Quote Originally Posted by Xiahou
And yet, they don't have to kill you for speeding for it to have a deterrent effect.
True.

Criteria 1 and 3 are both fullfilled by life imprisonment, in fact, according to Pindar, life imprisonment is torture and worse than death- so it's deterrent effect should be greater on those grounds.
Not everyone shares that impression. Most of people that haven’t been in prison, in matter a fact, fear death more then prison. Those who have been in prison are very often more willing to die shooting the cops down then to go back inside again. Consider this.

I think 2 must be where everyone isn't seeing eye to(for?) eye. Compensation, where possible, is well and fine. Someone steals your tv, the police catch him, you should be compensated for it. However, there is no compensation for having a loved one murdered.
No complete compensation, of course, because the complete balance cannot be restored. A murdered person cannot be revived. But there are degrees of compensation. If someone wrecks your car, it is no sufficient compensation that he gives you 100 dollars (unless you were driving a real piece of crap ;)), he must pay far more then that. Even if he pays back the value of the car, the attachment you had to the car, the memories of your first sex in it, no one can compensate that. But the more it gets compensated, the easier can one bear the loss.

When beloved one is murdered, having his murderer executed gives the bereaved ones more satisfaction/compensation back then sentencing the perpetrator to 20 years/for life. How often did you see men going to prison for 20 years for rape and murder of a six year old girl? You think that is righteous? I don’t.

And still, even if I agree with Pindar-sama’s arguments, I do not support his position.

I would be much more barbaric to the really vile offenders, rapists, mass murderers. I wouldn’t give them the benefits of the death penalty, the easy way out. I’d make them go into forced labor and spend the rest of their days in pain and misery. If you are looking for a barbaric person in this thread, look no further, it’s me.

The death of the murderer does not bring anyone back- all if does is provide for vengeance.
Again, the three points outlined above.

My position is consistent in that killing people who are not a threat, is best avoided.
I agree. Bring out the chains and a pick.

Quote Originally Posted by Papewaio
It is quite a sexist, offensive and uncivilised notion to think that women and men are not equal.
Men and women are not equal.

Only equality that there is and can be is the equality before the law.