Originally posted by: jer0608
Originally posted by: Condor
1. The state represents the people and society has a right to determine its own security.
2. If the cost of safety is a little less population, how is that bad if you aren't one of the mistakes? There are no perfect systems and mistakes spare as many as they cost.
3. The dead don't come back and repeat the crime. How is that not deterrent?
What if you are one of the mistakes?
Can you imagine how that must feel, being imprisoned for years, knowing that you will be put to death for a crime you didn't commit, watching hope slowly die? Imagine the toll on your family. If private citizens inflicted such misery on another human being, regardless of their intentions, it would be classified as murder with aggravating circumstances. They might even get the death penalty for it :|.
We should eliminate the long wait for sure. Even the drafters of our constitution recognized that.
In the event the system breaks down and an innocent person is executed,
should we then prosecute the prosecuters, judges and jurors for torturing and killing an innocent person? Oh, wait, the judicial system has society's best interests at heart, even as it snuffs out the life of the unfortunate individual and destroys their family. Better to leave them completely unaccountable for these "errors" so we can continue to have our vengeance and pay lip service to deterrence.
I think we should hold the system accountable. If someone is prosecuted in error, how come the DA and the judges have a get out of jail free card. Once again, that is a flaw in the system that should be fixed.