Rape sentence reverberates across India

[pocaracas]

There's a reason why the death penalty has been abolished in most of the western world.... if only you knew it...

Ah, the post-a-funny-picture-to-dodge-the-question ploy.

Care to give a straight answer? Or don't you really know? It's OK if you don't.

Ah, the I-don't-know-so-I'll-ask-if-you-know ploy

Here, educate yourself: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_pun...and_debate

Just a few ideas that come from that link and memory:

• Human rights
  
• Wrongful execution
  
• Retribution
  
• The existence of a deterrence effect is disputed.
  
• Recent studies show that executing a criminal costs more than life imprisonment does
  

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As to the questions in the OP:

Has justice been delivered?
Really, what little support remains in me for the death penalty has little to do with justice, and more to do with getting these people off the planet. For instance, Ian Brady is basically the UK's equivalent to Charlie Manson, right down to getting a permanent stay of execution due to their nation's recent abolition of the death penalty. He's been fighting for his right to kill himself for over a decade. Is there really any reason it's better for him to keep on living?

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.

Does India need such harsh punishment?
Just FYI, the four defendants did kill the victim, so, I doubt it's that harsh in comparison with ours.

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

Will it be enough deterrent for the next guys who think of doing this?
The death penalty is not a good deterrent. That's been demonstrated time and again. It wasn't a deterrent in the old days when people stuck the heads of the condemned on a spike and placed them in the town square. How well do you think it'll deter now?

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...?