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"Ensuring there are not occasional miscarriages of justice however seems to mean that the public are in greater danger all the time though."

Max, you obviously cannot ensure that there aren't occasional miscarriages of justice. That is why the death penalty should not be re-introduced.

Doesn't work that way, I'm afraid. Once you start treating humans as defective machines that need unplugging you slide into barbarism. I'm not against killing murderers and dangerous people if there is no other choice, but since we have prisons then there is no need for more death.

Like I said, if you like death so much go to a country where human life isn't held in such high regard.

Max, you are talking nonsense.

You are clearly in favour of the death penalty.

"In the wake of what has happened in Manchester, the Tory grandee Lord Tebbit has said the death sentence should be introduced for killers of Police officers. I think that would be a good thing,,"

That is why I explain why it would definitely not be a good thing.
"David, if someone is going to have key thrown away for what they've already done then doing additional things will make no difference to their sentence because they are going down for life anyway. If I killed some people, was then on the run and knew if (or rather when) they caught me I am going away forever, then if I was an evil person I could just kill more people because I can not get 'life in prison plus 30 years' - can I? The punishment for the additional killings would have to run concurrently with the punishment for the first two so I effectively get no punishment for the extra killings. I said in my OP (quote) "I think it would be good to introduce it though, so long as the chances of the person eventually dying is very high, as it could work as a deterrent". The key thing there is '...so long as the chances of the person eventually dying is very high...'"

Max, you are rambling. If someone gets a death sentence for murder (something which you said "would be a good thing" they may as well kill a number of other people because they can only be hung once.

"I know you are always sarcastic in your posts but I think even you would agree David that your comment there is a bit silly."

Sometimes Max, your daft posts bring the silliness out of me. It is a weakness in me, I know.

"I agree. Why was he out on bail?"

For the reason I explained to Alex. There wasn't sufficient evidence to charge him which is why Alex replied (if you could have been arsed to read his reply)

"I see, thanks, I guess they had no choice but to release him without enough information to charge him."

"If he was looking at life already for the first two murders, but knew he would be hanged for murders three and four, I doubt he would have done three and four."

You coudl just as easily argue that if he knew he was going to be hanged for murders three and four, he would do murders, three, four, five and six.

Like I implied with the sarcasm, I doubt murderers are the type that weigh up the pros and cons, Max. They already think killing people, for whatever reason they deem justifies their actions, is ok. They, to put it bluntly, DON'T GIVE A FUCK. They're psychotic or sociopathic. They're not really your average, common-sense guy. Got it, now?

The death penalty makes no discernible difference to the murder rate of a nation. If there was strong evidence that it did, many nations would never have abolished it.....or would have reintroduced it already.

Watch Steven Pinker's talk on the decline of violence.



We do not know how lucky we are and bringing back the death penalty would be regressive.

Never! See David Johnson's lengthy list explaining why not!

One of my big bugbears of the last few days is the inference that a police officer's life is somehow more important than the rest of us?! I'm sorry but as an ex partner of a cop I fail to see why this should be the case? It is just a (occasionally difficult and dangerous) job. They know the potential risks when they apply for the job.

You are really on form tonight David.

So nothing will stop people killing people then?