Death penalty paradox: If you support the death penalty and an innocent

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

man is put to death, you have murdered that man. You have committed murder. Should you be put to death?

(Penn & Teller's Bullshit had a good show on the DP tonight).

[benburch]

1. Even if a guilty man is put to death you are a murderer.

Much as sometimes I *want* to kill people like the cannibal-rapist, I still cannot support murder in revenge for murder.

Life in prison without possibility of parole seems far more appropriate. And given the cost of the appeals process got a death penalty case, MUCH cheaper.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

2. You and I are most certainly on the same page here.

:toast:

[unblock]

3. nevermind the ethical issues, the death penalty is a bad idea in practice

for there's the obvious problem of unequal application -- poor and minorities, e.g.
then there's the lesson it teaches foreign countries, that death penalty is ok, which ultimately endangers americans who dare to travel outside the country.
then there's the expense as you mentioned.
then there's the perverse incentives it puts on criminals who know that capture means death, which endangers cops, among others.
then there's the extra time spent on prosecuting capital cases (much more than mere life imprisonment), which might otherwise be spent on prosecuting other crimes.
then there's the lesson it teaches the public, who learn that killing people is just and proper when the victim is wicked, which encourages more murder and vigilanteism.

the plus side is largely restricted to misunderstanding of the historical context of the biblical admonishion, "and eye for an eye", which was meant to argue AGAINST excessive punishment, e.g., don't execute someone for mere theft, which was common at the time. also the naive claim that executing someone saves money, which is just plain false.

[benburch]

4. Concur. nt

[daveskilt]

5. Britains death penalty laws work for me

Death penalty only for extreme cases of treason in a time of war. now who do we know that has committed high crimes and misdemeanors, treason against the constitution and done it in war time?

[paul_fromatlanta]

6. No

People who make a mistake in applying the death penalty should not be executed because the circumstances under which the death penalty is justified are very limited - simply killing another person accidentally or through negligence does not merit the death penalty.

I think the death penalty should be reserved for situation where deliberate murder has been committed and the person poses a great risk of murdering others if they ever get out...although I can see making exceptions in cases of torture and/or rape.

[Kailassa]

7. I have held a much-loved pet while it was quietly put down at the vets.

If we could always be sure of getting it right, I would be totally in favour of certain people getting the death penalty, provided it was done in that manner. However I don't believe that will ever be the case. Even if we develop the science to know for sure, there will always be humans in a position to manipulate that science for their own ends. And no guarantee that the people controlling the science are not killers at heart themselves.

Revenge is out of the question, because even if you are dealing with a serial child killer, no amount of harm inflicted on that person is ever going to ease the pain that was experienced by those children, or by those who loved them. Take the would-be cannibal for example, who killed the 10 y o girl in America last week. He's obviously bat-shit crazy, but psychiatry still can't do much for a person like that.

I once had a "near death experience" and was left with the belief that there is a god who is able to make it up to kids who went through hell like this poor kid did, and still have love and understanding left for the person who did it. I believe that "hell" will be a loving god helping us to experience all the pain that we have inflicted on others, to teach us how bad it is to harm others.

Anyway, back to your question as to whether a person who supports the death penalty should be put to death as a murderer if an innocent person is murdered, well, from a legal point of view that would be daft. Killing does not equal murder. Intention matters, and few people voting for the death penalty want anyone innocent to die.

However, once you have realized that having a death penalty will inevitably lead to innocent people being killed, then the continued support of the death penalty makes you, morally, a murderer.

[Neil Lisst]

8. Have the police, the prosecutor, the judge and the jurors draw lots

Loser gets the needle.

Justice demands it.

[dysfunctional press]

9. the death "penalty" should be the death "option"...

life imprisonment without parole should be our harshest sentence, but being put to death should be an option for the guilty person to choose on their own.

[TexasProgresive]

10. Yes and then no since the death penalty is

wrong in all cases. It is reprehensible to me that the state kills in my name.

[BIG Sean]

11. No,..because for it to be murder, you need to have intent....(NT)

[Jim__]

12. It's not murder.

Murder is the intentional and unlawful killing of a human being. Even though executing an innocent convicted man is unjust, it is lawful.

Of course, the possibility of executing an innocent person is an extremely good argument against the death penalty; but, I don't see any paradox here.