U.S. Supreme Court to hear Texas argue death penalty for child rapists

[SlowwHand]

Re: Out of interest, a question to those that hold this opinion.

Originally posted by DinoDoc
It maybe unusual in this case but under what grounds would it be cruel?

I didn't say it was cruel OR unusual. You must be thinking of someone else.

[SlowwHand]

Originally posted by Zkribbler




IIRC, even felony murder (i.e. you're committing a felony and as a result, someone dies -- say, your robbing a bank and your accomplice kills someone), doesn't get YOU the death penalty.

Nope, you both can buy it.

[Heraclitus]

It makes me feel very weird to see people advocating the death penalty.


But on the other hand it lets me feel all smug and civilised.

[Lancer]

Originally posted by Heraclitus
It makes me feel very weird to see people advocating the death penalty.


But on the other hand it lets me feel all smug and civilised.

When you euros aren't whacking each other by the millions you can be very smug and civilized, it's true.

[MJW]

I think the Suprume Court should ban "life-in-supermax" before they ban the death penalty... As I said before being put in a supermax sucks much more than dying. They will stop you from killing yourself there. I'm pro death penalty and anti-supermax.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Proteus_MST
For me it sounds like a good reason for many rapists (in texas) to kill their victims instead of letting them go.

Yep, If he'll get executed either way then logically he should just kill the victim and get rid of a witness.

[Winston]

Originally posted by Oerdin
Yep, If he'll get executed either way then logically he should just kill the victim and get rid of a witness.

And we all know the one thing at which criminals excel is logic.

So anyway..

I'm pro death penalty for capital murder, but I don't believe even the most "egregious sexual molestation of a child" should be grounds for a sentence of death. At the very least, until they include mere "egregious molestation of a child" - which for some mysterious reason they don't. Suppose that's okay, relatively speaking, as long as it isn't *gasp* sexual.

This is stupid, it ought to fail on exactly the same grounds as the previous adult rape case did, as has been said already.

[asleepathewheel]

Originally posted by Oerdin


Yep, If he'll get executed either way then logically he should just kill the victim and get rid of a witness.

Not really how most criminals think. More likely a scenario if there is time for reflection, but that is pretty fact specific and requires subsequent access to the child, which in turn likely requires inaction by the child or family to go to the authorities/hospital.

[Winston]

never mind

[Arrian]

Well, based on Slate's writeup, day 1 in this trial seems to indicate the court is leaning toward agreeing with LA/TX.

-Arrian

[classical_hero]

I wish that we could have such a thing happen in Australia. I really don't know what exactly is considered the worst form of rape but i would say that anyone who rapes a baby should be considered that and yet in Perth someone who did this not to one but two children was not even considered for the maximum sentence available, which is 20 years in Prison. You do have to wonder what is considered a worse case scenario.

http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/Baby-rapist-may-be-free-in-four-years-DS2BW?OpenDocument

[Heraclitus]

All I have to say is that Democracy and human rights wise the US peaked in the 70's, after that you guys have been going downhill.

The DP is barbaric and unnesecary in a civilised society.
/Starts listneing to Rule Britannia/

[chequita guevara]

In the Louisiana case, the prosecution told the child that unless she admitted her step-father raped her, she would not be allowed to be returned to her mother. Up to that point, for two months, she had insisted she was raped by two boys.

[DinoDoc]

That's not the issue before the Court, che.

[chequita guevara]

I know. But for those here saying just kill anyone even accused of child rape, I think that point out to be made.

Still, one would hope that the SCOTUS would slap the LA prosecution in any event for its misconduct.