increased for murder to 20/25 years minimum . While execution delievers swift justice to families of victims it is quick and doesn't give the perpetrator enough time to reflect on his/her actions and therefore allowing him/her to be remorseful about their actions.

so you want to punish the perpetrator psychologically by letting them live to feel awfull for what they,ve done , that sounds more cruel than getting rid of them , people who commit horrendous crimes are better off dead , for thier own sake as much as societys

irishh_bob

Alopex wrote: »

ironically huntley has tried to kill himself several times

which is why executing him would be the humane thing to do

Guy:Incognito

dlofnep wrote: »

Firstly - Capital punishment does not deter crime.

.

Deters repeat offending though.

irish-stew wrote: »

For some though, hanging would be the easy way out, living in fear for the rest of your life in some place such as Broadmoor or Strangeways is more appropiate. Its well known that rapists and child killers dont have an easy time inside.

I'd be happy enough with that. Give them their easy way out and stop having to pay for them to be housed. No one really loses in that case.

the bolt wrote: »

would that happen to include the guilford 4 ,or the birninham 6 or the cardiff 3,when we get asystem that is infallable then maybe but not before.

It probably would, but a harder line in general would also probably take the thousands of criminals walkign the streets rackign up 50 and 60 convictions each and lock them up.

All systems have flaws, such is life.

RandomName2

Batsy wrote: »

The bid to bring back hanging is being spearheaded by blogger Guido Fawkes and its supporters hope to launch it next week.

The debate is a bit irrelevant isn't it? I don't think a state in the EU has the power to introduce it...

OhNoYouDidn't

Should the title not read 'blogger abuses democratic access mechanism to waste parliaments time and state money to debate a law that cannot be introduced to increase his own profile'?

Hotblack Desiato

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

Taking the life of another human being is wrong. Under any circumstances.

That may be your view but most people would accept that it is justified to kill in self-defence or to protect innocent lives.

Easy to say that 'killing is bad' when you live in a liberal democracy under no threat of war... {Edit} and what about killers on the rampage, if some gun-toting nut was on the loose in your town, advancing on the school where your kids go, would it still be wrong for the Gardai to shoot him after he refused to surrender? Should they just say 'well no doubt the courts will sort him out' ? In the real world no-one shoots to wound, if police shoot at a criminal it is with the full intent to kill them.

cyberhog

Three of the US Supreme Court Justices that voted to reinstate the death penalty in 1976 have since said they regretted those votes.

“I would vote the other way in any capital case. … I have come to think that capital punishment should be abolished.” –Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell, to his biographer in 1991.

“From this day forward, I no longer shall tinker with the machinery of death … the basic question – does the system accurately and consistently determine which defendants ‘deserve’ to die? – cannot be answered in the affirmative.” – Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, in a dissent in Callins v. Collins (1994)

“I have relied on my own experience in reaching the conclusion that the imposition of the death penalty represents the pointless and needless extinction of life with only marginal contributions to any discernible social or public purposes … such negligible returns to the State is patently excessive and cruel” – Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens in a concurrence in Baze v. Rees (2008)

“I think there is one vote that I would change and that’s one – was upholding the capital punishment statute. I think that we did not foresee how it would be interpreted. I think that was an incorrect decision.” – Justice Stevens

http://blog.amnestyusa.org/deathpenalty/what-might-have-been-3-supreme-court-justices-later-regretted-supporting-the-death-penalty/


If those three had voted in accordance with those feelings back in 76 the ban on capital punishment would not have been lifted.


Last year Taiwan reinstated the death penalty and they have already executed an innocent man.

the government admitted an innocent man was executed, reinvigorating the debate about the death penalty.

Chiang Kuo-ching, a soldier, was put to death for raping and murdering a young girl. However, he always contended he was forced to confess during a brutal interrogation by authorities. The government's admission of its mistake included President Ma Ying-jeou on national television bowing three times before Chiang's image, and apologizing to the dead man's mother.

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15247358,00.html


As much as I would like to see the likes of Breivik put to death I don't think it's worth the risk of an innocent person being executed.