The Death Penality and Pagans

[Brass Bell Doll]

Do you support or oppose the death penalty on moral or religious principle?  

[maenad nuri]

I generally oppose on a gut level. It makes me uneasy -- the room for error is just too big for my taste.  

[Collowrath]

I agree with Nuri. The room for error is simply too large and I simply don't trust the authorities nor a jury to be able to determine guilt with enough precision; I also do not accept that even a single innocent person put to death for a crime they did not commit is an acceptable collateral damage.  

[Gho the Girl]

In an Ideal world, where guilt can be fairly determined and where a truly despicable and deserving person can be found guilty of a heinous crime, then I'd support it.

However, given that this isn't such a world, I don't support it.  

[Shearaha]

I simply don't like the fact that my tax dollars are going to support people who have admitted to killing/raping/ect. There are prisons where the inmates eat better then I do. I would much rather see that money going to fix roads, and supply other public services. If the inmates can be trusted enough to work on our roadways, or any other type of labor then I don't have quite as much of an issue, because our tax money is then supporting workers who are supporting our public services. While the system isn't perfect and there is room for mistakes the accused have the oppurtunity to prove themselves innocent, and even if found guilty then have an extendable period of time in which to find new evidence or witnesses to get the decision reversed. It's not like 80 years ago when if an individual was sentenced to death it was carried out in the next few days.  

[CuAnnan]

Gho the Girl

In an Ideal world, where guilt can be fairly determined and where a truly despicable and deserving person can be found guilty of a heinous crime, then I'd support it.

Your ideal world has truly despicable heinous criminals?  

[Gho the Girl]

CuAnnan

Gho the Girl

In an Ideal world, where guilt can be fairly determined and where a truly despicable and deserving person can be found guilty of a heinous crime, then I'd support it.

Your ideal world has truly despicable heinous criminals?

No, but if one were to exist, their guilt would be found out without a doubt.  

[too2sweet]

Given that a person's guilt could be positively established - then I fully support the death penalty, in cases where it is deserved.

As Shea said, there are prisoners who are better fed and probably have a better quality of life than I do - how is that a punishment? There are other things that money could be better spent on, than supporting criminals.  

[Brass Bell Doll]

too2sweet

Given that a person's guilt could be positively established - then I fully support the death penalty, in cases where it is deserved.

As Shea said, there are prisoners who are better fed and probably have a better quality of life than I do - how is that a punishment? There are other things that money could be better spent on, than supporting criminals.

I'm not sure I could be convinced that prison could be considered a better quality of life than freedom given the rate of violence and sexual assult.

In reading the responses, would the presence of a given number of credible eye witnesses, supported by physical evidence or a recording of the act be enough to justify execution?  

[Shearaha]

Brass Bell Doll

I'm not sure I could be convinced that prison could be considered a better quality of life than freedom given the rate of violence and sexual assult.

Not every prison is the same. White collar prisons and minimum security prisons are not the same as maximum security prisons and those that hold the most violent offenders.
There were times where for me a roof over my head and three square meals a day looked pretty good, even with the threat of rape and beatings.

Brass Bell Doll

reading the responses, would the presence of a given number of credible eye witnesses, supported by physical evidence or a recording of the act be enough to justify execution?

For me it would depend on the witnesses and the type of evidence. Good quality closed circuit video of the crime would be enough for me, if the individuals could be seen clearly.  

[maenad nuri]

white collar and minimum security prisons aren't likely the places you are going to find people facing the death penalty.  

[Shearaha]

I agree, but we're still paying for both types of prisons.
I may rant here.
I don't really mind paying to support non-violent and white collar prisons, I have problems with providing decades of housing and food for people who have been decisively proven to have perpetrated the violent crimes they were accused of and then sentenced to death. I have problems with death row inmates being put on life support on the publics bill. I have a problem with executions being stopped because the inmate thinks they have an allergy to the drugs used for the lethal injection, and not even the primary drugs, the back-up drugs that are there just in case the first one doesn't do the job completely. That's where my issues lie.
I'm aware that there are wrongly accused people on death row, but I also think that there are more guilty there then innocent. There are those there who continue to state that they did what they were convicted of and that they are not remorseful of it. Those are the ones that I think should have their sentence carried out.  

[Brass Bell Doll]

I fear I am unable to relate to your preference for security over being raped and beaten. I made a choice to live without a roof over my head to flee that very situation. I suppose we may simply be different people though.

Shearaha

I agree, but we're still paying for both types of prisons.
I may rant here.
I don't really mind paying to support non-violent and white collar prisons, I have problems with providing decades of housing and food for people who have been decisively proven to have perpetrated the violent crimes they were accused of and then sentenced to death. I have problems with death row inmates being put on life support on the publics bill. I have a problem with executions being stopped because the inmate thinks they have an allergy to the drugs used for the lethal injection, and not even the primary drugs, the back-up drugs that are there just in case the first one doesn't do the job completely. That's where my issues lie.
I'm aware that there are wrongly accused people on death row, but I also think that there are more guilty there then innocent. There are those there who continue to state that they did what they were convicted of and that they are not remorseful of it. Those are the ones that I think should have their sentence carried out.

I feel that some of these issues question our very humanity. If the people who commit horrific crimes against others, what measures does justice and those who carry it out do in order to not become monsters ourselves?  

[Shearaha]

Brass Bell Doll

I fear I am unable to relate to your preference for security over being raped and beaten. I made a choice to live without a roof over my head to flee that very situation. I suppose we may simply be different people though.

I can understand that. For me it's more that the means to provide food and housing for myself was not available, and at that point just about anything looked worth it for protection from the elements and a full stomach. Can I say that it's the same now, no, I'm not in that position anymore. And I thank havens for that every day.

Brass Bell Doll

I feel that some of these issues question our very humanity. If the people who commit horrific crimes against others, what measures does justice and those who carry it out do in order to not become monsters ourselves?

I get what you're saying here, but I really think that there's a difference between those who stand guard at the gate and wound/kill because they need to to protect others and those who do the same because they want to. There's also a difference between a clean kill and murder. What is metted out with the modern death penalty in America is a peaceful drift into sleep, a much kinder death then the victims of those who are being punished by death. That's the difference. That, for me, is where the dividing line is. Is the individual killing because they want to or because it's what's required of them to protect others? Is the death given quick and painless or slow and torturous?