Question by Bitchy: Who thinks that the death penalty should be brought into Australia?
I think the death penalty should be brought to Australia-for all the rapist, pedifiels and murderers.
Do you think it should be brought back and for what sort of people?

Best answer:

Answer by Oz M
There are a number of problems that are historically attached to carrying out death penalties in the western world.

While rare, sometimes the innocent get lynched. When that happens, the monetary compensation that must be paid out to the next of kin is HUGE.

In Australia, when we still had executions, the Government were the obliged to provide Social Welfare for the next of kin. After all, it was the executed that did the crime, not the family of that person.

These two points, when applied to Australia demonstrate that there is a cost attached. Commonly, it is said in Australia, “Why should we be paying to keep them alive in prison ?”. The reality is that it can actually be significantly more expensive to carry out an execution in Australia, than it would be to keep them locked up for life.

The other majorly forgotten fact of the Australian judicial system is that we do not send people to jail for punishment. Australian courts have not sent people to prison to be punished since decades ago. Our Prisons are now called “Correctional Centres”. Our courts main function in sentencing a person to do anything from pay fines, perform unpaid community work or to go to jail is for the purposes of, “specific and/or general deterrent”, and for “rehabilitation”. Our courts do not punish.

To re-introduce the death penalty, flies in the face of the now well established and functional judicial system.

Another major consideration is the cultural aspects. Aborigines today are no longer the silent minority they used to be. Embracing equal rights and cultural diversity and tolerance have given them pride of place. Given that aborigines, while a minority of the population of Australia, represent the majority of those in prison. Given that obvious anomaly means that the number of persons likely to receive a death penalty if re-introduced, would inevitably be aboriginal people. This has a significant risk of re-opening that divide and create racial tension.

Then, take a look at gallop polls and surveys conducted. The vast majority of Australians oppose the death penalty.

The re-introduction of the death penalty is not going to happen for decades to come, and then only if the attitude of Australians change.

When you name certain offenders as liable for execution… consider this… Would you think it is right to take a persons life for being one of those criminals when…

The person who was doing that wild thing with the consent of his partner, but then out of the blue, that partner withdraws consent, but that person continues jamming away. That’s called rape.

The man who by way of a hormonal imbalance and some lacking psychological development who has never been diagnosed likes to hang around little girls and starts touching and other things, but can cease that behaviour entirely by way of medication and counseling and cease those desires entirely and never re-offend or be a risk to the community. That’s a pedeophile.

The woman who comes home early from work and finds her spouse in the cot with another man and just loses the plot, picks up her husbands golf club and with one whack in a fit of rage and momentary lack of common sense to create an intent to kill, takes the life of that other woman. That’s murder.

It is not that easy to say that a particular offence or crime is automatically going to result in the death penalty.

Add your own answer in the comments!

 

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