Beyond the sugar-coated "rainbow nation" coating,SA has a huge problem,violent crime.Everyone here has is either a victim of crime or knows someone who has.Murders,rapes,break-ins,hijackings have all become the norm.Many people have suggested that the death penalty be brought back,only problem is,it's againt our Human Rights Constitution.What do you think?Is it fair to decide who lives or dies?
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I am DEFINITELY FOR THE DEATH PENALTY !!
Its time for the government to take charge and sort these things out.
Putting them in prison just doesn't help. they enjoy it there.
If they cant function in society and become hazardous to other people, they need to be dealt with.
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Eish Rowan,for me it's not as easy as that.What about wrongful convictions/sentences?Again the first line in our Constitution being that everyone has the right to life.What about longer.lengthier sentences?
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I have to agree with Dan1089 on this one, purely because I think (as I do with most things in life) that whilst I could look at a situation and just it dispassionately, ultimately who am I to judge whether somebody should live or die ?
I think if a broader-view of the situation is taken, and the CAUSES for the high levels of crime are examined, then perhaps they can be driven-down.
I am a pragmatist at heart, so I think yes there ARE instances when people do deserve to die, such as child molesters ... but I think that ought very much to be viewed as a last-ditch solution, because it makes us little better than them, if that's all we can mete out to sort out the situation.
I'm not suggesting the ZA Government hasn't done everything it can reasonably be expected to do to try and bring the matter into order, but surely there are better ways than to bring in the death penalty ...
All it takes is one wrongly-convicted and executed individual to cause the entire system to be justifiably called into question, and by then it's too late to undo the damage ...
*descends from his mini soapbox*
!?!?! Shadow !?!?!
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Dan1089 Wrote:Eish Rowan,for me it's not as easy as that.What about wrongful convictions/sentences?Again the first line in our Constitution being that everyone has the right to life.What about longer.lengthier sentences?
True.
They need to do ALOT of work in this country. if we had proper, educated, people doing these things, the risk of wrongful convictions would be very very very little.
Also, we cant go around killing everyone. the death penalty should be reserved for those deserving of it.
You cant sentence someone to death for stealing a bicycle, but if someone rapes, murders etc etc etc, they should be chopped up and fed to the dogs. :biggrin:
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I have mixed feelings against this one. Not really sure what it's like over there and such... so I hope that what I say is fairly true of the situation...
I believe that you need to take into account motivation and such for crime. Some people turn to crime purely to feed their families, to keep themselves alive etc. so motivation for their crimes would be their family and life.
Others probably use this situation to literally 'get away with murder' and do whatever the hell they want.
I think that the motive should be considered just as much as the crime at hand and then a judgement made accordingly before any sentence is passed down.
Turning to crime to feed family etc. though does not make the crime right, it just means that the person is probably psychologically stable and is not doing it just because he can/wants to. If anything it highlights government issues, so you can't really punish people for it.
I like the idea of the death sentence for serials. So people that have been convicted of a crime, are eventually released, and then comit again, when evidence against them is SOLID. People that comit a crime more than once and there is sufficient evidence of this, clearly have not and never will learn their lesson so will always be a danger to society. Keeping them in prison, releasing them, then having to waste police resources on them if they repeat again is a waste of money. Of course, we are not just talking about a little burglary offense repeated several times results in the death sentence - that should be an increase in sentence time. We're talking things like murder/mass murder/armed robbery etc. etc. Things where people really are a danger to society if released into the streets again. If anything, Prison is a library for new techniques, experience... what makes them think that several years behind bars is going to make them think "oh crap, I better stop!" - if anything they're gonna pick up ideas from other inmates.
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Wise words indeed Smurls.Your "reason for commiting crime theory" couldn't work here in SA.The crime in SA is racially-fuelled.Because of apartheid,black people were excluded from benefiting economically.therefore most found a life in crime,mostly against wealthy white folk.It's come down to some people thinking that white people DESERVE it.White people campaigning for the death penalty.It's just a huge mess.
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Dan1089 Wrote:Wise words indeed Smurls.Your "reason for commiting crime theory" couldn't work here in SA.The crime in SA is racially-fuelled.Because of apartheid,black people were excluded from benefiting economically.therefore most found a life in crime,mostly against wealthy white folk.It's come down to some people thinking that white people DESERVE it.White people campaigning for the death penalty.It's just a huge mess.
Ah yes, silly old me forgetting that!! *Bangs head* My little brain is always forgetting the most important things haha!
Yes, that is a big mess... and a very difficult one to sort. Is it safe to say that the 'black people' act as a whole community, so they are all against them? Is it still the situation that everyone in power is white? And if so, is it like something that they won't change? Because surely if they appealed for some of the black community to come forward and gave them trusting positions in law enforcement (after checks etc) and such, it might ease things a little and paint a path for the future... Course, all this is easier said than done!!
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Smurlos Wrote:Ah yes, silly old me forgetting that!! *Bangs head* My little brain is always forgetting the most important things haha!
Yes, that is a big mess... and a very difficult one to sort. Is it safe to say that the 'black people' act as a whole community, so they are all against them? Is it still the situation that everyone in power is white? And if so, is it like something that they won't change? Because surely if they appealed for some of the black community to come forward and gave them trusting positions in law enforcement (after checks etc) and such, it might ease things a little and paint a path for the future... Course, all this is easier said than done!!
no, they're giving all the positions of power to the black people regardless of whether they actually the qualifications or not .
thats why the economy is crashing and the entire country turning into Zimbabwe 2.
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Rowan Wrote:no, they're giving all the positions of power to the black people regardless of whether they actually the qualifications or not .
thats why the economy is crashing and the entire country turning into Zimbabwe 2.
AHA! Not good! Other way round then! Meh!!
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The Death Penalty
