Trump Reinstates Federal Executions

[Yukaphile]

I think most people would agree a serial rapist who'd gone after children if he couldn't find women would definitely deserve the death penalty.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

I think most people would agree a serial rapist who'd gone after children if he couldn't find women would definitely deserve the death penalty.

I don't think an appeal to democracy is apt in this case though.

[Riedquat]

I think most people would agree a serial rapist who'd gone after children if he couldn't find women would definitely deserve the death penalty.

I've conflicting feels about this whole subject. On the one hand there are definitely some very unpleasant people doing horrible things and the world would be a much better place without them. But I'd fear a slippery slope, because the world is absolutely full to the brim of people after things that I strongly feel make it a worse place in more mundane ways (most of which everyone reading this will probably think are good to have but I loathe to the point that I end frequently end up daydreaming about wiping them out), and it would be nice and easy to say it'd be a better place without them too.

Aside from the whole wrongful conviction thing there's also the question about whether or not people can truly change, and if there's even a tiny chance of it happening then it's a terrible thing to kill someone instead. Although if someone I was close to was a victim of such a person I wouldn't apologise for wanting them dead. But without that my first thought is always to shake my head sadly at anyone being killed, even if I'm saying "good riddance" at the same time.

So overall the death penalty shouldn't have a role in a civilised society IMO.

[CmdrKing]

My answer would be 'Bring back the guillotine'. It ain't pretty, but it IS painless and it don't need chems or volts.

I mean that is, from pretty much everything I've ever read, legitimately the most humane form of execution of any that's been formally used in a court system. But it also has that visceral "obvious violence" vibe that gets so rough on your executioners: I strongly suspect, although haven't done the research to prove, that discontinuation of the guillotine as an execution method was for the sake of witnesses, not the condemned.

I'm more concerned about that 4% wrongful conviction rate though. Appeals only tend to catch them in cases of substantial outside investment, public outcry, and advances in forensic technology. That's... not great.
(And let's go one step deeper: that wrongful conviction is so common speaks to the underlying flaws of the entire criminal justice system. As a rule if you have the means to hire a good lawyer there's quite simply no way you end up on death row. Meaning that people there are the poorest and most vulnerable in society, meaning there's a much higher likelihood they were at some level in the process deliberately abused by the system.)

[ProfessorDetective]

Meaning that people there are the poorest and most vulnerable in society, meaning there's a much higher likelihood they were at some level in the process deliberately abused by the system.)

Admittedly, that's one of the reasons I'm cool with the death penalty: our prison system is overflowing to an extream degree. Usually on purpose, since most of the prisons are privately-run and the owners make so much per inmate, so they grease the wheels of government to keep folks in or coming back. They're half the reason many spots have a minimum sentence for drug possession, so they can bring in all those kids who decided to try cannabis. And if we can't bring the numbers down by actually helping inmates reform, since more funds are going towards doing the exact opposite... well... we have to make space SOMEHOW...

So, yeah, you're totally right, they ARE trying to make it a revolving door. Though, these guys would probably PREFER no Death Penalty, since they can't make their dividends off a corpse.

But I understand your main point, that margin for error IS too wide. I don't know how you'd narrow it, but yeah...

[Mecha82]

US prisons are so overflowing because that war on drugs is targeting poorest and minorities. After all police planting evidence is thing in US and it's easy to put some drugs to some one's pocket and then arrest him or her over it. That and some other things in mind no wonder that members of minorities in US can't seem to trust police anymore.

[Beelzquill]

Not sure if its been mentioned but the death penalty verdict is actually more expensive for the taxpayers than life without parole and the prisoner is often in there for at least ten years because of the lengthy appeal process.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Not sure if its been mentioned but the death penalty verdict is actually more expensive for the taxpayers than life without parole and the prisoner is often in there for at least ten years because of the lengthy appeal process.

I feel like in the past when I've looked it up I've gotten mixed results. Not that the cost should matter, but when people factor in the burden of society to hold prisoners, it is at the very least not much cheaper either way.

[Yukaphile]

And yet it is statistically true that some people are so evil, they DESERVE to die.

[CmdrKing]

Admittedly, that's one of the reasons I'm cool with the death penalty: our prison system is overflowing to an extream degree. Usually on purpose, since most of the prisons are privately-run and the owners make so much per inmate, so they grease the wheels of government to keep folks in or coming back. They're half the reason many spots have a minimum sentence for drug possession, so they can bring in all those kids who decided to try cannabis. And if we can't bring the numbers down by actually helping inmates reform, since more funds are going towards doing the exact opposite... well... we have to make space SOMEHOW...

So, yeah, you're totally right, they ARE trying to make it a revolving door. Though, these guys would probably PREFER no Death Penalty, since they can't make their dividends off a corpse.

But I understand your main point, that margin for error IS too wide. I don't know how you'd narrow it, but yeah...

In many of those cases the ethical solution is to release them without prejudice (and probably with reparations, god we are already past the tipping point where Marijuana is legal for a majority of US citizens but we have people imprisoned for it). Obviously this would have to come from the fed and the current administration likes those prison demographics so fat chance, but that just tells us where to start the changes.

And of course only a tiny percentage of all prisoners are on death row so in terms of overcrowding it’s not super helpful.

Yuka: it would take a very, very long argument to even start to sway people on THAT point. One reason I prefer to emphasize the error rate, even those most in favor of removing the gravest criminals from society can generally agree that killing 1 of every 25 due to a false conviction is pretty bad.