Rape sentence reverberates across India

[Rev. Rye]

Some studies claim that it's more expensive to carry out the death penalty than to keep the person imprisoned for life... But that's where the prisoners have to be treated like royalty.... in India, I guess a bullet is less expensive.

They're actually hanging them. And, I think the big part of the reason executions cost so much is the appeals process, which can easily last for more than a decade.

Can the court be sure that those who have been convicted are the ones who really carried out the deed?

I've found no evidence that they ever denied carrying it out; even in the trial, their lawyer insisted that the victims were to blame for doing everything from failing to defend themselves to using public transport. But at no point have I ever seen any of them claiming they didn't do it.

If it doesn't work as a deterrent for such future crimes, then why use it? Would life imprisonment suffice? Perhaps with some quality solitary time.. measured in years...?

Usually, I'd agree, but the case of Ian Brady changed my mind. Ian Brady and Myra Hindley were arrested for the murder of three children in 1963, and were sentenced to life in prison just after the abolition of the death penalty. He's been fighting for his right to kill himself since 1999, and yet he's still alive. Is there any good reason that he should stay alive?

I have my own personal idea for an alternative to the death penalty, wherein lifers in prison petition for the right to end their lives. In essence, my plan is to replace the traditional death penalty with a Dignitas-style model. Granted, not many are likely to follow through and apply, but I think it's the best middle ground in the debate on capital punishment.