ironheadjane.livejournal.com ([identity profile] ironheadjane.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] docwebster 2005-03-18 01:17 am (UTC)

You might agree, you might not.

I think that the death penalty, as a punishment, is the very same as the crime of murder.

ie. not punishment at all.

I never did understand how death was a punishment.

I mean, if you want to push it further, what is the role of criminal prosecution, justice and incarceration in society? Is it punishment or rehabilitation? Is it an end result or a continuing process. Is it looking towards the future or condemning the past?

I think in some ways, death can be viewed as the ultimate release from pain and responsibility. In the end, the death penalty seems just an exercise in retribution, not meant to "punish" as much as it's meant to make the victims (and the society surrounding them) feel powerful where they once felt powerless.

If people truly felt there was no redemption for this person, and that they're punishment should be PUNISHMENT instead of release, I would think there would be more people in favor of horrific torture and experimentation on the guilty. Lord knows, there's plenty who work in the system who see to it that prisoners are treated like less than human beings. Many feel they deserve it. *shrug*

The criminal justice system is such a crazy creature.

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