• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!
  • Welcome to our archives. No new posts are allowed here.

In the future: Evil Criminals

The death penalty has always worked for me. Why waste good tax dollars trying an experiment hoping it works only to have the psycho get released and murder again?
 
Amadeus said:
The burden of proof is not on people suffering from 'true depression'. The burden of proof is on those who say that depression cannot be cured, and if it is, then it's not true depression.
Click to expand...
People who have real depression, may actually be missing something chemically.
Your own topic of the thread is criminal personality disorders,
which I think is less likely to be chemical in nature.
Not having a Conscience, is not something that can be cured,
they might learn how to fake a conscience well enough to live in society,
but that is not a conscience, just a better understanding of risk vs reward.
 
longview said:
People who have real depression, may actually be missing something chemically.
Click to expand...

As my favourite uncle once told me, we are all sacks of meat and chemicals. Yes, someone who is suffering from depression has a chemical imbalance. Whether it is temporary or chronic is the real issue.

I wouldn't not how to cure a lack of conscience or empathy, but I don't think it's impossible.
 
Amadeus said:
I wouldn't not how to cure a lack of conscience or empathy, but I don't think it's impossible.
Click to expand...
Yet most of the people who have a criminal personality disorders, are not depressed,
but rather are lacking empathy.
I am not sure we can fix that. The best we might do is to render them harmless,
but we tried that, and the results created additional burdens on society.
(I am speaking of lobotomies and electro-shock)
 
longview said:
Yet most of the people who have a criminal personality disorders, are not depressed,
but rather are lacking empathy.
I am not sure we can fix that. The best we might do is to render them harmless,
but we tried that, and the results created additional burdens on society.
(I am speaking of lobotomies and electro-shock)
Click to expand...

This thread assumes that, in the future, we understand enough of the brain to treat severe personality disorders (e.g. turn the empathy 'switch' on).
 
Amadeus said:
This thread assumes that, in the future, we understand enough of the brain to treat severe personality disorders (e.g. turn the empathy 'switch' on).
Click to expand...
We have a ways to go!
 
Amadeus said:
If evil comes from the mind, and not the soul, do you believe that someone who commits an evil act should be cured or imprisoned? Assuming that, in the future, treatment of severe personality disorders is available (e.g. cure for psychopathy, extreme sexual deviance, and severe anti-social behaviour).

Bonus thought: Is it even ethical to change someone's personality so that it conforms to society's norms?

Of course, the movie 'A Clockwork Orange' comes to mind... but lets assume that the treatment is more effective than the Ludovico Technique.
Click to expand...
`
"IF"....key word. Without getting into a debate on what is considered "evil", there is also a third option (more religious or spiritual) that "evil incarnate" is given substance by supernatural forces, coming from neither the mind or necessarily from an action which originates from a "soul", which is a rather abstract concept. In the mundane, actions that that are judged "evil" or that involve "moral turpitude" are punishable accordingly, by law. Whether society has some obligation to correct a personality that habitually or is otherwise predisposed to committing certain crimes, is problematic.

Consider the crime of pedophilia, which has a high rate of recidivism. Such a condition (pedophilia) is also a medical condition and as such, drugs and therapy are utilized to control such actions. However, are perpetrators of those actions governed by a chemical imbalance in their bodies or are they willfully done evil acts? Short of surgically tampering with their higher brain functions, permanent incarceration seems to be the most logical alternative.
`
 
"We're all bozos on this bus." What is "evil"? Why even mention "soul"? Is this thread attempting to cast psychiatrists in the role of modern-day exorcists? The "chemical imbalance" rationale for "mental disorders" is a fraud--there are no scientific tests for any of the catalogued "mental disorders". So, maybe, "exorcist" would be an accurate depiction.
 
X Factor said:
Separates them from those they want to harm and maybe provides some measure of satisfaction for the victims and families of victims.
Click to expand...

The problem is prison is very dangerous place and leaves many people worse for it. There is also a bit of an absurdity in the idea that the government should rob people of their complete freedom and make them effectively slaves of the state when their mission is to protect the peoples freedom. I understand that crimes need punishments, but throwing people in a place that is one of the most dangerous places on the earth does nothing but make things worse.
 
Henrin said:
There is also a bit of an absurdity in the idea that the government should rob people of their complete freedom and make them effectively slaves of the state when their mission is to protect the peoples freedom. I understand that crimes need punishments, but throwing people in a place that is one of the most dangerous places on the earth does nothing but make things worse.
Click to expand...

Prisoners are slaves of the state according to the Thirteenth Amendment.
 
Amadeus said:
That is, of course, complete and total bullsh*t. No offence.

Depression is treatable through medication and cognitive therapy. As many 'real mental illnesses' are.
Click to expand...

Treated is not cured. When the treatment stops or the medication stops, then the symtoms return. Perhaps I missread the original post...I thought it was cured that was mentioned.
 
Amadeus said:
If evil comes from the mind, and not the soul, do you believe that someone who commits an evil act should be cured or imprisoned? Assuming that, in the future, treatment of severe personality disorders is available (e.g. cure for psychopathy, extreme sexual deviance, and severe anti-social behaviour).

Bonus thought: Is it even ethical to change someone's personality so that it conforms to society's norms?

Of course, the movie 'A Clockwork Orange' comes to mind... but lets assume that the treatment is more effective than the Ludovico Technique.
Click to expand...

If its curable then yes. So long as it is only used on the most hienous of crimes.
 
lizzie said:
I'm not sure how feasible it would be to think that serious psychopathies can be cured. Treated chemically and/or with therapy? Sure. It would be nice if actual cure were possible, and I would have no ethical issues whatsoever with that, assuming it was not mandatory and was not forced upon an individual, but was given as an option or alternative to imprisonment.
Click to expand...

It begs the question of whether psychopathies are even ethical to treat. If the individual is considered to be seperate from hi/r psycopathy, then it can be ruled an inhibatory "other" that should be removed. However, if they're considered inseperable from, or intertwined with their psychopathy, then we're dealing in the terrain of forced alteration of conciousness and personality.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom