Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site cadre.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!sdcsvax!dcdwest!ittvax!decvax!mcnc!idis!cadre!geb From: geb@cadre.UUCP Newsgroups: net.flame,net.politics Subject: Re: Bastille mentality alive and well in USA Message-ID: <96@cadre.UUCP> Date: Sat, 1-Dec-84 11:35:22 EST Article-I.D.: cadre.96 Posted: Sat Dec 1 11:35:22 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 4-Dec-84 05:34:42 EST References: <259@spp2.UUCP>, <1220@dciem.UUCP> <90@cadre.UUCP>, <3218@mit-eddie.UUCP> Organization: Decision Systems Lab., Univ. of Pgh. Lines: 54 Xref: sdcsvax net.flame:6762 net.politics:5739 >From: geb@cadre.UUCP: >>Postulate: The death penalty reduces the chance that the >>killer will kill again. >> >>If: There is a finite chance that a killer let off without >>the death penalty will kill you. >> >>Then: The death penalty reduces the probability that you >>will be murdered. >> >>Q.E.D. >Postulate: Killing EVERYONE else reduces the chance that ANYONE will kill >(afterwards). > >If: There is a finite chance that ANYONE will kill you. > >Then: Killing EVERYONE reduces the probability that you will be murdered. > >Q.E.D. > >Doesn't make it right, does it? > >-- >larry kolodney (The Devil's Advocate) Of course that alone doesn't make it right, and I didn't say that it did! My posting was to respond to the person who said capital punishment doesn't reduce the probability of HIS being murdered. I was merely proving that it did. If you wish to argue whether the justice system has a right to use capital punishment, you have to use more than merely the statistical argument. By the statistical argument, you could argue for capital punishment for any crime, including theft (certainly it would reduce crime of all sorts)! Before invoking capital punishment, you should first establish the right to do so. A strong argument for doing so is that the criminal individual has already willfully taken someone else's life. You or I have the power to take someone else's life, but as we have not done so already, there is no justification for killing us. So I think that it would require more than just a probability that we would kill to justify such a harsh measure as execution. Obviously this is a complicated question and would take a very large posting to discuss all the pros and cons, and again, many people who agree and capital punishment use differing arguments, all of which aren't mutually accepted by all.