Some have pointed out the death penalty is more expensive than throwing away the key. That's news to me, but it seems undisputed.

Given its more expensive, doesn't act as a deterrent, and has sometimes killed people who were later found to be innocent, what possible justification is there for it? I can only see one - a desire for vengeance.

Have I missed something? If not it has no place in modern society. None. Whatsoever.

No, you've not missed anything, except that some supporters of a death penalty claim that it prevents rescidivism, which is trivially true, since other forms of penalty also do so, without the concommitant risk of executing an innocent and hence, without the additional cost burden of absolute proof of guilt that must be demanded within a just society.

I think we have exhausted this.

Thanks folks for your input

A few for the return of the death penalty

Some against and

Some others uncertain.

I am someone who thinks its return would be a good thing and not a reversal (as some have suggested) to the ‘bad old days’ where people were expected to be accountable for their actions (rather than a bunch of paid psycho-babble experts explaining it was all to do with wetting the bed until the age of 12)

I think this way because I have an absolute belief in our personal resposnibility and accountability for our actions and not a trivial idea to see a return of ‘lynch mobs’, which one person seemed fixated upon.

I would like to see the matter be put to a referendum.

(That automatically stacks the case in favour of those who support the status quo)

Should a referendum prevail for its return, I would support the sentence being appropriate for second offence drug dealers (for reasons previously stated) as well as murder and other heinous crimes.

Anyway, I doubt anything will happen under Krudd & Co like it did not under the liberals.

Better late than never :)

Hmm.. I think the death penalty is valid.. but only in cases where the evidence is incontrovertable.

Some verdicts are reached on the basis of circumstantial deduction.. fuzzy witnesses... but others include DNA evidence such as semen samples etc..

I'd reserve it (Death penalty) for..

-Convicted terrorists who are unrepentant. (with adequate evidence or confession)
-Kidnappers..
-Standover/Extortionists.
-Drug Dealers (high up ones)

Not much I can offer here because most has been covered and no matter what I say it will be wrongly understood or criticized by some.. never mind.. this is my bit.
cheers

The death penalty should be reserved for those who can prove they're related to God...

Thanks for this discussion, Col.
i thought that the discussion had come to an end as well, but then I thought about your main reason (personal responsibility and accountability) for capital punishment.

I fail to understand how a criminal would be held more accountable by being killed than by life imprisonment without parole.
Can someone who’s dead be held responsible and accountable?

The family of the executed person, however, have to deal not only with the crime performed by someone close to them but with losing that person as well.
If it's about being personally responsible and accountable, then isn't the criminal let off the hook after execution?

But someone who’s locked away for the rest of his life at least KNOWS why he has no longer access to freedom and society, and hopefully thinks about his crime, perhaps feels remorse.
He will have a lot of explaining to do, not only to his own conscious, but also to his family.

Polycarp,
Since you’re new to the discussion I’m curious what your main reason is for being pro capital punishment?