Should or should not insanity be reason enough to escape the death penalty?

[aftab]

Looking back to the thread Scott Peterson found guilty !!!

"A jury found Scott Peterson guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Laci, and of second-degree murder in the death of their unborn son today. The verdict reached by the six-man, six-woman jury leaves Peterson facing a possible sentence of death or life in prison without parole."

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What if that person really *has* an illness, and it can be treated? Or what about the option of life-imprisonment instead (without the possibility of parole)?

Is not life-imprisonment a "harsher" punishment(?) -in a sense- since you are being tortured to spent the rest of your life behind bars?

Should or should not insanity be reason enough to escape the death penalty?

 

[Parra Power]

i dont agree with the death penalty at all....

 

[Lean]

Well, if the guy is insane (if he really is insane) he doesnt have any control over his acts, so i dont think he should be "awarded" the death penalty.

 

[mhflierman]

The death penalty is a sign of a non-cultivated, non-civilized society. It's pathetic.

 

[jumbo]

If the guy is insane, he should be locked up in a psychiatric clinic not out in the public killin people.

It's funny how it always turns out they're crazy aftert they commit the crime....

 

[b-ytter]

Well most criminals(murderers)must be insane in the first place to commit such a crime!
no exuse to avoid prison or death penalty i think tough!

 

[Help?]

I think prisoner's would actually rather be locked up for life, than go into phychic clinic. I don't know how things in US, but in Canada life prison is 25 years and even after that you usually get out earlier, while if you say that you are insane, then you are insane forever and it's almost impossible to get out, plus there is no such thing as temporarily insanity in Canada.

 

[Tom]

making someone live their life out for 50yrs in a jail cell is a worse punishment than death.

TROD.

 

[Funky--K]

Originally posted by TROD
making someone live their life out for 50yrs in a jail cell is a worse punishment than death.

TROD.

exactly
death sentence is just wrong, IMO... There's an enourmous difference between taking a life or making it worse...

 

[jumbo]

yeah, death sentence is wrong hence i think it should be punished with death sentence too.

 

[aftab]

Insanity argument is valid enough in the court of law to save him/her from death panalty but what is happening in reality is that every criminal lawyer out there is using this loop hole to prove all cases as done by mentally insane ppl and the biggest problem with this is its very esy to prove anybody is insane and let him grow free.......If a person is sick enough to kill anybody than he is fit enough to stand on trial and be criminalized for death panalty.........an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth........

If it is a genuine mental illness then I think the individual should be contained in a safe enviroment and treatments should be given in the hope of cure. But If this is not the case ...and it is danger to anyone who comes across this individual...then I would say death penalty should only be allowed as a last resort... if there is no other solution...

 

[Help?]

Originally posted by aftab
an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth........

lol, this is not Hummarabi's Code

 

[rhizome17]

Originally posted by mhflierman
The death penalty is a sign of a non-cultivated, non-civilized society. It's pathetic.

!!!

 

[Hristos]

The best way to punish people would be to strand them on an island to fend for themselves....

Then again the British tried it and now we have Australia...

Hmmm...

 

[Bobby]

This guy killed a pregnate woman.

He deserves to die a horrible, horrible death.

Locking him up is too good for him.

 

[Help?]

Bring back the electric chair.

 

[jumbo]

Someone said 25 years of prison is far worse than death.

Hell no, no for my money. It COSTS to keep them in those prisons, feed them, etc.

Why do it?

 

[Vagegast]

Osama deserves a nice slow death

So does Mike Vick

 

[Bobby]

Originally posted by Vagegast
Osama deserves a nice slow death

So does Mike Vick

hah

 

[jumbo]

Which Osama? My uncle name's Osama.