Is it time to rethink the death penalty?

2Greyfoxes

Every so often a case comes by that makes me stop and question my long held stance on there being no death penalty.

If they could do this to a 4 week old baby, what benefit does society gain by keeping them fed, clothed, and warm? I just can not justify why tax payers money should keep people like this comfortable.

If someone by their actions shows you their true nature, believe them.

Again, all my life I have been vehemently against any state being able to enforce a death penalty… but as the years go by, and more human filth come to the surface, I find myself asking, what benefit does society at large gain by keeping the worst of our numbers alive?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c74n5qkyqp2o

Podge_irl

Among the many arguments against the Death Penalty, it is invariably not cheaper if you are going to treat it with the seriousness it deserves in terms of due process.

CardF

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058405103/is-it-time-to-rethink-the-death-penalty

the 22 years seems appropriate.

the 4 years, i dont know the case, and im sure there are some extenuating circumstances, but that strikes me as waaaay too short. 15 at least.

Wolf359f

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058405103/is-it-time-to-rethink-the-death-penalty

So just to clarify, you want the death penalty for GBH and/or child cruelty?

silliussoddius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058405103/is-it-time-to-rethink-the-death-penalty

I'm not a fan of the death penalty either, but sometimes I'm not going to lose sleep over certain people not being around anymore.

RickBlaine

No, but I think we need to rethink the conditions in prison, especially for utterly horrific cases like this. People like that don't deserve modern comforts like a radio or TV in their cells. It shouldn't be like a small hotel room.

Strumms

Doubt it will be introduced in this country, regardless of the arguments it. Too risky for any mainstream political party to hang their hat on that idea.

Just build another prison, bigger more modern one somewhere on the outskirts of Dublin.

Mountjoy is prime real estate…some sources quote it at 20 acres im reading ….9 kilometres from Dublin airport and about 3 to Dublin City… the land would be worth an absolute fortune.

kowloonkev

That article doesn't really say what they did? Was it just neglect, or actively harming the child? Was the child fully healthy when born? It doesn't even mention that they were the mother and father of the baby.

suvigirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058405103/is-it-time-to-rethink-the-death-penalty

Do you want the death penalty brought back in the UK or Ireland?

elperello

As long as we retain membership of the EU we can't have the death penalty.

It is banned in the EU and the EU actively campaigns for it's abolition worldwide.

mickdw

Lucy Letby.

Everyone would have supported death penalty.

Now it looks like she may be innocent.

donegal_man

The death of a child always elicits calls for the reintroduction of capital punishment.

However one only has to look at the case of Sally Clark convicted in November 1999 for the murder of her two young sons. Her convictions were overturned in January 2003, when it came to light that the prosecution pathologist witheld evidence. This after a previous appeal was rejected in 2000.

kabakuyu

Death penalty is unacceptable to most in Ireland,what we need is longer sentences for murder and other heinous crimes.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123328413#Comment_123328413

Death penalty cases in developed countries like the US and Japan have multiple decades long appeal processes.

In the case of Lucy Letby there would be ample time and procedure for those who believe her innocence to make their case.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123328735#Comment_123328735

And this is where the crude claim often made of it being cheaper falls down.

Victims families will also have to go through many, many appeals and a continual media circus

gmisk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123328176#Comment_123328176

It was a lot more than neglect.

https://www.rte.ie/news/ulster/2025/0404/1505907-amanda-fulton-christopher-fulton/

The death penalty is too good for him. The below was done to a 4 week old baby.

"doctors found that he had sustained a fractured skull, associated bleeding on his brain and retinas, a laceration to his liver, almost 30 fractures to his ribs and two fractures to each of his legs.

The assault left him blind and brain damaged"

faceman

What is your rationale for introducing the death penalty? We know it doesn't work as a deterrent. It doesnt equate to justice either. It also comes with huge risks.

No matter the crime, corporal punishment or the death penalty should never be the response.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123328956#Comment_123328956

I think there should be some like an alternative death penalty.

