Would you ever act as witness to an execution ?

@faery On the other hand, why should a murderer have the privilege of a life behind bars after taking someone else's away and why should the tax payer be responsible for his/her upkeep?

@BlobbyMcBlobface If the states and fed US gov would stop meting out the death penalty with biases regarding race and economic status, that would be one hurdle overcome. But then there's the question of whether governments should have the right to sanctioned homicide. In the US, prison's are part of the economy and many are privatized. It's a racket.

@faery Thanks for a level headed and understanding reply. I'm not up to date with how the law is over there and I'm shocked that race and status can be an influence. I apologise if my blunt response offended anyone but I don't apologise for my belief that a murderer who is proven beyond doubt to be guilty should, for the sake of the economy, be executed.

@BlobbyMcBlobface Pleasure... and yes, the US is no where near properly societally evolved.

Ultimately, under a just system, I'd agree to vote for the death penalty for heinous crimes. I have no moral compunction with an eye for an eye, even though I still feel a life sentence can mean a harsher punishment than death. In fact, I think a victim's family should be able to have the final say.

@faery Great idea and it couldn't be fairer. Rapists, paedophiles and murderers should have no place on this earth.

@faery Our government are 'accidentally' releasing certain category prisoners on a regular basis, it's a worrying situation.
As you said, victims don't usually get a second chance at life, if they're not dead they're traumatised so the perpetrator has no right to be leading a better life than his/her victim.

@BlobbyMcBlobface That is worrying. Judges here are sometimes releasing heavily chronic offenders who are known to suffer severe mental illness. They just keep perpetrating and getting released again until, finally, they kill someone and it makes national news. There is no system to manage the criminally insane.

@faery Same here and almost every time someone gets stabbed to death the perpetrator is on the 'watched list' and has been radicalised. Radicalisation should be made to be a life serving offence, these people hate to the extreme yet they're allowed to live a normal life until they kill. It's a very worrying world that we live in.

@BlobbyMcBlobface I read about some of the offenses there you describe. London seems scary. All of it... there, here, everywhere makes me glad to stay home and leery in public. Mad, mad world, indeed.

@BlobbyMcBlobface I hope things can change for the better, both here and there, someday.