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Death penalty: Options for the condemned?

Should a person sentenced to death be allowed to choose the manner in which they are


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radcen

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Regardless your position on the death penalty, this question is for places where it is currently a legal option, and in instances where it would be imposed. This question is also relevant to opponents of the death penalty in a, "If we have and are going to use it anyway..." type of way.

Should a person sentenced to death be allowed to choose the manner in which they are put to death?

Electric chair, hanging, lethal injection, firing squad, whatever.

Note: This thread is NOT about whether or not we should have a death penalty. There are many other threads already addressing that. This thread is also NOT whether the death penalty is an effective deterrent, or not. There are plenty of other threads for that, as well.
 
Perhaps it should reflect the way the person (s) they killed died. [supposing they received the DP for killing another]
 
No, opens up too many complications.
 
Regardless your position on the death penalty, this question is for places where it is currently a legal option, and in instances where it would be imposed. This question is also relevant to opponents of the death penalty in a, "If we have and are going to use it anyway..." type of way.

Should a person sentenced to death be allowed to choose the manner in which they are put to death?

Electric chair, hanging, lethal injection, firing squad, whatever.

Note: This thread is NOT about whether or not we should have a death penalty. There are many other threads already addressing that. This thread is also NOT whether the death penalty is an effective deterrent, or not. There are plenty of other threads for that, as well.

Give em a blade at the end of sentencing and say they can take the honorable way out if they so choose. Otherwise they get dumped on a deserted island with nothing, that has nothing, to fend for themselves for as long as they so choose to continue living or they die of natural causes. This way no one kills the perp, but they get removed from society permanently.
 
How so? I have no issue with someone saying, "I prefer <insert method here>.", then the state carrying out said method. Presuming it is a "legit" method.

Mainly because a death penalty case has too many automatic functions, namely automatic appeals. It makes selecting the method a bit absurd as often the defending party has more political interests than actual interest in the condemned. It adds a layer of complexity for the one condemned to specify the method, when technically we do not allow much say so of someone convicted of a crime to have much say so in the punishment.
 
Give em a blade at the end of sentencing and say they can take the honorable way out if they so choose. Otherwise they get dumped on a deserted island with nothing, that has nothing, to fend for themselves for as long as they so choose to continue living or they die of natural causes. This way no one kills the perp, but they get removed from society permanently.

The former would be assisted suicide, which is immoral (and criminal). The latter would involve the person who dumped them being proximate you responsible for their death.
 
Mainly because a death penalty case has too many automatic functions, namely automatic appeals. It makes selecting the method a bit absurd as often the defending party has more political interests than actual interest in the condemned. It adds a layer of complexity for the one condemned to specify the method, when technically we do not allow much say so of someone convicted of a crime to have much say so in the punishment.
Fair points, but if I were in charge we wouldn't have automatic appeals. There have been times when people just wanted to get it over with and have been denied. In a curious way, I think that's wrong, too. I have no issue with making the filing of an appeal easy, but the person should be pro-active about it.
 
The former would be assisted suicide, which is immoral (and criminal). The latter would involve the person who dumped them being proximate you responsible for their death.

I don't see it that way. They have choice. They are just crappy.
 
I don't see it that way. They have choice. They are just crappy.

How you choose to see things isn't particularly relevant to anyone but you. The laws of causation don't bend to your personal fancy.
 
No....however perhaps we should allow the families of their victims to make that choice.
 
No. I see no reason to give a choice if we are going to have it. I am in favor of it being as quick and painless as possible. Frankly, IF we are going to have it it should be a bullet to the back of the head. The more complicated we make things the more room there is for error. Keep it simple.
 
Fair points, but if I were in charge we wouldn't have automatic appeals. There have been times when people just wanted to get it over with and have been denied. In a curious way, I think that's wrong, too. I have no issue with making the filing of an appeal easy, but the person should be pro-active about it.

It would be basic to argue that automatic appeals have nothing to do with any one case (meaning any one condemned wanting to get it over with,) and everything to do with the politics of the matter. Because we are talking about general flaws in our legal system we have no choice but to force an evaluation of every death penalty case.

Personally I am on the fence about automatic appeals as well, but as of late I have also been on the fence about use of the death penalty regardless. Too problematic and we are one of the few nations left still doing it.

