Opinion It is time to abolish the death penalty in Thailand

[webfact]

In Thailand, the issue of the death penalty has long been a topic that sparks intense debate, provoking passionate arguments from both its proponents and detractors.

 

Abolishing the death penalty is not a matter of being “soft” on crime, but rather, it is a recognition that judicial systems, no matter how well-intentioned, are fallible. In the United States, the Death Penalty Information Center reports that as of 2022, over 185 people have been exonerated and freed from death row. These are not mere statistics; these are human lives saved from the irreversible tragedy of state-sanctioned execution. Do we trust the Thai justice system to get it right on a matter of life and death?

 

The economic argument against the death penalty is also compelling. The cost of executing a prisoner can be staggering. Studies from the U.S. reveal that a death penalty case can cost up to three times more than imprisoning an inmate for life without parole. This amount includes not just the actual execution but also the extended legal processes, including appeals, which are inherently part of a system designed to be cautious when a human life is at stake. This is money that could be better used elsewhere — for education, public health, or crime prevention programs that have proven efficacy.

 

by Arun Saronchai

 

Full story: THAI ENQUIRER 2023-11-01

 

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[bob smith]

YES!

[dinsdale]

Not just Thailand. Everywhere.

[retarius]

No, no, no, no, no. But do it much, much quicker.....also do a little better with the justice system to ensure guilt., we don't want to be executing any innocents such as might have happened after the appallingly fraudulent investigation on Ko Tao.

[brewsterbudgen]

Absolutely.  The death penalty has no place in civilised countries.

[Shop mak]

Should be life imprisonment without parole or pardon, for murder, rape and drugs.

 

Much higher fines for drunk driving, years behind bars, and automatically impound and sell the vehicle.

 

Then they can abolish the death penalty.

[still kicking]

20 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Absolutely.  The death penalty has no place in civilised countries.

But it is OK to shoot a dozen people

[brewsterbudgen]

3 minutes ago, still kicking said:

But it is OK to shoot a dozen people

 

Of course not.  The punishment should be life imprisonment without parole.

[Karma80]

21 minutes ago, Shop mak said:

Should be life imprisonment without parole or pardon, for murder, rape and drugs.

 

Much higher fines for drunk driving, years behind bars, and automatically impound and sell the vehicle.

 

Then they can abolish the death penalty.

 

*Except for government ministers and connected HiSo, obviously.

[OneMoreFarang]

I am a supporter of the death penalty.

What is the point of feeding and housing murderers, rapists and other bad criminals.

Kill them, problem solved. They won't do any harm anymore.

 

The critical point is obviously that no innocent people should be killed. This is why there need to be no doubt at all that the person committed the crime. It seems with many murderers and rapists there is no doubt. Delete them from the earth. It will be a better place after that.

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

44 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Absolutely.  The death penalty has no place in civilised countries.

How about murderers and rapists have no place in civilized society. Get rid of them! 

[still kicking]

Just now, OneMoreFarang said:

How about murderers and rapists have no place in civilized society. Get rid of them! 

As I mentioned before, what about running around with an automatic weapon and shooting lots of people no good putting them in prison taxpayers paying for that.

[The Fugitive]

19 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

 

Of course not.  The punishment should be life imprisonment without parole.

In the case of 'whole-life' sentences I feel for the prison staff. How to manage an offender without any tools to work with? Offender managers use such expressions as; 'give you something to work towards'. What has the prisoner got to look forward to? Absolutely agree that capital punishment should be scrapped Worldwide. Police cannot be trusted. Jury members must be incredibly reluctant to vote guilty where they know the sentence is going to be execution. 

[TroubleandGrumpy]

The death penalty is always a problem - if anyone is executed that is later found to be innocent. That is why the process takes so long in most countries like USA - to allow for innocence to be established.  However, it still makes errors and some are executed that are later found to be innocent.  But - the death sentance is a viable deterrent and suitable punishment in some cases.

 

Perhaps rather that take the death sentance off the Judges - perhaps add an additonal process where an independent group reviews every death sentance with the view to establishing if the death sentance is appropriate. Judges and Courts are 'controlled' through many years of rules and precedents - I think that there should be a review process above the Courts (not the High/Supreme Court). One step could be to establish if the defendant wants to be executed or not after a suitable period of time - some psychos want the notariorty of being a 'martyr' (good riddance).

If the result is 'death' then so be it - if their choice is jail then put them in solitary confinement for life - after a while the guilty ones might take the offer to end it - if innocent then they will fight forever to prove their innocence.  Maybe do things to those that are given the death sentance that are otherwise 'unacceptable' (hypnosis, drugs, etc) as part of the 'review' process after sentencing - the innocent ones will say 'yes please'.

[The Fugitive]

3 minutes ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

The death penalty is always a problem - if anyone is executed that is later found to be innocent. That is why the process takes so long in most countries like USA - to allow for innocence to be established.  However, it still makes errors and some are executed that are later found to be innocent.  But - the death sentance is a viable deterrent and suitable punishment in some cases.

 

Perhaps rather that take the death sentance off the Judges - perhaps add an additonal process where an independent group reviews every death sentance with the view to establishing if the death sentance is appropriate. Judges and Courts are 'controlled' through many years of rules and precedents - I think that there should be a review process above the Courts (not the High/Supreme Court). One step could be to establish if the defendant wants to be executed or not after a suitable period of time - some psychos want the notariorty of being a 'martyr' (good riddance).

If the result is 'death' then so be it - if their choice is jail then put them in solitary confinement for life - after a while the guilty ones might take the offer to end it - if innocent then they will fight forever to prove their innocence.  Maybe do things to those that are given the death sentance that are otherwise 'unacceptable' (hypnosis, drugs, etc) as part of the 'review' process after sentencing - the innocent ones will say 'yes please'.

