This is a difficult question...
A penalty is put in place with the aim of discouraging a certain behavior. The more damaging the behavior, the harsher the penalty.
What sort of behaviors would warrant a "death penalty"?
Psychotic behaviors?.... would such a penalty discourage future psychopaths?
Doesn't look like it, does it?
Other behaviors that warrant a death penalty? I don't know, in my country the maximum penalty attributable is 25 years in jail.
Of course, just because a penalty fails to prevent a crime, that doesn't mean the penalty is failing at its task of discouragement and should be chucked out.
From my perspective, if we refuse to apply corporal punishments as penalty, such as beatings, rock throwing, maiming, amputation, etc.... then we shouldn't accept the application of the maximal corporal punishment: death.
And then there's my human POV - if some guy killed my family, I would want revenge. Culminating on his death. But making him suffer as much as possible on the way there.
However, the justice system can't act like that. It can't use emotion. And it is composed of faulty human beings which may convict the wrong person. You may have guessed from all this rambling that I'm not in favor of the death penalty at the justice system level.
A penalty is put in place with the aim of discouraging a certain behavior. The more damaging the behavior, the harsher the penalty.
What sort of behaviors would warrant a "death penalty"?
Psychotic behaviors?.... would such a penalty discourage future psychopaths?
Doesn't look like it, does it?
Other behaviors that warrant a death penalty? I don't know, in my country the maximum penalty attributable is 25 years in jail.
Of course, just because a penalty fails to prevent a crime, that doesn't mean the penalty is failing at its task of discouragement and should be chucked out.
From my perspective, if we refuse to apply corporal punishments as penalty, such as beatings, rock throwing, maiming, amputation, etc.... then we shouldn't accept the application of the maximal corporal punishment: death.
And then there's my human POV - if some guy killed my family, I would want revenge. Culminating on his death. But making him suffer as much as possible on the way there.
However, the justice system can't act like that. It can't use emotion. And it is composed of faulty human beings which may convict the wrong person. You may have guessed from all this rambling that I'm not in favor of the death penalty at the justice system level.