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is torture a justifiable punishment in a first world civilized country?

torture a justifiable punishment in first world countires?

  • Yes- only for terrible crimes, followed subsequently by execution

    Votes: 8 16.7%
  • Yes, for terrible crimes, followed subsequently by life imprisonment

    Votes: 1 2.1%
  • Never, under any circumstances.

    Votes: 39 81.3%

  • Total voters
    48
I truly believe that if torture will save American lives or prevent a terrorist attack the likes of 9/11 or worse I say go for it!!!!!!!!!!!


That is the type of mentality that subjects our brave men and women of the military to torture. Ever hear of the Geneva convention navy?
 
That is the type of mentality that subjects our brave men and women of the military to torture. Ever hear of the Geneva convention navy?


Yup. How many nations have we fought recently who were signatories, or demonstrated themselves otherwise obligated to follow it?
 
Just for giggles? No.


Nuclear weapon on a timer hidden in a major US city and we have a terrorist in custody who knows where it is? Yeah... but even then it should not be enshrined in law, more like "a forgiveable offense done out of desperate necessity."

That is exactly the way it should be. Bravo. Well said. Thread be done now. The people who are involved put before jury of their peers and exonerated by circumstance. And granted pardon by the president. Thats the way should be done. The commander in chief gives the ok and stands with them in the court.
 
no torture for any reason. we should, however, have the option of a death penalty for extreme cases where there is no doubt of guilt.
 
Let me ask you all a question...If your Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, Wife, Daughter, Son....was kidnapped and you believed their death was eminent and your options to find them have run out.....would you torture one of their kidnappers to find out where they were...or to try and find out where they were....

I WOULD...IN A FLASH....so my answer is YES under certain circumstances torture is justifiable
 
Let me ask you all a question...If your Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, Wife, Daughter, Son....was kidnapped and you believed their death was eminent and your options to find them have run out.....would you torture one of their kidnappers to find out where they were...or to try and find out where they were....

I WOULD...IN A FLASH....so my answer is YES under certain circumstances torture is justifiable

There are any scenarios where torture is justifiable. The punishment for an illegal or immoral act involving a victim should be harsher than what the suspect inflicted on others. If you apply this statement, the fact that there are criminals who torture victims implies there are criminals who deserve to be tortured. One of the purposes of punishments is to serve as a deterrent, thus you could argue many of our punishments are insufficient in this respect. I also support the torture of someone evil for the prevention of harm to someone innocent. Overall, I'm a strong believer in rewards and punishments for all positive and negative acts, respectively, with order preserved. By order preserved, I mean better positive acts get better reward and worse negative acts get harsher punishment.
 
Legalized torture, as during the Bush administration, revealed what is always the same problem. The potential for abuse by officials. It is also well known that torture will get people to confess to anything. Sadists gravitate to the positions of control. No, never, not justifiable in a civilized society.
 
I do not want to be a part of any faction in the US that advocates torture for any reason. My rational being that once things like torture become a policy issue for a faction it is a slippery slope from there. Such policies have been what people fear from authoritarian governments, dictatorships and monarchies. And by advocating torture no matter the excuse one shows their naivety since they obviously are assuming that they or their loved ones will never be the target. Perhaps some can show restraint but not everyone and such policies always progress. It wouldnt take long until there would be people reasoning that its a good idea to torture people for being late with their taxes. Once torture is accepted imo its already too late.
 
There are any scenarios where torture is justifiable. The punishment for an illegal or immoral act involving a victim should be harsher than what the suspect inflicted on others. If you apply this statement, the fact that there are criminals who torture victims implies there are criminals who deserve to be tortured. One of the purposes of punishments is to serve as a deterrent, thus you could argue many of our punishments are insufficient in this respect. I also support the torture of someone evil for the prevention of harm to someone innocent. Overall, I'm a strong believer in rewards and punishments for all positive and negative acts, respectively, with order preserved. By order preserved, I mean better positive acts get better reward and worse negative acts get harsher punishment.

AN eye for an eye is not a justice system it is barbaric, and actually what America stands against.
 
Is it justifiable? Hmmm. that's a tough one.

Still, however, torture is illegal under US law. That might get in a way of things.
 
AN eye for an eye is not a justice system it is barbaric, and actually what America stands against.

A punishment softer than the criminal act is illogical and a lack of justice, whether it's a $300 fine for stealing $500 or 20 years in jail for murder.
 
NEVER, of course, IF we are indeed a "first world civilized nation".
We seem to be the ones who assign us this status.
We should know the opinion of those in Iran, or France, or China...and work from there.
 