Interesting suggestions thanks! As regards deterrent, it's impossible to count how many criminals have been deterred by the threat of capital punishment. I find the experiences of Botswana intriguing. Former British colony, their police continue to this day to be unarmed. However, they retained hanging. Reserved for the worst of all criminals e.g. armed robbers who set out to murder their victim plus any other witnesses. Obviously, the deterrent effect hasn't worked in those cases.

[ChipButty]

There was that guy in England a while ago he did 17 years in jail found guilty of a crime he didn't commit, was proven innocent and released from jail, would have been to late if they had hung him, 

[sirineou]

How about we replace it with something more entertaining?

[The Fugitive]

1 minute ago, ChipButty said:

There was that guy in England a while ago he did 17 years in jail found guilty of a crime he didn't commit, was proven innocent and released from jail, would have been to late if they had hung him, 

Stefan Kiszko. Convicted 10 years earlier he could have been hanged. Disgrace that police suppressed evidence that proved him innocent. Stefan fitted their profile so they 'fitted him up'. The police responsible were not prosecuted on the basis that they wouldn't receive a fair trial in the light of the publicity surrounding the case.

[ChipButty]

10 minutes ago, sirineou said:

How about we replace it with something more entertaining?

Firing squad? 

[sirineou]

2 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Firing squad? 

Too quick you would not even have time for commercials.

I am thinking something more musical , with a bit of variety and suspence. But not sure exactly what. Perhaps Firing squad as you suggested but with singing, a Russian rulet component,  and the condemned allowed the ability to duck and weave with an intermission half way through for referments 

[ikke1959]

I don't agree.. there are people who surely deserve the death penalty, but it should be done instead of a live sentence.. Whe was the last one executed in Thailand?? serial killers and so so be executed..

 

 

[ChipButty]

6 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

I don't agree.. there are people who surely deserve the death penalty, but it should be done instead of a live sentence.. Whe was the last one executed in Thailand?? serial killers and so so be executed..

 

 

The last execution in the country was carried out on June 18, 2018. This means Thailand is halfway to becoming a de facto abolitionist, a status granted to countries that have not carried out any executions for 10 consecutive years

[jvs]

Some people are getting of track,this is about Thailand and not about any other country.

When i read that a young man has killed his 6 year old son to get back at his wife who does not want

to come back to him because he is a wife beater and he admitted to have done it then yes ,a quick bullet to the back of the head.

As for drug dealers?Not so sure about that.

Thailand has too many cases where the culprit is released and does the same thing again,i am not saying kill all of them but the system needs a good overhaul.

Rapists?Special deal for them if it can be proven(dna)

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I am a supporter of the death penalty.

What is the point of feeding and housing murderers, rapists and other bad criminals.

Kill them, problem solved. They won't do any harm anymore.

 

The critical point is obviously that no innocent people should be killed. This is why there need to be no doubt at all that the person committed the crime. It seems with many murderers and rapists there is no doubt. Delete them from the earth. It will be a better place after that.

 

 

Totally agree. When it is 100% sure it is the murderer, do it in public at Saturday lunch time. And not just the namby pamby injection, an eye for an eye job> 

[KannikaP]

47 minutes ago, sirineou said:

Too quick you would not even have time for commercials.

I am thinking something more musical , with a bit of variety and suspence. But not sure exactly what. Perhaps Firing squad as you suggested but with singing, a Russian rulet component,  and the condemned allowed the ability to duck and weave with an intermission half way through for referments 

Sounds like fun. Yes, do it.

[brewsterbudgen]

51 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

The last execution in the country was carried out on June 18, 2018. This means Thailand is halfway to becoming a de facto abolitionist, a status granted to countries that have not carried out any executions for 10 consecutive years

And, shamefully, the last executions in Thailand have been for drug trafficking offences, not murder.

[Artisi]

If caught in the act of committing a crime punishable by the death penalty or willingly confessing there shouldn't be any problem in applying the full sentence - guilty by trail can be a grey area and caution should prevail and appropriate prison term applied. 

[Artisi]

1 hour ago, sirineou said:

Too quick you would not even have time for commercials.

I am thinking something more musical , with a bit of variety and suspence. But not sure exactly what. Perhaps Firing squad as you suggested but with singing, a Russian rulet component,  and the condemned allowed the ability to duck and weave with an intermission half way through for referments 

Something like a Thai TV soapie only not so stupid or boring.

[Purdey]

My main problem with the death penalty (besides the fact it is sanctioned murder by the state) is that innocent people do get executed. Most of the information on the web is available in regard to the USA. Since 1973, at least 195 people who had been wrongly convicted and sentenced to death in the U.S. have been exonerated. Whew, just in time, eh? Except some spent decades on death row.

The Death Penalty Information Center (U.S.) has published a partial listing of wrongful executions that, as of the end of 2020, identified 20 death-row prisoners who were "executed but possibly innocent". Imagine it was your son. Would you say, "Oh well, never mind, you have to break some eggs to make an omelet."?

The death penalty in the UK was ended due to a travesty of justice. Derek Bentley was a learning disabled young man who was executed in 1953. He was convicted of the murder of a police officer during an attempted robbery, despite the fact that it was his accomplice who fired the gun and that Bentley was already under arrest at the time of the shooting. Christopher Craig, the 16-year-old who actually fired the shot, could not be executed as he was under 18. Craig served only ten years in prison before he was released. Again, if it were your son, would you say, "Well, he shouldn't have been on the job."?

And before someone says we would only execute the ones who are really evil, as if they have a flashing light on their head, a court has to abide by what evidence, often circumstantial if the criminal is not caught in the act or left DNA.

[Chris Daley]

You can't punish death with death.  It is immoral and makes you the bigger criminal.  The death penalty is revenge not justice.