nofree i am astounded at your patience...

But I doubt if your excellent post will make any difference to peoples opinions. The different sides are talking two different languages... you are talking of how the evidence dictates things are while they are talking of how they feel things should be.

People want to believe capital punishment is a deterrant as an article of faith despite all the evidence to the contrary.

Unfortunately the people who could best answer the question of why the death penalty does not act as a deterrant can't because they are dead... we hung them all. (There are a number of innocent people among that number... I feel the "can't make an omlette without cracking eggs" clause doesn't really cut it here.)

Of course Ian Brady escaped the noose. Capital punishment did nothing to deter britains most notorious child killers. When he and Myra Hindley carried out their outrages the capital punishment was still the sentance for their crimes. (Later to be suspended and abolished while they were going through the trial process)

Lets face... what psycho is going to sit down and weigh up the rest of his life in chokey on the one hand against the noose on the other and decide on a life of indiscriminate slaughter versus law abiding crown subject on the strength of the sentance? Aint gonna happen.

There are those who couldn't give a monkies for the deterrant value of the noose etc but who feel it is a more adequate punishment for the wicked deeds of the murders. I respect this arguement. I disagree with it but I respect it as it does not pervert the logic of those facts you state.

Albert Pierpoint himself said that he had come to believe that capital punishment served no other purpose than to sate societies thirst for revenge. (Although there is no dispute that he said this... some question the extent to which he meant it.)

Revenge is a powerful inscentive and I can fully understand how the public feel short changed from the legal system when the punishment for beasts who molest and murder children is for them to be deprived of their liberty but to go otherwise unharmed.

I have more time for those people who openly admit that they just want payback from people who they feel should be made to suffer for what they have done to vulnerable members of society such as children.

Not for me though. I think making torturers out of our legal system woulb be a retrograde step.

And I have a sneaky feeling that those most outraged at the Archbishop for shooting himself in the foot by seeming to suggest that a little Sharia law wouldn't be such a bad thing are the very same people who would be ovderjoyed at the prospect of getting certain scum-bags tortured medevil style.

Rosie... two addies now... surely one must work???

Jakirla... soz mate... lost the addy you put up for me.

Out of sight but not out of mind. Take care friends.

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