now watch I bet the gunman from the Colorado shooting will be put in a mental asylum because he was “claimed” to have a mental illness for killing innocent movie goers but this man is sentenced to death…..
Different states, possibly different outcomes. Had the Aurora incident been in Texas, or vice versa, you could have made a stronger connection between the two. But if Holmes ends up in an asylum, it could very well be because Colorado is much more anti-capital punishment than Texas, which does everything big.
It’s funny how America constantly criticise nations for the way they treat their prisoners when the same ‘hero’ that love to ‘help, save and free people’ are about to execute a man who might not even know right from wrong.
The USA needs to get their house in order before they meddle in other affairs.
So the argument here is that mental illness makes it inhumane to apply capital punishment? What if his mental state is irreversible? Is it more humane to keep him locked in an asylum for the rest of his life? What if he also poses a threat to the residents of that asylum? We potentially would be throwing good money at bad. The asylum, nor prison, would be able to rehabilitate him. He allegedly poses a threat to society, yet something about his mental condition gives us pause in the decision to take his life. Why is that? Is his life more precious now that he’s an unstable convict than it was when he was a carefully thought out convict? Are we saying it’s ok to give him a pass because he didn’t know better even if his not knowing any better threatens those in his path?
I’m actually anti-CP, but I ask these questions because it seems a little off that we’re willing to save the life of someone who is incapable of positive or even neutral contributions to society (I’m exaggerating here, considering all the article says is that he has a super low IQ), but we incarcerate and execute so many lives that are still malleable. We’re willing to spend however many resources it would take to keep this mentally retarded convict in a psych ward, yet the “rehabilitation” aim of any detention center is laughable for mentally average criminals. It’s just weird.
Wow. I’m pro-CP but I’ve never seen this side of the argument expressed. I’m completely floored at the new perspective and I totally agree. Thank you for commenting – I never thought I’d hear anything new in the death penalty debate.
I’m torn regarding capital punishment. I think the perpetrators(at least in homicide cases) deserve the same consideration they show their victims; perhaps watching enough episodes of the First 48 Hrs, Forensic Science, Dateline, 48hrs etc have blunted my sympathy. On the other hand, I think what good does it do to take another life? It certainly doesn’t ease the pain for the victims’ families and that maybe just maybe the cruelest punishment would be to take away someone’s freedom. But what then of repeat offenders?
I don’t know…..in the end I think if the respective states have proved their cases beyond a shadow of a doubt, the decision for capital punishment should be left to the victims families.
Absolutely not, if he is mentally challenge than punishing him let alone killing him is a waste and cruel punishment.
now watch I bet the gunman from the Colorado shooting will be put in a mental asylum because he was “claimed” to have a mental illness for killing innocent movie goers but this man is sentenced to death…..
i thought the same.
@Samira – exactly
Different states, possibly different outcomes. Had the Aurora incident been in Texas, or vice versa, you could have made a stronger connection between the two. But if Holmes ends up in an asylum, it could very well be because Colorado is much more anti-capital punishment than Texas, which does everything big.
It’s funny how America constantly criticise nations for the way they treat their prisoners when the same ‘hero’ that love to ‘help, save and free people’ are about to execute a man who might not even know right from wrong.
The USA needs to get their house in order before they meddle in other affairs.
So the argument here is that mental illness makes it inhumane to apply capital punishment? What if his mental state is irreversible? Is it more humane to keep him locked in an asylum for the rest of his life? What if he also poses a threat to the residents of that asylum? We potentially would be throwing good money at bad. The asylum, nor prison, would be able to rehabilitate him. He allegedly poses a threat to society, yet something about his mental condition gives us pause in the decision to take his life. Why is that? Is his life more precious now that he’s an unstable convict than it was when he was a carefully thought out convict? Are we saying it’s ok to give him a pass because he didn’t know better even if his not knowing any better threatens those in his path?
I’m actually anti-CP, but I ask these questions because it seems a little off that we’re willing to save the life of someone who is incapable of positive or even neutral contributions to society (I’m exaggerating here, considering all the article says is that he has a super low IQ), but we incarcerate and execute so many lives that are still malleable. We’re willing to spend however many resources it would take to keep this mentally retarded convict in a psych ward, yet the “rehabilitation” aim of any detention center is laughable for mentally average criminals. It’s just weird.
Wow. I’m pro-CP but I’ve never seen this side of the argument expressed. I’m completely floored at the new perspective and I totally agree. Thank you for commenting – I never thought I’d hear anything new in the death penalty debate.
I’m torn regarding capital punishment. I think the perpetrators(at least in homicide cases) deserve the same consideration they show their victims; perhaps watching enough episodes of the First 48 Hrs, Forensic Science, Dateline, 48hrs etc have blunted my sympathy. On the other hand, I think what good does it do to take another life? It certainly doesn’t ease the pain for the victims’ families and that maybe just maybe the cruelest punishment would be to take away someone’s freedom. But what then of repeat offenders?
I don’t know…..in the end I think if the respective states have proved their cases beyond a shadow of a doubt, the decision for capital punishment should be left to the victims families.