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Let me ask you all a question...If your Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, Wife, Daughter, Son....was kidnapped and you believed their death was eminent and your options to find them have run out.....would you torture one of their kidnappers to find out where they were...or to try and find out where they were....

I WOULD...IN A FLASH....so my answer is YES under certain circumstances torture is justifiable

I depends if your decision to torture was legally backed or not? How much do you love the person that is kidnapped, are you willing to do the time for the crime of torture to save them? But if you are asserting that we should torture people in desperate situations as a legal recourse, then in that case I will be your enemy on the battlefield.
 
A punishment softer than the criminal act is illogical and a lack of justice, whether it's a $300 fine for stealing $500 or 20 years in jail for murder.

When will we ever learn that the old tried and true punishments accomplish little of a positive nature and far too much of a negative nature..
A real "first world nation" would employ better tactics.
 
A punishment softer than the criminal act is illogical and a lack of justice, whether it's a $300 fine for stealing $500 or 20 years in jail for murder.

You are over simplifying the justice system. We do not fine people for theft. And the sentence for the guilty has to meet well set standards of the justice system. But my point is that eye for an eye is barbaric and the policy of tyrants not a society with liberty and freedom. ANd dont assume that I am advocating soft punishment for crimes. But some circumstances do not dictate severe punishment for a severe crime. For example if someone kills my kids and I kill them two days later after finding them, should I be put to death? I argue that zero tolerance sentencing is barbaric and will exact punishment much more extreme than what some people may deserve.
 
I depends if your decision to torture was legally backed or not? How much do you love the person that is kidnapped, are you willing to do the time for the crime of torture to save them? But if you are asserting that we should torture people in desperate situations as a legal recourse, then in that case I will be your enemy on the battlefield.

To save one of my loved ones...of course its worth the time...
 
You are over simplifying the justice system. We do not fine people for theft. And the sentence for the guilty has to meet well set standards of the justice system. But my point is that eye for an eye is barbaric and the policy of tyrants not a society with liberty and freedom. ANd dont assume that I am advocating soft punishment for crimes. But some circumstances do not dictate severe punishment for a severe crime. For example if someone kills my kids and I kill them two days later after finding them, should I be put to death? I argue that zero tolerance sentencing is barbaric and will exact punishment much more extreme than what some people may deserve.

If someone kills your kids then you let the justice system kill the person who did so. You see eye for an eye as barbaric. I see the punishments of our current system as a BS slap on the wrist.
 
As punishment? No. Maybe for other things. Depends on the situation. All generalizations are wrong at some point. Including this one.
 
Yup. How many nations have we fought recently who were signatories, or demonstrated themselves otherwise obligated to follow it?

It doesn't matter. If we forfeit our standards and stoop to the level of terrorists, we also forfeit our integrity.
 
It may seem ridiculous and a totally disgusting breach of human rights, but in some cases, do some people deserve just as much pain as they inflicted onto their victims?

Hell, no!

And I don't want to have anything to do with anybody who does not say "hell, no!". I think such people are anti-social threats for civilization, not less than that.
 
It may seem ridiculous and a totally disgusting breach of human rights, but in some cases, do some people deserve just as much pain as they inflicted onto their victims?

I voted yes. I have no problems putting child rapists to torture. And I do mean CHILD RAPISTS. Not those that some 18 year old guy had consentual sex with thier 16+ year old boyfriend/girlfriend.
 
Why torture??

Do we have to be just as sadistic as the people we are trying to punish? Is that the goal...?

Stupid neanderthal like thinking...
 
Why in gods name would we torture. Its highly ineffective and why would go lower our societal standards to that evil sadistic level?
 
Why torture??

Do we have to be just as sadistic as the people we are trying to punish? Is that the goal...?

Stupid neanderthal like thinking...

yes. we need to be sadistic. we need to make them understand that messing with america means you die, slowly. it means your children die, slowly. it means your entire extended family dies, slowly. we need to teach them why burning 3000 americans to death with jet fuel was a mistake. we need to teach this lesson violently, slowly, and methodically. so that when this lesson is learned, it will be a 1000 years before someone tries another 9/11 on american soil.
 
yes. we need to be sadistic. we need to make them understand that messing with america means you die, slowly. it means your children die, slowly. it means your entire extended family dies, slowly. we need to teach them why burning 3000 americans to death with jet fuel was a mistake. we need to teach this lesson violently, slowly, and methodically. so that when this lesson is learned, it will be a 1000 years before someone tries another 9/11 on american soil.

yeah, well thats all fine and dandy in the mind of a psychotic but in reality land, no amount of torture is going to keep you safe at night. In-fact us torturing them might possibly just give them even more reason to do some more stupid **** just out of spite..
 
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