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Originally Posted by Manic_Skafe
If it were up to me, the average 16-17 year old wouldn't be behind the wheel of a car and they certainly would not have to a pay off their debt to society with their lives for mistakes they've made at that time.
You might not be the one pulling the plug (or pushing down the plunger) but an "It sucks, but that's life" opinon is an extremely dangerous perspective to have.
One look at the US' crime rates is more than proof enough that this "punish over rehabilitation" form of justice doesn't work and only adds fuel to the fire.
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So just to clarify, if a 16 or 17 year old "child" (which IMO that age shouldn't be considered a child anymore, by that age they are fully aware of right and wrong and consequences) was to kill someone or even worse kill a handful of people, you would suggest that they spend their life in prison? I haven't been to death row but I think it would be safe to say that people in there would rather go ahead and die than spend their life fighting, getting raped, getting stabbed and what not for another 80 years.
Let's also venture further and ask ourselves this. When is a person "rehabillitated"? Really. Someone goes out and rapes 30 women or somone kills 1 or more people. There is no guarantee that a person has changed. I've seen it countless times in society where the justice system gives them another chance and they do fine for a while then they crack. I think that capital punishment IS a necessary form of punishment for certain crimes and/or habitiual (sp?) violent criminals.
This debate could also go further and say that the system doesn't give enough opportunities for prisoners once they reach the "outside" I will agree to this to some regard but it is a natural instinct to be careful of people who were involved in a violent crime.