Folks, this is not the first occasion this ultimate punishment has been offered as the topic of conversation, nor will it be the last I suspect?

I'm implacably against state-sanctioned executions for any crimes. I would further add, as a retired 'jack,' I'm generally on my 'Pat Malone,' as evidenced by the number of heated discussions I've had with colleagues, as we try to stay alert, during the quiet hours, on night shift.

I again return to that eminent jurist BLACKSTONE when he said '... a 100 guilty men should go free than one innocent man is punished. Equally applicable in the merit of Capital Punishment?

During a trip to the US in 1986 and again in '87, during a break I had, between the Courses I was attending, I was invited to visit several large State Penitentiaries. And the, ah - 'highlight' if you will, of those visits, was being shown their various 'death' chambers. Viz, Electric Chair, Gas Chamber & the 'Needle Room'?

Many of you may not know, on the top landing of 4 Wing, CIP, in our own Long Bay Gaol, the beam; the trapdoor; & the mechanism is still firmly in situ! The only thing from it being rendered operable again, are a couple of small weld spots, easily removed should the government of the day have a mind to do so?

Obviously, these Chambers of Death weren't in use. But when one is confronted with the cold, calculated precision, the administrators of these gaols go through, to kill another human being, well it left me utterly mortified and prompted me to realise - all it amounted to, was State-sanctioned murder.

Please don't think that I'm some weak, 'big girl's blouse.' I'm a veteran of war myself (1964/65) But, to coldly execute another, by pushing a switch, or pulling on a short handle .....nope, not for me, I'm afraid.

In my opinion, the only punishment 'for the worst of the worst' crimes, & those who would commit them - stick 'im in maximum security, and lose the key!

Death could only be the ultimate punishment if we were actually able to die.

But we cannot truly die: the "death penalty" only destroys and deprives us of our body.

Imprisonment, in comparison, is much worse, much harsher than the destruction of our body: imprisonment exposes us to the worst company and the most unwholesome environment, whereas if we lose our body, we will automatically get a new one, then live in whatever company and environment we deserve.

For hardened criminals, prison may not be a great deal because they are already used to bad company and an unwholesome environment, but for good people who accidentally find themselves in prison, this is the very worst, far more terrible than the death of one's body.

So if the idea is that it is more important to prevent one innocent man (or woman) from being punished than to punish 100 guilty men, then the minimal decent thing to do, is to offer the immediate death option in replacement of prison to anyone who is convicted, in fact to anyone who is arrested and not immediately bailed.

If you like, you could view this as an appeal to the highest court, where no mistakes can be made, where no innocent soul suffers and no evil criminal can escape punishment.

I oppose all forms of state sanctioned murder, be it the death penalty for a crime committed, or war with others.

The following contribution to 'Huffpost' by Shawn Henfling is about the United States, but it would apply to Australia should we introduce the death penalty as well.

"We slaughter the innocent and guilty alike in the United States. As parents, we teach our children that killing is wrong then send them off to war and celebrate when an alleged criminal is put to death. That kind of dichotomy in our thinking is not only wrong, it is barbaric and archaic. People in this country like to hold ourselves up as exceptional, the moral compass for the world. The reality is that we are guilty of the same atrocities we rage against. In this case, it happens to be the death penalty."

I fully understand the personal and community anger/outrage with some of the heinous crimes that are committed, and the call for the death penalty is understandable, but not justified, in my opinion.

Yuyutsu, maybe you would support a choice for criminals given life or a very long sentence, would you allow then them to choose euthanasia (state assisted suicide) as an alternative to prison?

I think it was Ted Bundy (not sure) who could have appealed his death sentence in the US, but refused his lawyers that opportunity. In a way he chose his own death as an alternative to prison.

I have stated several times that for proven murderers & other heinous criminals, the prison cell should have a small glass case that contains a Cyanide or similar capsule that the inmate can smash & access & consume the capsule. No-one should then feel guilty. This arrangement is apparently available to Astronauts when faced by certain impossibility of returning to safety.

Dear Paul,

«Yuyutsu, maybe you would support a choice for criminals given life or a very long sentence, would you allow then them to choose euthanasia (state assisted suicide) as an alternative to prison?»

Yes, this is what I just suggested (was I not clear enough?), except that I would not limit the option only to very long sentences.

It was not so much real bad criminals that I had in mind, but rather innocent good people who had the misfortune to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, or who were sent to prison for maintaining their moral/religious principles even when these happened to conflict with state laws.

The option should always be there, but obviously this choice ought to be voluntary. A hardened criminal is likely to choose prison while a good person is more likely to choose euthanasia.

---

«the prison cell should have a small glass case that contains a Cyanide or similar capsule that the inmate can smash & access & consume the capsule.»

It cannot technically be as simple and without manual guard intervention because then a prisoner could administer the capsule to other prisoners, even place its contents in their food (even worse, in the drink of visitors, theirs or others').

Yuyutsu,
You simply don't want a solution why else would you question alternatives put up instead of
offering alternatives ?
I have been the victim of thefts & that enough makes me wish these crapheads would suffer a fate that keeps them off the streets !
I suppose in your thinking crime is not as abhorrent as punishing it !