Should Canada have capital punishment?

Question

I think anyone convicted of a heinous crime against a child should be automatically executed. These people are detrimental to society and there is no cure for them. Telling a paedophile not to be attracted to young boys is like telling a homosexual man not to be attracted to men. Yes, there is the potential to execute someone falsely convicted, but I'm willing to take that chance over letting a child rapist go free (which, lets face it, after a couple months in jail, most child rapists are let free because there is no justice in the Canadian "justice" system). As well, the damage these people do to the child lasts a life time and in many cases, abused children grow up to be abusers themselves. Why not eliminate these b******s before they create more like them? What do you think?

Answer 1

It'll never happen.

In the last couple of decades, support for capital punishment has absolutely *plummeted* in Canada.  The Mulroney government held a free vote on capital punishment; the general public was largely in favour of reinstitution, but the Nays won out by a small margin.  In the late 90's, public support was split right down the middle (48/47 split).  Last year, the Harper government conducted a poll...

Only about 20% of Canadians supported the death penalty.  See the link below for details.

Judging by the Canadian response to the Ron Smith affair, it looks like a great many Canadians (30% or so) oppose the death penalty because they recognize that we'll occasionally get it wrong.  A significant problem with such an irrevocable penalty, certainly.  So approximately half of all Canadians - and I'm happy to count myself as one of these - think that the death penalty is inherently wrong.  Taking a life when it isn't absolutely necessary is never moral.  And it isn't necessary.  We have both the legal and physical infrastructure to hold folks we deem to be too threatening to release.

While you're quite incorrect on the penalty that child rapists get, even if you were correct, your logic is kind of flawed.  Rather than suggesting going straight from 'a couple months in jail' to automatic execution, why not find some middle ground - say, broader application of the dangerous offender designation, allowing for the indefinite detention of high risk offenders?

All other matters aside, the Stephen Truscott acquittal was the final nail of capital punishment's coffin in Canada.  You don't sentence a 14-year-old to death then, after his sentence was fortunately commuted, acquit him fifty years later and still think that the death penalty is a good idea.

Answer 2

I'm Canadian and I say no. I don't bend my principles. They go to jail and they stay out of society. That is the end of it.

Answer 3

Reason to support this - Yeah, they are never going to change, so they should be executed. Also, leaving them out released from the jail will not only make more children suffer, but the children may become mentally disturbed and follow the exact same foot print later in life.

Reason not to support this - The criminals may be former victims of such crime. It's never fair for their abusers to not get caught and punished. It's also unfair for them to carry the burden (even though this only applied to some of them).

I am undecided on this. But I believe that early and proper s*x education can limit such incidence. People have a health and proper s*x life are much less likely to commit such crime. Just look at how much lower the s*x crime rates are in northern Europe. Then again, this is only a prevented measure rather than controlled measure. I just preferred starting from the base than the surface. Capital punishment will weed them out not doubt, but they will continue to live on as nobody and nothing is to take on the problem from its root.

Answer 4

First off, I would not be willing to take the chance with someone else's life as you suggest you would.  The execution of one innocent person taints the whole system.  In Canada, there have been several cases over that last 30 years + of people wrongly convicted for murder (Marshall, Truscott and Milgaard most notable).  All of these men would have been hung, gassed or injected in many countries.  I hope our government never takes the cavalier attitude that the occasional wrongful execution is part of the cost of doing business.  A second reason is that killing the killer is not justice.  How does it make it better for anyone?  It is revenge killing pure and simple.  The third reason I am against capital punishment is that any justice system is to have an element of mercy.  I am aware of the argument that the killers show little mercy but executing them only perpetuates the concept of revenge thinly disguised as justice.  Mercy is a stronger force than hate.  Hate stays with someone forever.  I know a mother whose son was murdered about thirty years ago.  She has courageously decided to forgive and refuses to give into hate.  I admire her greatly for her stand.

Answer 5

No, only barbaric countries like Russia and USA should have capital punishment. All Europe, Canada and others should actually give presents and money award to criminals. The worst the crime – more money and gifts the criminal deserved.