Science lacking on whether death penalty deters murder

[Ecurb Noselrub]

mistake

[ThinkAnarchy]

What is with all the quotes with no new text lately? I have seen two from sweetdeath and now this one. I had a problem posting a picture in another thread with nothing showing up...

Is something wrong with my browser, with the site, or are a couple of people just having off days?

[Amicale]

What is with all the quotes with no new text lately? I have seen two from sweetdeath and now this one. I had a problem posting a picture in another thread with nothing showing up...

Is something wrong with my browser, with the site, or are a couple of people just having off days?

I'm seeing it, too. I theenk zey are writing in inveesible eenk....

[Asmodean]

What about finding a large island...

With an unnecessarilly tall high voltage fence around it..? Sure, why not?

Been done. The inmates took over. Look up USA and Australia.

Please! Australia has no manner of overly tall electric fence at all and that thing The USA has on its border with Mexico is just pathetic.

[Guardian85]

I don't see how the death penalty could be a deterrent to murder. There are three basic types of killer:

The Heat of the moment killer: The killer strikes without premeditation, usually in response to some emotional/psychological stimulation. This would encompass crimes of passion and rage killings. For example if you walk in on your wife and your friend knocking boots, and kill them both in a fit of rage. Or your kid flips your car on it's head and you strangle him.
These killers are not deterred by the concequences of their actions, as they don't concider these as they are flipping out. That is one of the defining characteristics of flipping out.

The premeditated murder: This killer has planned his crime, and has taken precautions to avoid capture os suspicion. This includes killing for profit, revenge or ideology.
These killers think they will get away, and therefore are not deterred by consequences.

The "crazy" killer: This killer strikes because he is compelled to hunt and/or kill. He is drawn to the kill and cannot help but feel elation or sexual relief when taking a life. These are the serial killers and crazy stalker types.
Their drive to kill is a part of them and they can't stop until they are stopped.

None of these killers would be deterred by the threat of capital punishment as they either don't concider the consequence of their actions, or think they can get around them.

Add to this the before mentioned problems of wrongful convictions and the barbarity of the whole thing, and it becomes clear that capital punishment is an outdated form of punishment.

[Asmodean]

There is also the occasional asshole who kills, ready and willing to face the consequences and become a martyr of one sort or another... And then there is the occasional asshole who kills a bunch of others before taking own life... Also, there is ALWAYS an asshole who, while otherwise sane, just doesn't give a fuck about the consequences.

The world is not just black and white, but nor is it just red, blue and green.

[Guardian85]

There is also the occasional asshole who kills, ready and willing to face the consequences and become a martyr of one sort or another...

It could be argued that intentionally seeking to martyrize (is that a word?) yourself is a form of suicide. Otherwize this person still falls under my second category, just in a slightly different way.

And then there is the occasional asshole who kills a bunch of others before taking own life...

Who can fairly easily be placed in the third category.

Besides, I said these were the three basic kinds of murders, not that all killings ever fall under this category. There is always the exeption that confirms the rule.

[Asmodean]

It could be argued that intentionally seeking to martyrize (is that a word?) yourself is a form of suicide. Otherwize this person still falls under my second category, just in a slightly different way.

Slightly is where my beef with your scale lies - what is "slightly" to you or me may be cruicial to the killer and/or his/her sympathisers.

Who can fairly easily be placed in the third category.

You don't have to be crazy to do that - you go, "send your message" to the society in blood and then opt out of getting a response. One CAN be rational enough about it not to be deemed insane.

There is always the exeption that confirms the rule.

If a rule has exceptions, the instances of those exceptions do not confirm the rule, as those instanes are where the rule does not apply.