Should capital punishment be in force in the following circustances?

[Glockmeister]

A large proportion of criminals who have committed heinous offenses have neurological/psychiatric conditions.

We need to improve our mental health facilities and services to prevent these crimes from occurring in the first place, by ensuring these individuals are identified, tracked and treated.

Definitely agree with that. A large number of people currently in prisons suffer from undiagnosed mental illness (see here for one study that concludes that). It doesn't help that during the 1980's we started closing down the major psychiatric hospitals (a policy known as deinstitutionalisation).

[bubble sunglasses]

Your question is incoherent. I seriously don't understand what you're trying to ask. Make it make sense plz.

 two hypothetical scenarios:
 [they might be real in some places but for this question they're hypothetical]
 
1.would you support a policy of execution for the crime of murder [at all intentional] given each execution prevented 8 random [civil] murders?

  2. would you support a policy of exection for the crime of double parking, given 8 deaths last year would not have occured without vehicles being double-parked?

[jess3254]

It doesn't help that during the 1980's we started closing down the major psychiatric hospitals (a policy known as deinstitutionalisation).

Yeah, and nothing was really implemented in order to facilitate the patients' re-entry into the community (and support services that enabled them to stay there long term weren't introduced quickly enough). It was really a debacle.

I don't want to sound like a broken record, but I think the whole attitude towards mental illness needs to change. It needs to be treated like any other illness. I don't know how you would do it, but the mental health system needs a complete overhaul.
For starters, I think psychiatry and neurology should be merged into one speciality like it is in Europe.

[ninwa]

   you didn't acknowledge the 8 people who's lives would be spared; I've been steadfastly against CP but in these scenarios, [which might be real in some places] I'm not sure. As I say, I'd need a convincing and relevant rendition of the slippery slope argument to return me to my original stance.
    

oops I didn't see this sorry lol

Like I said, it does not make a difference to me unless a direct causal link can be proven between the person being killed and the 8 lives saved. If you're just saying there's a chance 8 lives can be saved by killing the one person, then I would not condone killing that person. Like I said there's too much uncertainty - you could stretch things so killing pretty much ANYONE could result in lives being saved.

By direct causal link I mean something like the person is a suicide bomber standing amongst 8 people, about to detonate. Obviously killing the bomber would save those 8 lives

[bubble sunglasses]

   you didn't acknowledge the 8 people who's lives would be spared; I've been steadfastly against CP but in these scenarios, [which might be real in some places] I'm not sure. As I say, I'd need a convincing and relevant rendition of the slippery slope argument to return me to my original stance.
     

oops I didn't see this sorry lol

Like I said, it does not make a difference to me unless a direct causal link can be proven between the person being killed and the 8 lives saved. If you're just saying there's a chance 8 lives can be saved by killing the one person, then I would not condone killing that person. Like I said there's too much uncertainty - you could stretch things so killing pretty much ANYONE could result in lives being saved.

By direct causal link I mean something like the person is a suicide bomber standing amongst 8 people, about to detonate. Obviously killing the bomber would save those 8 lives

  the poll q assumes the 8 lives would be saved; it isn't asking your opinion on the likelihood of that assumption's veracity

[amyminchin]

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and pretty soon the whole world is blind and toothless.

Agree. (Plus nice work of fiddler on the roof quote

[bubble sunglasses]

  Fiddler on the Roof is 1337. I've seen it on stage *with Topol* :coolsmiley:

   
   but geez, srsly, i thought the people who responded on this thread were smart