This certainly is an interesting topic for debate.
Looking at it from one angle countries that have more lenient penalties such as Canada versus the USA have less crime, therefore one can come to the conclusion that the penalty isn't a deterrent. That's not to say I don't think the penalty should be more severe in some cases. Like If someone murders someone at age 20-25(Life is 25 Maximum in Canada) That person can be out by the time their 45-50. In the example outlined they could easily have 25-30 years of their life left, to have a family etc while their victim is dead, possibly leaving behind kids etc...
So what it really comes down to is thinking if someone deserves to be killed for the severity of their crime or crimes. As someone mentioned it is also costly to keep someone in jail so there is a cost saving aspect of things as well.
I had a guy tell me his sob story about being abused as a child from his mothers BF and I had told him some stuff I had been through. This man even told he murdered a person however he said the guy he killed was a pedophile. It's quite possible the person he killed was a pedophile, yet it's also possible he wasn't. People do use rationalization(making excuses) to justify their self involved interests. For example in war people will say we take care of the poor while the enemy rapes them, therefore we're 'good' and our enemy is 'bad'.
I'm pretty sure this same man found out a few days later some of the stuff I had done as an adolescent and I could tell his attitude changed towards me. It certainly appeared as if he had felt I deserved to have been abused, quite possibly due to him being friends with some of the people who had harmed me.
Anyways back on topic, I'm a bit on both sides of the fence on this issue. In some of the most severe, such as brutal or sadistic murders etc I can understand why it could be implemented.
We live in a society where human life is valued greatly. For example most psychiatrists, psychologists and therapist view suicide as irrational and that one must be mentally ill to commit or even consider such an act. Basically rational suicide is refuted as having any legitimacy by the general public because it is seen as a deviant behavior.
'an eye for and eye'..isn't that in some famous book?
I believe If someone takes a life they should be prepared to receive the death penalty
If society was civilized there would be no need for prisons and no murderers, rapists, etc., and we wouldn't need the death penalty
*hops off my soap box*
There's a quote an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind. That quote isn't a specific to murder but other wrongs in general more so lesser crimes or misdeeds.
Off topic but I read an argument regarding drugs that the a good part of the problem with drugs is with them is it being illegal thus bringing the criminal element into play, and the violence that comes with illegal activity. Like you said what about other crimes committed obviously making those things legal isn't going to fix anything at all.
