Kel, we may be different generations but oh how I agree with you. But look at what happens when you start making practical suggestions about 'toughening' up the prison regime (While still avoiding the death sentance)

Before you know it the 'bleeding heart' brigade are on about visiting rights, etc. it makes me totaly sick, no one wants these murders and rapists at large in society, everyone wants them to pay for their crimes, yet as soon as you start to talk about toughening up the prison regime the narrow minded polictically correct elite come out of the woodwork and throw objections around like the law says all English prisoners must be jailed in England, wtf Change the bloody law then, we are the UK and these horrible murders and rapists are subject to UK law. (And before some clever cloggs comes on and says that Scottish law is differentt, I know that, but it is essentially the same in most respects and maybe needs aligning a bit more)

The criminals know how to manipulate these 'do gooders' every time you see someone arrested on Traffic Cops as soon as the handcuffs go on it's "The're too tight, you've hurt me, I'm going to sue you" it really is pathetic how the criminal world (Aided and abetted by the defence lawyers) have got all the right minded sensible citizens exactly where they want them.

Oh that sounds like a rant, well maybe it is, but I don't care

Oh well I'll just pick myself up off the floor from shock then, Me a bleeding heart do gooder How ridiculous is that. Why because I don't believe the system is without fault and I can't see why innocent relatives should be punished for a crime they had no part in. Knee jerk reactions from people with no knowledge of how the system works achieve nothing. Try educating yourself to how it all works before trying to put it right. The scum you are referring to such as Baby Peters killers would not even suffer from your suggestions as they were found NOT GUILTY OF MURDER by a jury. How could they be sentenced to death or extreme measures when they apparently didn't do it according to 12 independent jury member?

How about a disused gas or oil rig then

On a serious note, as a youngster I used to agree with the death sentence but as I have got older, and possibly wiser, I'm not for it at all. If it is wrong to take the life of another then how does killing them make it right? I think the main issue is that prison is now a home from home apart from being able to leave (putting open prisons aside, what's the point of them?) and I personally feel that prison should be the barest minimum needed to live, that is shelter, warmth and food and water. I don't think those that have commited acts of abuse/murder/sexual assalt etc should be separated out either for 'their own protection'. As far as I'm considered if you commit a crime and are caught and found guilty then from that point onwards you have forfeited your human rights. I also feel that everyone found guilty of a crime should have all their assests/bank accounts etc frozen and reparation made to the victims of their crimes. Personallly I think the fact that they will lose everything will be more of a deterrant.
Reminds me of that Top Gear challenge where Mr Clarkson had a vehicle that was impounded by the courts from a drug dealer and had it blown up by the army!
Becky

I have thought about this subject quite often since we have the death penalty here in Ohio.

I feel to take someone's life because they took a life is morally worng. But I do believe in toughening the prison system, we had gourmet food being served in a prison in West Virginia and that is crazy. I don't blame people to get upset but I would hate to see more receiving the death penalty in my state....there have been very few.

In this economy we could have people committing crimes just to get in jail, they are panpered so much.

What's it got to do with morals? There's no moral in taking a life in the first place, so I can't see why morals should suddenly protect these scum that take lives as they think fit!

Any eye for an eye

Many feel as you do here but I don't. Anyway why give them the easy way out.

'An eye for an eye' sounds good, but what about all the mistakes?
It must be bad enough to be convicted of any crime if you are innocent, but to be executed leaving no hope of clearing your name and living any kind of normal life.
The number of wrongful convictions is what worries me. It means real criminals are still walking the streets. Personally I think the certainty of being caught is the best deterrent for rational people. Unfortunately I suspect many of the most disturbing murders are committed by people, who are incapable of thinking things through and so wouldn't be influenced by fear of the death penalty anyway.

Well, I don't know about the prisons in the US but here, as far as I've heard, they aren't that far removed from hotels. TVs in rooms, halloween parties, christmas parties; courses to get them exam passes, you name it, they get it!

If somebody had, say for instance, killed one of my family, I'd not rest while that person was still breathing air It wouldn't bring back my family member for that person to die but I'd feel at least that justice had been done and that the demon couldn't go on to kill anybody else, so less danger to society as a whole.

Where there is absolutely no chance of error having been made (as in DNA evidence, etc.) I think the death penalty is the right choice.

Someone like Ian Huntley or the scumbag that killed Baby P, where there is no element of doubt.

It doesn't deter serial killers in the USA & didn't deter serial killers in the past when their was the death penalty in the UK.

Life however should mean life without parole