But to your subject, the condemned having a say in how they are executed adds a whole new layer to an existing legal system mess.
 
It would be basic to argue that automatic appeals have nothing to do with any one case (meaning any one condemned wanting to get it over with,) and everything to do with the politics of the matter. Because we are talking about general flaws in our legal system we have no choice but to force an evaluation of every death penalty case.

Personally I am on the fence about automatic appeals as well, but as of late I have also been on the fence about use of the death penalty regardless. Too problematic and we are one of the few nations left still doing it.

But to your subject, the condemned having a say in how they are executed adds a whole new layer to an existing legal system mess.
I think we got automatic appeals as an attempt to head off wrongful convictions and executions, then we kept having wrongful convictions because the appeal process is just pretty much a rubber-stamp process, and we finally realized that, but we're stuck with the automatic "protections" as part of the process.

I could see some "do gooders" filing lawsuits in the name of a condemned person citing that their choice of method is "cruel and unusual". For their own good, of course.

In an ideal world, though, a person should get one choice. No playing games and switching back ad forth, and no lawsuits (by them self) later complaining about their own choice.
 
How you choose to see things isn't particularly relevant to anyone but you. The laws of causation don't bend to your personal fancy.

You realize the same could be said for your view. Also this be an opinion thread, which means I am bound by nothing but the constraints of the op.
 
Regardless your position on the death penalty, this question is for places where it is currently a legal option, and in instances where it would be imposed. This question is also relevant to opponents of the death penalty in a, "If we have and are going to use it anyway..." type of way.

Should a person sentenced to death be allowed to choose the manner in which they are put to death?

Electric chair, hanging, lethal injection, firing squad, whatever.

Note: This thread is NOT about whether or not we should have a death penalty. There are many other threads already addressing that. This thread is also NOT whether the death penalty is an effective deterrent, or not. There are plenty of other threads for that, as well.

Perhaps it is the kin of the victim who should decide.
 
You realize the same could be said for your view. Also this be an opinion thread, which means I am bound by nothing but the constraints of the op.

I haven't expressed my views here on how the death penalty should be administered, nor have I asserted counterfactual accounts of causation. So no, the same couldn't be said of me.
 
Well, I'm against the death penalty, so giving them the option to choose how they want to die is just another layer of sadism being added to a barbaric process.

Imagine being innocent and being asked how you want to die. Talk about insult to injury.
 
Regardless your position on the death penalty, this question is for places where it is currently a legal option, and in instances where it would be imposed. This question is also relevant to opponents of the death penalty in a, "If we have and are going to use it anyway..." type of way.

Should a person sentenced to death be allowed to choose the manner in which they are put to death?

Electric chair, hanging, lethal injection, firing squad, whatever.

Note: This thread is NOT about whether or not we should have a death penalty. There are many other threads already addressing that. This thread is also NOT whether the death penalty is an effective deterrent, or not. There are plenty of other threads for that, as well.

As long as they pay the price for their evil then sure, why not.
 
I haven't expressed my views here on how the death penalty should be administered, nor have I asserted counterfactual accounts of causation. So no, the same couldn't be said of me.

Well I said it anyhow. Just in case you would. ;)
 
Regardless your position on the death penalty, this question is for places where it is currently a legal option, and in instances where it would be imposed. This question is also relevant to opponents of the death penalty in a, "If we have and are going to use it anyway..." type of way.

Should a person sentenced to death be allowed to choose the manner in which they are put to death?

Electric chair, hanging, lethal injection, firing squad, whatever.

Note: This thread is NOT about whether or not we should have a death penalty. There are many other threads already addressing that. This thread is also NOT whether the death penalty is an effective deterrent, or not. There are plenty of other threads for that, as well.

A ridiculous concept. What purpose would be served? Once you've given the State the right to execute citizens you've taken any human consideration out of the equation so just get it done and shut up about it.
 
Give em a blade at the end of sentencing and say they can take the honorable way out if they so choose. Otherwise they get dumped on a deserted island with nothing, that has nothing, to fend for themselves for as long as they so choose to continue living or they die of natural causes. This way no one kills the perp, but they get removed from society permanently.

That's how we got Australia.
 
That's how we got Australia.

I was think something a whole lot smaller. Like where you could walk to each end of the island in less than three minutes. And very every isolated.
 
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