Would you support the reintroduction of the death penalty?

For what offence should Jon Venables be executed for ?

I think its incredulous that so many think the death penalty is a suitable punishment for rape. I mean seriously, how could you even compare them? As bad as rape is, it certainly does not justify state killing. What principles are we basing this on to allow the state to take a human life?

If the death penalty was brought back, we would be sending out a clear message saying that under certain circumstances it is justified to take another persons life.

Many people have commented showing concern about people who were killed by the state and latterly proven to be innocent. I do not actually think this should be the main reason to refuse to allow its return. Of course it is a terrible thing for an innocent to be killed by the state, but depending on where your moral compass points, any killing, whether by a murderer or by the state, should be a crime. How can we educate people and try and teach them moral values, explaining to people the value of human life only to contradict ourselves when it suits us.

I'm sure many of you, like myself, have seen some videos online showing baying crowds of people beating or hacking other people to death. Usually they have been suspected of child abuse or rape, or perhaps even something as minor as stealing. The manner in which it turns into a frenzy is terrifying. Most of these videos I have had the misfortune of witnessing have been in an African country. Every time I've seen one I've had a chill run through me and it makes me question just how cruel the human race can be.

Even in our Western society the threads of moral fibre are very fragile. Its easy to think we are so advanced in comparison, yet only last night I read an article about a man who was apparently tortured, stripped naked, put into a wheelie bin which was taped shut and wedged against a tree and hidden in the undergrowth. Were it not far a dog discovering him, he would almost certainly have died. This was in Northern Ireland.

It is never easy to find an appropriate punishment for heinous crimes. We cannot condone killing another human or any physical punishment. To kill another will not punish them, the dead cannot feel nor learn from their mistakes. Whatever the cost to the taxpayer, we must be the better people and lead by example.

Jumboman wrote: »

Hes a sadistic paedophile child killer. Do you really think he has anything positive to contribute to society ? Keeping him alive is a waste of tax payers money.

Why not answer the question you've been asked ? would you have liked him to have been executed after his original conviction at the age of ten or so or for downloading child pornography ?.

yea, you gotta ice the cake

I t does not matter if it costs a lot of money to keep criminals. There is money there to pay for it.

Whether the taking of an others life is defined as murder if its done illegally is not important. As far as I am concerned, if it is sanctioned by the Government then it is also murder. Points of law can be argued back and forth all day, Im not interested in the legal aspects of the discussion. Im purely interested in how we as a society deal with these situations. We can judge and be horrified by the actions of evil people, but to sanction the taking of someone's life as a form of punishment reflects very badly upon us.

Someone mentioned a serial rapist who had done it 4 times. Just pay the bill and keep him locked up.

Some of the views in here are very extreme, and I hope a lot of it is just people getting carried away with things. If not, its a sad world we live in.