Court to Consider Death Penalty For Child Rape

If there can be undeniable evidence, 100 and 10 percent that a person raped a child/children then I'm all for whatever torture/death penalty they dish out.

There are different sorts of child abuse, emotional, physical... what we are talking about here people is the worst sort of child abuse you can imagine. RAPE... to young children, sometimes as young as 2 years old. These people should not be allowed near children again ever, im not for parole for these people, if they don't grant the death penalty then they should castrate them, or keep them locked up forever and throw away the damn key because 9 times out of ten they always re-offend.

Originally posted by greeneyedleo

Originally posted by biggie smalls
reply to post by DimensionalDetective

 

Does child rape really warrant the death penalty? Murderers haven't stopped killing people despite the use of the death penalty. Is this really going to deter people from raping children?

While I do not defend people who do such despicable acts, they are still people. Who are we to sentence another to death? We are not god.

An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind, remember. Having them be raped over and over again may be what it takes to drill it into their brains, but that may also cause more harm than good.

Killing people is not going to solve any problems.

Is there ANY punishment that deters 100% of the time? NO!
Does it deter some? YES IT DOES. Therefore, it is a just punishment. Keeping disgusting people alive (murderers and rapists) is not going to solve any problems either.

And if you let a murderer or rapists serve life in prison....the chance of them murdering and raping again is VERY LIKELY. Why should they be allowed to have that opportunity ever again?

People like that have lost all rights and all respect for their own lives. They make a choice - they know the consequences. Therefore, they are choosing their fate.


[edit on 14-4-2008 by greeneyedleo]

I couldn't agree with you more. Child rapists is one of the worst things a person can do and I don't see the need to let them sit in jail. Although the death penalty is ultimately more expensive, I also feel if that system was changed and death did not take 10+ years, people would be more deterred. If we have DNA evidence for a child rapist I wish they didn't follow the same rules and let them take appeal after appeal.

reply to post by DimensionalDetective


Wow, I've always felt child rapists need to be put to death. I'm VERY pleased to see that the courts are seriously considering it. And before anybody even replies, I'm not interested in moral high ground arguments. I support this 100%

I am going to disagree here - lock them up and throw away the key, but reserve the death penalty for murder. In fact I think the death penalty should be limited to the most heinous murders only - mass murder and the murder of children.

The death penalty is the most serious penalty, and should be reserved for the most serious crimes. Child rape is awful, but the victims can and do recover - I have known a few

Murder on the other hand, is always permanent.

An unintended consequence of extending the penalty also may be that child rapists may be more likely murder their victims in light of this law, thinking that the penalty is the same and they are less likely to get caught if the victim is no longer alive and can't talk.

Just something to think about.

"Getting tough" always sounds good and always has emotional appeal.
But the primary purpose of law is to protect the innocent, not to satiate our rage & desire to avenge the victims.

I never have supported the death penalty, but if there is one thing it should be used for, it is murder. You all are saying that child rapists are the "filthiest scum on the planet", but I know some other things that can be worse.

Besides if we cross the line and allow the death penalty for those other than who have committed murder, where does it stop? Eventually, parents will be saying that ALL rapists should be put to death (and I'm sure some of you would enjoy that, too).

Originally posted by xmotex

The death penalty is the most serious penalty, and should be reserved for the most serious crimes. Child rape is awful, but the victims can and do recover - I have known a few

Murder on the other hand, is always permanent.

Yes some do and that is great, but not all do. Many children are permanently traumatized and experience many problems in their life that they may not even realize stemmed from a terrible act such as rape.

[edit on 14-4-2008 by Comsence2075]

Originally posted by Jaytan

Wow, you people couldn't tell that was sarcasm???

On a serious note, though, I think the death penalty is wrong in every way imaginable. With that said, I'm completely against any attempt to add to the offenses we allow to be punished by death. It's a slippery slope. If child rape is bad enough, why not grand theft or drug trafficking or assault on a police officer? Eventually, they'll come after you too.

Another point - because the federal age of consent is 18 years old, which can be half a dozen years after a child has reached a physical maturity capable of engaging in sexual intercourse, and often fully consensual relationships between minors and adults are unfairly categorized as "child rape", many people could end up on death row for nothing more than having a 17-year-old lover.

In most of the world, people are considered adults when they've gone through puberty, and for most of mankind's history, it was commonplace for girls to be married in their teens. Now, in the country that considers itself the freest nation on the globe, you people are willing to let your government stick its nose in your bedrooms with the threat of death if they don't approve of what they see.

With that said, I want to reiterate how absurd the death penalty is. It does not work effectively as a deterrant and never has. Most murder is not planned out over time with a clear mind. When a guy walks in on somebody in bed with his wife and proceeds to blow them away on the spot, the electric chair is certainly not on his mind! In addition, the capital punishment is extremely expensive - it costs us a lot of money keeping all those inmates on death row for decades, and for some reason it costs us even more to finally kill them. And if you think murder is so wrong, why murder those who commit it?!

In most instances, a murderer kills for a personal reason - whether it's valid or not, they are at least sincerely motivated. The government, on the other hand, murders in the coldest blood possible. It would be more fair to decriminalize revenge killings and at the same time end capital punishment. I believe this would actually make murder a lot less commonplace because murderers would fear the wrath of their victims' families and friends.