A few years ago there was a case where a guy was in a pub in suburban Dublin on a stag night and he was drunk and a bit "messy" not aggressive or violent or anything, just "messy".

It seems he annoyed a few guys in the pub and they didn't much like it

When the victim left the pub they followed him to a green area and beat him to death.

They got life sentences for murder.

What I would like to see in that case is that they get sent to jail and the jail authorities are allowed nominate a gang of fellow prisoners to do the following.

Every day beat the two guys within an inch of their lives.

Once finished only the most basic of medical attention can be given to the two guys.

The same day the same thing, beat them within an inch of their lives.

And continue this until they are dead.

I know it's medieval and all, but it does offer the murders a taste of their own medicine.

No long life in jail with three square meals a day, no years on death row with eventually a injection when you have nothing else to live for.

Just absolute pain and suffering for as long as your body takes it.

Here is a Wikipedia page about the case.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Vincent_Parsons

blackbox

Absolutely not.

No possibility of rectifying mistakes.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123329015#Comment_123329015

So torture basically. The hallmark of all civilised nations.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123329141#Comment_123329141

Yeah torture, not to extract information, but after the fact.

I'm not saying it's practical or anything but if I were in charge of implementing a death penalty I'd add a few tweaks to it.

In this case the murderers beat a completely innocent man to death, so for punishment they should have equal and more physical pain inflected on them for a sustained period until their bodies can't take any more.

They deserve it for what they did.

Oscar_Madison

I think honest Labour to earn remission is my preference - give a person a skill over the time in prison and it might help them go straight - death penalty and indeed life sentence without parole just brings complete despair - I’m not touchy feely about people who commit serious crimes but I’d prefer to see retribution in them paying back society over the course of their sentence - cheap labour for jobs no one wants to do- run by the government - money back to taxpayers pot- heavily governed and regulated so no funny business around people making millions from contracts etc

Feel free to disagree but current prison system is b0ll0x so something else has to be tried

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123328052#Comment_123328052

Same. It's not like I'm gonna campaign for it to be reintroduced, but when I hear of child torturing, murdering fkrs like this in Florida or Texas being sentenced to death, I'm quite delighted really.

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123328757#Comment_123328757

Dead too good, we should pay a 3rd world nation to take some of our prisoners. And put them in the conditions they deserve.

New Scottman

the people involved in the death of that child sound evil. But I am sure that some of The Left will defend or excuse their actions.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123329334#Comment_123329334

Maybe you should read the report again.

You won't find anybody from any part of the political spectrum to defend or excuse what was done.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123329186#Comment_123329186

You can type all that stuff safe in the knowledge that none of it will ever happen.

suvigirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123329015#Comment_123329015

Typical boards response 🙄

Day Lewin

I dunno. I oppose the death penalty because I'm a Christian and Thou Shalt Not Kill.

But the "civilised" countries happily ban the execution of PROVEN SERIOUS CRIMINALS while spending millions on armies trained in the use of guns and bombs.

They excuse this by calling it "defense" but the fact is, soldiers are trained to kill other humans. Enemies yes, but still human beings. [Not taking a political stance on this right now]

We cheerfully burn coal that is taken from mines by workers who die in accidents and from negligence. It's a deadly dangerous job but we like our coal too much to not buy it! [Yes I know coal is being phased out]

But you see my point; we're all against "killing" — until it seems to be in our own interests; and then, well, it becomes justifiable.

So someone who has proved by their avctions that they can't be allowed to live in society, like serial killers etc - well, it's one way to get rid of them.

My bottom line: a complex issue full of nuance and ethical subtlety. But don't be naive about the amount of human killing we actively condone.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123329410#Comment_123329410

Yeah, we would be regressing back to the middle ages for that sort of stuff to happen.

Raichų

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123328056#Comment_123328056

Ah ah ah they are anti suicide devices doncha know.