Let the Bas***ds suffer... (Capital punishment)

Member Name: angry chris

Product:	Capital punishment
Date:	22/11/02 (221 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quenches thirst for revenge, Saves money in the public purse.

Disadvantages: It's immoral, It's no deterrent, Justice is far from "just"

The recent death and cremation of Myra Hindley, one of Britains most notorious
criminals, has brought to life the age old debate as to the reinstatement to the statue
books of the Death Penalty in the UK.

There is no doubt that the pro-hanging brigade certainly have a large and vociferous
following. We have been subject to stories this week of nurses banging on the
window of Hindley’s transport which wheeled her corpse out of the hospital in which
she breathed her last. This is no surprise. Earlier this year, the court appearances of
the suspects in the tragic case of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were greeted by
the expected lynch mob, carrying their banners for all to see. It is clear to all that
both sides have fervent followings.
The arguments usually take the following forms:
1. Deterrent. If an individual knows that he/she is to lose their own life as the result
of taking someone else’s, they are unlikely to commit the crime in the first place.
2. “An Eye for an Eye”. The Bible can be loosely translated into saying that those
who take life can expect to lose their is return.
3. Cost and Privilege. Why should someone as evil as Hindley be given a place to
live with extra protection, pay no tax, and cost the public purse a fortune in her
up-keep when she brutally murdered several children?

However, let me nail my colours to the mast here. I am against the death penalty for a
number of reasons. I find it hard to believe that a supposedly civilized society should
wield to the temptation to exact revenge against those who commit these crimes. It
reduces us to the level of the criminal, and from this point we lose our moral “right”.

The “deterrent” issue is a flimsy one, and it is yet to be proven that death is any
deterrent to any person who would commit these crimes. Jail is a much greater

deterrent, in my view. When I was 17, I went out and got drunk with friends. I ended
up making an arse of myself and arguing vehemently and abusively with a policeman.
To teach me the error of my ways, I was sent to a young offenders institute for a
couple of days. It was without a doubt the most frightening experience of my life.
When the door slams shut, you begin to realize how great all those things are that you
take for granted: popping out to the shop, phoning your mate, even stepping out to get
some fresh air. Needless to say, I have not argued with the police again.

This was 2 days. I can only imagine the horror of spending 30 YEARS in prison.
Don’t believe what you read in the papers, prison is no cushy deal. The people in
prisons to not take kindly to those who commit offenses against children, and the
screws rarely intervene on the sides of those who are “nonses”. I bet you any money
you like that Hindley suffered a 30 year nightmare before meeting her maker.

There is also the fact that those who are executed are more often than not black or of
an ethnic minority. This is firmly the case in the US, where death row is hugely
disproportionate in those who are awaiting their end.

For me, there is also the problem of killing innocent victims. We cannot fool
ourselves here, there are a large amount of miscarriages of justice in our criminal
justice system every year. Juries are human, and can be easily swayed by the
emotions of the case, and the clever manipulation of a strong barrister. Who would
like to bet me that those accused of Jessica and Holly’s murder will be convicted?
This is not to say that I think they are innocent- I do not know as I haven’t heard the
evidence of the case, but the sheer emotion of the trial will mean that the jury may
feel an obligation to satisfy the grieving families and a indeed t
he nation.
What good is a pardon to a man or woman whose name is cleared if they are already
dead?

And what of those who actually execute those people convicted and sentenced? Are
they not in turn murderers? Could you honestly say that you could inject someone
with a lethal concoction knowing that you were killing that person? I know we all say
we could, but most people have moral integrity when it comes to the sanctity of life.

In a civilized society there should be no place for capital punishment. Besides, life in
prison is far, far worse. It is often arbitrary, it can result in the wrong person being
executed and it will only satisfy the lust for revenge amounts a certain percentage of
society. This surely is not enough reason to bring back this medieval punishment.

PS I do agree that in most cases. life should MEAN life, not 8 years and parole. That
is no deterrent or punishment.

Thank you for reading and rating my humble opinion.

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