toldailytopic: Should being diagnosed insane excuse capital punishment?

ghost

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Even if #1 had the mentality of a 4 year old and didn't know that it's wrong to murder?

Would you execute a 4 year old if he or she pulled the trigger of a gun, killing his or her brother or sister?
Have you worked with the mentally handicapped? They are slow, not stupid. I've already covered this in this thread.
 

aCultureWarrior

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:liberals:

It seems here that some (dare I say "all") christians waffle on the importance of a "written" record or an "oral" record as it suits their perceived "argument".

Regardless, nearly all cultures formulated the "golden rule" independently of judaism/christianity.

It's there to "remind us" SH.

Based on the atrocities that atheists are responsible for, they need "reminding" on a frequent basis.
 

Silent Hunter

Well-known member
You judge them on their behavior. It's obvious that #1's behavior is going to be different due to being born with mental retardation.
Unlike many christians on TOL, I am not clairvoyant enough to evaluate a person's mental agility by looking at a picture of him/her.

Yes, as the drug addict had the choice of whether or not to ruin his mind, whereas the person that was born with mental retardation didn't.
It doesn't matter. "Not responsible by reason of (temporary) insanity" is still a valid defense regardless of your blood lust.

The standard that he was high on drugs when he committed murder?

(Boy, that's a tough one).

http://azdailysun.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/article_5a833346-8fd2-58b1-8f52-472329138797.html
Perhaps you would like to point out in this article where the "heroin addict and (drug) dealer" used "insanity" (high on drugs) as a defense :idunno:. His simply said that someone else did it.

Now you show me where a mentally retarded person who a jury said wasn't responsible for his actions, was put to death.
You should probably provide your evidence before moving the goal posts and shifting the burden of proof.
 
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Selaphiel

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Right. And since there are no lawyers or psychiatric experts that have any impure motives :)greedy:), then certainly no person could ever be wrongly proclaimed to be of unsound mind.

1) That is why such evaluations are done by more than one expert and why it has to reviewed and approved by the court. I also doubt that you get to choose who reviews the case, they are assigned by the court as far as I understand.

2) The above is also true for the court. Death penalty has and will continue to kill based on faulty convictions and innocents are being imprisoned as well. So bringing up the possibility of human error and humqan corruption is not much of an argument since they are variables in the system you are supporting as well.
 

Silent Hunter

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It's there to "remind us" SH.

Based on the atrocities that atheists are responsible for, they need "reminding" on a frequent basis.
Considering the vast number of people in prison professing belief in your particular version of deity, I'd suggest "christians" need more "reminding" than anyone.
 

chickenman

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Well that's a fairly unrealistic hypothetical, chickenman. That's not the way the courts work now, and I can't imagine why you'd think it would change in the future.

I don't think it will change and never implied it would. So I'm not sure why you said that. I was only pointing out that if people know there's a possible way to get out of something, then you can bet they'll try it.
 

chickenman

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1) That is why such evaluations are done by more than one expert and why it has to reviewed and approved by the court. I also doubt that you get to choose who reviews the case, they are assigned by the court as far as I understand.

2) The above is also true for the court. Death penalty has and will continue to kill based on faulty convictions and innocents are being imprisoned as well. So bringing up the possibility of human error and humqan corruption is not much of an argument since they are variables in the system you are supporting as well.

Sweeping changes would have to take place, for sure. I know that. I particularly like the penalty God put in israel's law for false witnesses. That alone would fix a lot of the problems in our legal system.
 

Arthur Brain

Well-known member
Sweeping changes would have to take place, for sure. I know that. I particularly like the penalty God put in israel's law for false witnesses. That alone would fix a lot of the problems in our legal system.

Well just supposing we had a near to flawless judicial system where miscarriages of any sort were all but eradicated. Would it be justifiable to execute the mentally ill then?
 

Granite

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I don't think it will change and never implied it would. So I'm not sure why you said that. I was only pointing out that if people know there's a possible way to get out of something, then you can bet they'll try it.

I'm trying to figure out what you're driving at, that's all. Yes, people will try to game the system--they do now. And we have checks in place to prevent that. No one has suggested a diagnosis of mental illness is some sort of get out of jail free card; what I've suggested, and what others have expressed, is a concern for a justice system more interested in vindictive violence against those who can't understand what's happening or why, as opposed to a system that provides a chance for rehabilitation or at least a constructive sentence.
 

ghost

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what I've suggested, and what others have expressed, is a concern for a justice system more interested in vindictive violence against those who can't understand what's happening
I'd like to see an example of one of these phantom cases.
 

genuineoriginal

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Yeah, but not every person pleading insanity has murdered 77 people, and that's painting with a verrryyyy broad brush.

A person that murders needs to be put do death.
An insane person that murders needs to be put to death.

An insane person that doesn't murder is not the topic of the thread.
 

Nick M

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Why do I see so many cases on TV of people being sentenced to death even though they are obviously innocent

You see lots of that? I hardly see any. More like Casey Anthony and OJ Simpson when you mention murder on TV. They murdered and walked.

It is equally unjust to let one guilty go free to spare on innocent person. For example, I here idiots like you claim better to let 10 guilty go free, then condemn one innocent man to death. Wrong. That is 10 times worse. It is just as bad to let the guilty go as condemn the innocent. Therefore, we don't need to debate, what if.

Don't beleive it? Ask Ron Goldman if it is better to let somebody go.
 

genuineoriginal

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And plus, you're ignoring my point:

Should somebody who is obviously not aware of reality, their actions and the consequences thereof, be charged in the EXACT SAME WAY as someone who is?
Charged???
Are you trying to change the subject?
:think:
Okay, assuming the person in question is "obviously not aware of reality" and is not aware that their actions of planting a car bomb and shooting people will kill and maim people, then he should be charged with 77 counts of murder and multiple counts of attempted murder for the actions of planting the bomb and shooting the people, and when found guilty he should be put to death. If he was unaware of the consequences (that people would die if they were shot) then he would be put to death for manslaughter instead of murder with malice aforethought.
 

Nick M

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meyer2.jpg

Where did you get that picture of Stuu?
 
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