Philosophical Discussion #5: Is a sanctioned killing immoral?

[thisAngelBites]

I have mixed emotions about capital punishment.
1) it does not deter crime.
2) it should be swift and certain. Instead, it is a painfully slow process, costing the tax payers millions in mandatory appeals.
3) it usually does not provide significant closure to the families of the victims.

Additionally, it appears to not be meted out in a fair way with regards to sex or race. AND there have been cases of people destined for execution where evidence has come to light that exonerates them. I think it's fairly certain that people innocent of the crime of which they were convicted are sometimes put to death.

[Times Roman]

Additionally, it appears to not be meted out in a fair way with regards to sex or race. AND there have been cases of people destined for execution where evidence has come to light that exonerates them. I think it's fairly certain that people innocent of the crime of which they were convicted are sometimes put to death.

This is more common than we care to admit. There are documented cases in Texas where it was discovered "too late" that someone put to death was not guilty of their crime.

I'm not anti-capital punishment in any way. But I think we need to rebalance the system we have somehow. Unfortunately, I'm not sure right at the moment how to do that.

[thisAngelBites]

I'm not anti-capital punishment in any way. But I think we need to rebalance the system we have somehow. Unfortunately, I'm not sure right at the moment how to do that.

Agreed. It's very difficult and complicated, as are most things that intelligent people disagree about, as it can be difficult to make rules/laws that state things generally that deal with the many shades of grey that appear in real life in the way we would like.