Originally posted by Comsence2075
Yes some do and that is great, but not all do. Many children are permanently traumatized and experience many problems in their life that they may not even realize stemmed from a terrible act such as rape.

[edit on 14-4-2008 by Comsence2075]

One out of every three women will be raped at least once over the course of their lives. I'm pretty sure a large percentage of children are molested as well (though many kids push the abuse to their subconscious and don't remember). Somehow, most of them manage to get over the trauma and live normal lives. I don't think it's wise for our culture to allow people to use events that happened in their past as an excuse for their behaviour in the present. All that does is make the victims less likely to succeed in life. There's a reason so many child sex abuse victims become child abusers and serial killers themselves, and it's because society tells them they're supposed to.

Perhaps a fate worse than death would be to put these pervs in the general prison population-- no PC (protective custody). I think that proposition would scare them a hell of a lot more than the death penalty.

Fear is not going to motivate anyone not to commit child abuse. They don't do it because there isn't punishment for their behavior. They do it because they have emotional and mental problems.

A deterrent would not work.

At the end of the day they're still people and calling for the murder of people who harm children make you no better than those who commit the crime.

Originally posted by jackinthebox
reply to post by greeneyedleo

 

Well, I'll just leave it as "cost is debateable" then. Probably depending on various factors that would be difficult to quantify. But clearly, there is no serious cost-effectiveness issue overall.

[edit on 4/14/0808 by jackinthebox]

I disagree with that. The old ways were quite cost effective. Immediately following the trial and guilty verdict a gallows was either prepared or constructed (if the town did not already have one built) and the sentence was carried out within a day or two of the guilty verdict. Very cost effective in all aspects.

Personally I feel the death penalty should be greatly expanded in this country. A man isn't productive sitting on his ass behind bars for 50+ years, therefore he has become a drain and a burden on society. For that reason I'd support eliminating life sentences and replacing them with capital punishment in most cases. Of course this isn't a federal issue whatsoever and shouldn't be before the supreme court in the first place, but since it is I'd like to see the justices take a stand and affirm all states' rights to dole out capital punishment as they see fit.

Give them a lobodomy instead of prison time. Save a lot of money that way and also sterilize them as well. No need any more bad seed on this planet. Sorry to be so cruel.

I was looking at costs of the death penalty and i stumbled upon this:

"In its review of death penalty expenses, the State of Kansas concluded that capital cases are 70% more expensive than comparable non-death penalty cases. The study counted death penalty case costs through to execution and found that the median death penalty case costs $1.26 million."
www.deathpenaltyinfo.org...


I am against the death penalty in most cases. Child rape definitely deserves life. Being locked up in a cell the rest of your days with the possibility of being raped seems like punishment enough.

reply to post by biggie smalls



I agree totally, but we need to apply the death penalty to murder as well as gun crimes. I would even apply it to politicians who violate the public trust.

reply to post by youvegotbighands


That's due to all the time in court, and the 20 years waiting to be executed. That's NOT the way the death penalty should be applied, in ALL cases where proven guilty beyond resonable doubt, there should be ONE appeal maximum, and if not overturned, the sentence should be carried out the next day.

I say castrate them .. Death will accomplish nothing. Let him go with no reproductive capability .
I fear castration WAYY more than death . You don't gotta live with death ..

Originally posted by d11_m_na_c05
I fear castration WAYY more than death . You don't gotta live with death ..

That's easy to say in a hypothetical thought mixed with a joke about how much you love sex. However, if there were a gun to your head with a choice of castration or death, you'd probably quickly realize that sex isn't all there is to life. (Did I just say that?)

reply to post by 27jd


So, what your saying is our court system is so bloated and inept that it takes them much too long to get anything done expediently?

I have to say I agree with that part of your argument, however how do you propose we magically make this inept bunch, suddenly do in 1 day what they struggle to do in 10 years?

You're answer is by removing the ability for the accused to defend themselves?

Sorry, but that's one of the pains of living in a civilized society - we attempt to make damn sure we're punishing the right people before we execute their punishment - especially the more permanent ones such as the death penalty. We don't lower ourselves to the level of those we despise the most.

I realize it is not as satisfying for those who lust for the instant gratification through knowledge of heinous criminals being tortured or destroyed, but not all of us subscribe to that lust, that many of us see as a crime itself.

Live with it, or come up with something better without destroying the protections we have taken so long to create.


[edit on 14-4-2008 by verylowfrequency]

A few ideas, I hope I don't violate any rules

-Castration is just a quick snip and the testes are off. Many men who have been castrated have led very healthy sexual lives and STILL capable of rape.

-It costs WAY more to kill some one then give them life.

-Let's make prison a place for people like child rapists and not non-violent drug users! After all, the biggest conspiracy in the U.S., that is true, is the bogus marijuana prohibition.

reply to post by verylowfrequency


I've already stated I'm not interested in moral high ground debates. You're MORE than welcome to keep it. I say, if proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt, they get ONE appeal, then they are executed. That's how it would be if it were my call to make. And before you even say it, I'm fully aware you're glad it's not my call to make.