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Execution of criminals: Public or hidden

Should executions be public or remain private?

  • Public: Raises awareness and helps deter criminals

    Votes: 6 17.6%

  • Private: It's better behind walls, as it is.

    Votes: 8 23.5%

  • End all executions.

    Votes: 19 55.9%

  • I care neither way.

    Votes: 1 2.9%
  • Total voters
    34
Renae

Renae

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Just curious where people stand on this issue. Not meant to be a big stinker thread.
 
I voted private because this isnt Iran. And I would add that only heinous crimes that there is undeniable overwhelming evidence. The kind of evidence that is indisputable.
 
Some countries in the world that do public executions:

Saudi Arabia
North Korea
Iran

Those immediately spring to mind... Rather not join that company.
 
FreedomFromAll said:
I voted private because this isnt Iran. And I would add that only heinous crimes that there is undeniable overwhelming evidence. The kind of evidence that is indisputable.
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Fair enough.
 
MrVicchio said:
Just curious where people stand on this issue. Not meant to be a big stinker thread.
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I voted private because public reminds me of the old days in England, when people would attend and cheeer beheadings, and in our own past, when people would attend and cheer hangins and burning alive of supposed witches. It seems to desensitize people to the horror of killing someone and turns it into a public event, like a fair or bazaar. Also reminds me of the Roman coliseum when people would cheer their fellow citizens being torn apart by animals or beaten to death by other gladiators or prisoners.
 
Jetboogieman said:
Some countries in the world that do public executions:

Saudi Arabia
North Korea
Iran

Those immediately spring to mind... Rather not join that company.
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Use reasons and not examples. They convince instead of persuading with populism.
 
An execution should not be a spectacle. Thus it should not be carrried out in public.
 
I've been reconsidering my position on executions for a while now. Given where I am with this in questioning the effectiveness of Capital Punishment as a crime deterrent, I see little reason to make matters worse by making them public.
 
JumpinJack said:
I voted private because public reminds me of the old days in England, when people would attend and cheeer beheadings, and in our own past, when people would attend and cheer hangins and burning alive of supposed witches. It seems to desensitize people to the horror of killing someone and turns it into a public event, like a fair or bazaar. Also reminds me of the Roman coliseum when people would cheer their fellow citizens being torn apart by animals or beaten to death by other gladiators or prisoners.
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You beat me to it.
 
MrVicchio said:
Just curious where people stand on this issue. Not meant to be a big stinker thread.
Click to expand...

If you support capital punishment because you believe it is a deterrent, then you must support public executions because to hide them is no deterrent at all.

The reason, however, that executions aren't public is because the public outcry related to botched executions would be so great that capital punishment would cease in some if not all states.

No society should be afraid of total transparency of government policy that society supports and promotes.
 
Jetboogieman said:
Some countries in the world that do public executions:

Saudi Arabia
North Korea
Iran

Those immediately spring to mind... Rather not join that company.
Click to expand...

China executes in private - are you more comfortable with that company?
 
CanadaJohn said:
If you support capital punishment because you believe it is a deterrent, then you must support public executions because to hide them is no deterrent at all.

The reason, however, that executions aren't public is because the public outcry related to botched executions would be so great that capital punishment would cease in some if not all states.

No society should be afraid of total transparency of government policy that society supports and promotes.
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First, there are other reasons to support the deach penalty As the ultimate sanction.
Second, I'm afraid you grossly underestimate the bloodlust of Large party of the public.
Third, if you are consistent then I guess you feel there should be public tours of prisons to let the public see the inmates?
 
I'm against the death penalty, but if it does happen, I'd say executions should be viewable to the general public. The media and all glorify everything. If people actually saw the individual's lifeless body in the execution chamber, support for the death penalty would shrink big time.
 
`
While I'm generally against a death penalty, if it must be done, then I'd suggest execution in private, by guillotine. Painless. 100% assurance of death, the first time.
 
Paxaeon said:
`
While I'm generally against a death penalty, if it must be done, then I'd suggest execution in private, by guillotine. Painless. 100% assurance of death, the first time.
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They'll never use the guillotine. That's too quick. Don't you know that they want the prisoner to suffer first.
 
Paxaeon said:
`
While I'm generally against a death penalty, if it must be done, then I'd suggest execution in private, by guillotine. Painless. 100% assurance of death, the first time.
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A professionally carrried out handig Will also provide for that. But you are Right that the guillotine is also a good tool for a professional and swift execution.
 
Fleming said:
First, there are other reasons to support the deach penalty As the ultimate sanction.
Second, I'm afraid you grossly underestimate the bloodlust of Large party of the public.
Third, if you are consistent then I guess you feel there should be public tours of prisons to let the public see the inmates?
Click to expand...

Perhaps there is a level of bloodlust within society - as such, their policy preference transparently being carried out, should not be a problem. I'd wager that this may be true when executions work well. I'd wager it's not true when executions are botched and it takes hours for someone to expire, often under quite evident, torturous pain.

As for "public tours of prisons", I see nothing wrong with televising what happens in a prison and what prison life is like. Aren't we already doing that? To be clear, I never said that executions should be open to the public - only that they should be public. Televising them in real time is a suitable approach in my view. We televise the trial, verdict, and sentencing - why not televise the enforcement of that sentence?
 
Paxaeon said:
`
While I'm generally against a death penalty, if it must be done, then I'd suggest execution in private, by guillotine. Painless. 100% assurance of death, the first time.
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I would go for pain killers in bed.
 
Executions are so rare nowadays anyway that I don't think it particularly matters.
 
There is nothing much to see.


The prisoner is secured to a frame, IVs are inserted. A sedative IV is begun. The prisoner loses consciousness. Then the lethal components are injected. The prisoner may twitch a little at times, but otherwise just appears to be asleep, until he just stops breathing.


Other than the fact that someone is dying, it is about as interesting to watch as a dripping faucet.
 
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