And the world record for "most botched execution" goes to...

[Seamus Fermanagh]

It is more expensive, on average, to house a prisoner for life than to execute them. I agree that the death penalty, of itself, is no longer necessary to protect society. If the death penalty truly were a deterrent, that might be one thing, but history shows us that that is not the case.

[Ironside]

It is more expensive, on average, to house a prisoner for life than to execute them.

Not true in the US. The exceptionality of the punishment drives up the costs. More appeals, higher trial costs and death row are more expensive than for life in prison.

[HopAlongBunny]

If the criminal justice system is a method of providing a criminal class, and perhaps ad-hoc control of the size/demands of the labour pool; the death penalty makes perfect sense.
Beyond the number necessary for a class to provide services to the elite, the remainder is simply dead weight. Where the economy cannot provide jobs to a sector of the labour pool, the excess is redundant and possibly problematic.
The option to simply eliminate the excess is convenient and much more direct. As wealth becomes more concentrated, a greater proportion of the population becomes unnecessary; the policy of elimination wears the mantle of "right" and morality.

[HopAlongBunny]

Further to the above, would be the observation that as society "mainstreams" the mentally-ill, the prison population grows.
De-institutionalizing (at least some classes) of the mentally ill simply transfers the care of those individuals to a different place of confinement.
The only real change is which pocket government largess ultimately ends up in.
The expense of the death penalty, and its failure as a deterrent allow for perpetual enrichment of those involved in the process.

[a completely inoffensive name]

I don't want to people to walk away from this thread thinking that Arizona is some how representative of US justice systems becoming institutionalized producers of a criminal class. When I say Arizona is a bunch of savages, I really mean to say, Arizona is a bunch of savages.

They elected this man six times. Investigations by the DOJ and FBI, ignored rape crimes, re-instituted chain gangs, noted as having "the worst history of racial profiling in US history" by the DOJ. And the people of Arizona just keep voting him in.

What do you expect from a state that sold off its own capitol buildings? Sorry citizens, forgot to pay the landlord this month, no government until September.

[Papewaio]

Treat the prisoners like the rest of the population.






Feed them corn derived fructose until they die of obesity.

[rory_20_uk]

Thousands of times a day around the world, people have proceedured done to them that would be excruciating without removing conciousness. Limbs and organs are removed - and almost all wake up with no memory of the pain. We've been doing this for almost 100 years now and we're getting better at it - so good no one even asks the question of whether the persons feel pain during the event.

And yet... it seems impossible to do the same thing with the only addition bieng the person doesn't wake up the other side reliably.

How can this be so? Knock them out, then hang 'em, shoot 'em, dismember 'em or lop their heads off. Perhaps leaving it to persons who usually work in prisons is the problem here.

[rory_20_uk]

Further to the above, would be the observation that as society "mainstreams" the mentally-ill, the prison population grows.
De-institutionalizing (at least some classes) of the mentally ill simply transfers the care of those individuals to a different place of confinement.

What is mental illness and what is not is no more than a line in the sand - being homosexual used to be a mental illness, and now is not. Sociopathy is not a mental illness, but being a psychopath is. Paedophilia seems to be viewed as not a mental illness as I imagine society rather would lock them up than just treat them with realistic dolls or whatever.

[Kadagar_AV]

Fun fact of the day:

The last US execution by firing squad took place in 2010.

Uncivilized, if you ask me.

[Rhyfelwyr]

Fun fact of the day:

The last US execution by firing squad took place in 2010.

Uncivilized, if you ask me.

That's nothing, over here in Britain we were still imprisoning people for witchcraft during WWII.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Fun fact of the day:

The last US execution by firing squad took place in 2010.

Uncivilized, if you ask me.

It really was the best method.

[Vincent Butler]

If the death penalty truly were a deterrent, that might be one thing, but history shows us that that is not the case

I don't have stats, so I will not try to contest that, though off the bat I disagree. The thing is, look at how many murders are committed by repeat offenders, it seems fairly common. Execute somebody for murder, I guarantee he will not do it again. Part of the problem is our appeals process. If painless is what you like, and I agree, though at times I want to make exceptions, the Guillotine or Firing Squad are good, hanging works too. Somebody else mentioned the shock caused by the chest shots, but a good head shot also works. Maybe requires better marksmen, but I know I can hit a head sized target at 25 yards with my rifle, and I am not an excellent shot by any means. More messy, though. Some, including myself, believe that blood needs to be shed for blood being spilt, see Numbers 35:33 and Genesis 9:6. Those are my grounds, others may have other grounds. If you want painless and clean, Carbon Monoxide would probably the way to go. From what I understand, having never experienced it myself, it is basically like falling asleep. Then again, how would those who say so know? The thing is, our constitution protects against "cruel and unusual punishment", so some methods are not valid (broken on the wheel, the rack, drawn and quartered, among others). Now for those who oppose capital punishment on those grounds, bear in mind our founding fathers were executing people, so the death penalty was not what they were thinking of.

Why is it so hard for the government to kill people?

I know, right? You would think they would have that down to a science. Maybe that is the problem, they are thinking too much.