Death Row

I am fascinated by Death Row. How people ended up there, the crimes they committed, the US justice system, the appeals, the occasional last minute clemency, and the actual putting to death of a prisoner. All of it.

I even find last meals and last words extremely interesting, every credit to some of the monsters who, seconds from death, can put together thoughtful and meaningful last words.

I am for the death penalty for the most heinous of crimes, some people shouldn't be in our society, some people will never change. But there are people on death row who probably shouldn't be there. People who took part in a crime but didn't actually kill anyone for example.

I'm also frustrated by the amount of time it takes to put a prisoner to death. The average wait between sentencing and execution is 15 years! Obviously some wait even longer. But just last week I watched a documentary about a bloke on death row who refused all appeals and was put to death inside 5 years. He wanted to go to bring peace to his Mum and the victim's family. He was only 29. I found myself admiring him - crazy.

We criticise the US for a lot of things, but I do think they do justice better than we do. Just recently I've noticed a lot of UK criminals getting a "life" sentence, but when you read on you see the judge has suggested a minimum time they must spend in prison, often only 10, 12 or 15 years. In the US they'd either be on death row or spending the rest of their life behind bars.

What are your thoughts on this subject? Should life mean life? Are we too soft on crime in the UK? Do you agree with the death penalty for the worst of the worst

Not sure i agree with the death penalty as there can be miscarriages of justice, but life should mean life. As you say Nat, the Yanks have that right.

I don't believe in the death penalty,but I completely agree that we're far too lenient in this country when it comes to sentencing.
A murderer can be back in circulation within ten years on some occasions,which is ludicrous,and you can understand how the family of the victim can feel cheated.
Apart from the death penalty,the American system works pretty well,and we'd do well to look at how they appoint their judges,who,like the lady below,seem  much more attuned to the  thinking of the man/woman on the street.

Life should mean life, I agree.

"I do think they do justice better than we do". Really?

The US has the highest incarceration rate in the world. It is also heavily biased against blacks and to a lesser extent against hispanics. I suggest you try reading the article below for more factual information about American justice.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=13&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiymaiDnfvaAhUIPFAKHb6DCQwQFgh0MAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FUnited_States_incarceration_rate&usg=AOvVaw0uRg2RBFJi-35WFUojbdqE

xmiles wrote:"I do think they do justice better than we do". Really?

The US has the highest incarceration rate in the world. It is also heavily biased against blacks and to a lesser extent against hispanics. I suggest you try reading the article below for more factual information about American justice.

Yes, they do justice better because life means life. It means the public are safer.

If you want to turn this into a thread about racism, start your own thread.

If you commit a heinous crime you should be put to death

Rapists should be castrated.

Killers should be killed in the same way they killed.