Daniel Miles has now been convicted in of the murder of Yolande Michael while on the run from a NSW prison. He had escaped from prison where he was serving time for the murder of 16 year old Donna Newland.

Leonard Keith Lawson was released from prison after abducting and murdering a 15 year old girl. While on parole he raped and murdered 15 year old Mary Jane Bower at Collaroy. on the run, he entered SCEGGS girls school in Bowral and attempted to abduct a schoolgirl. In the struggle with a teacher, he fired a rifle several times, wounding the female teacher and killing 15 year old Wendy Luscombe.

When Gordon Barry Hadlow was released from a Queensland prison after 22 years, for the rape and murder of a six year old girl, Samantha Dorothy Bacon, he then abducted, raped, and murdered a 9 year old girl, Sharon Margaret Hamilton.

Leigh Robinson was sentenced to death for the stabbing murder of 17 year old shop assistant Valerie Dunn on June 8, 1968, in Melbourne. His sentence was commuted to 30 years jail after a mercy plea was accepted by the government of the day. Released after 15 years, he continued his war on our society with convictions for rape, sexual assault of two underage girls, breaking and entering, and theft. In 2008, Robinson murdered Tracey Greenbury, 32, after having an argument with her, and chasing the terrified woman down a street with a shotgun, before literally blowing most of her head off in front of an elderly female neighbour.

Only last year, a convicted murderer of a teenaged girl escaped from prison in Western Australia and murdered another young woman. I forgot to get the names and details of that case.

Had these four child rapist murderers been executed, five young women would still be alive today. The attitude of the anti death penalty brigade is curious. The lives of the worst kinds of criminals are sacrosanct. Only the lives of the innocent are expendable. Capital punishment definitely stops repeat offenders

Suseonline,
Your delight in making wrongdoers suffer does you no credit because it makes the state even more of a sadistic creature than the criminal. Reparation, if possible, rehabilitation, if possible, are the only ways to alter a criminal's sociopathic behaviour and the only things a state should do to criminals. If these are impossible then a quick, clean execution solves the problem.
The reasons for the violence and murders in the USA are manifold, among them rampant fundamentalist christianity, a violent, gun-toting police force, a 'justice' system that denies innocence until proven guilty, brutalises suspects and creates criminals in the vile torture chambers they call prisons. A violent society that has existed in a state of permanent war for over a century with zero respect for the lives of people in other countries, must expect their own backyard to become violent.

ybgirp, the main problem with the '...quick clean execution' is that there is no such thing.

The medical reports following executions in the US are known for their gruesome detail into how often they are ineffective in producing a quick, painless death.
So suggesting this method of punishment does you no credit.

Obviously I am not alone in my thinking, given that capital punishment is not carried out at all in Australia.

Discussing how we would save the state so much money if we executed the criminals makes me wonder just which of the criminals you would execute?

Would we knock off all the murderers? Well, that would have to include those poor sods who mercy kill their dying relative...is execution ok for this brand of murderer?

Will we only execute those we are 'sure' were guilty?
As far as I am concerned, the only sure evidence is actual clear video footage of the murder. Would we have that available very often do you think?

Suseonline, the Americans appear to deliberately use the worst possible forms of execution - low voltage DC electricity that slowly burns the brain, whereas high voltage AC would instantly kill. Or they use a combination of drugs that cause an unpleasant death. A glass of nembutal kills painlessly and quickly, as does a plastic bag filled with an inert gas over the head. Both are without any unpleasant side effects as they work, both achieve death very quickly.
I've been quite clear that there must be no doubt as to the guilt of the murderer. And I do not consider the act of voluntary euthanasia on a loved one murder, any more than shooting a severely injured horse, dog or cat is animal cruelty. Indeed, not to put them out of their misery is the cruel and inhumane act.
If human life is so valuable, why are our soldiers assisting the USA to murder thousands of innocent men women and children with drones, bombs and other armaments in Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq and everywhere else the USA imagines it's economic interests are at stake? Why is it OK for Obama to authorise the assassination of anyone anywhere on the planet he deems might become a security risk - even USA citizens in their own country? The notion that life is sacred for violent murderers and people who maim and cripple for their personal gain is absurd. And your suggestion that we join them in committing similar violence in retribution is abhorrent.

Dear Lego,

Don't get me wrong while I am steadfastly anti the death penalty I am also vehemently anti releasing rapists and murderers of children early, if at all, nor allowing them into minimum security prisons.

Good afternoon to you LEGO...

I've deliberately abstained from commenting on matters that have emerged as a consequence of this particular Topic, mainly because I raised a similar discussion, on the death penalty, some months ago on 'The Forum'.

That said, I've nevertheless followed the discussion thus far with some interest until I saw your comments apropos the likes of Leonard Keith LAWSON and ors. I could be wrong, but you have a certain 'turn of phrase' that leads me to believe perhaps you've been in the job at one time ? Probably I'm wrong, and in any event it's inconsequential to the precise theme of this topic.

I spent most of my working live in the coppers and I came to know the criminal antecedents of Lawson quite well, particularly as a result of further crimes he committed, whilst locked-up within the walls of Parramatta Gaol. He attacked and held hostage, a young female Salvation Army choir member, during a service in the gaol chapel. Though her release was secured, and Lawson was overpowered and locked-up. One might conclude, it all ended-up (reasonably) OK ? Actually it didn't really ! Some years later the female victim, sadly committed suicide.

Many pundits for the death penalty have strongly argued, had Lawson been executed for his earlier capital crimes, two further innocent lives would have been spared. I guess there can be no argument there.

Personally, I'm on record as being totally opposed to the death penalty, for ANY reason whatsoever. I'm most definitely in favour of corporal punishment for certain heinous offences occasioned against women and children. But the death penalty, absolutely not.