China, Iran, Vietnam totally pwn the US

[MikeH]

Originally posted by Oerdin


So believing that people won't commit murder, rape, or other capital crimes out of fear of being executed isn't common sense to you? Wow, you must have some really stange definitions.

Of course it wouldn't stop them. People don't think they are going to get caught. When you could get executed in Britain for stealing it didn't stop people stealing.

The fact it clearly doesn't stop crime and never has is evidence enough that it's not a deterrent.

[notyoueither]

So, it's impossible that some people in some situations think 'if I get caught, I'll be killed' and defer the crime?

[MikeH]

It's not impossible I guess but I just can't imagine the thought process that would lead to that. Why would that be any more of a deterrent to "if I get caught I'll spend the rest of my life in jail"? Are they thinking "I'm going to break into this random house and stab and rape this entire family to death, spending the rest of my life behind bars wouldn't be too bad... if we had the death penalty I'd just go home and watch TV" it just seems ludicrous.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Oerdin
A judge and jury based upon democratic decided laws which are bound by the rights enumerated in the Constitution? Just a guess...

If humans have rights, the right to life is necessarily the most fundamental. If your constitution cannot even guarantee this, what good is it?

[MikeH]

"If humans have rights, the right to life is necessarily the most fundamental. "

Why? Philosophical proof of that please.

I don't favour the death penalty for various reasons but mainly due to the dangers of executing the wrong people.

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by MarkG

then again i dont think we ever had any serial killers...

See America? It is possible - the Greeks must be doing something right

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by notyoueither
So, it's impossible that some people in some situations think 'if I get caught, I'll be killed' and defer the crime?

It's possible, but the overwhelming evidence in teh US is that the death penalty does not act as a deterrent in capital crimes; states that legalize the death penaly do not see their murder rates go down, nor do states that outlaw it see their rates go up.

The probable reason is that thinking the thought you speculate on would be a rational act, and most murders are actually irrational acts, of either the heat-of-the-moment or sociopathic varieties.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
Drug related (manufacturing, trafficking, etc.), counterfeiting the RMB (possibly other important official documents), attempting to overthrow the state or any such conspiracies

And this.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
Who is to make such a judgement and based on what could such a judgement be made?

The Party, of course.

[Kontiki]

nye, I think you're looking at it from a different perspective than what was being discussed. I actually agree with you (I think) about the DP - I don't have a problem with it for people like Clifford Olsen. But that doesn't really speak to the deterrence value of having the DP in the first place.

[Wycoff]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
Who is to make such a judgement and based on what could such a judgement be made?

Society as a whole does, or rather society as effectuated by it's duly elected officials. That's the way the punishments for every crime are determined.

[Wycoff]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse


One does not fight barbarism with state sponsored barbarism.

Execution is not barbarism.

[Wycoff]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger If humans have rights, the right to life is necessarily the most fundamental. If your constitution cannot even guarantee this, what good is it?

You still have a right to life in a DP system. The right is simply a qualified right.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by MikeH
"If humans have rights, the right to life is necessarily the most fundamental. "

Why? Philosophical proof of that please.

It's the basic assumption

All other human rights are based on somebody being human. That is, having the right sort of genes and alive.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Wycoff
You still have a right to life in a DP system. The right is simply a qualified right.

That's dangerous, because somebody gets to decide who's qualified and who's not. Furthermore, the "qualifications" can change, maybe even arbitrarily.