Should Pedophiles Really Be Executed?

[Sabre]

It seems that almost every day on Thai Visa there is a news item published about a foreign pedophile who has been arrested in Thailand, with a number of people calling for the individual in question to be summarily executed. It is of course a very emotional topic, but do people really feel that this is how we should deal with such crimes? Is pedophilia worse than murder, or serious assault? I personally don't support the death penalty in any instance, but am interested to know if people really mean it when they call for accused pedophiles to be shot, hung, castrated, and so forth. Please try to keep the discussion sensible ....

[Slaps]

Go and have a soapy mate

At least that is Thai related

[Mosha]

Actually the people who should be executed, are the ones who decide to release thes perverts into a comunity without warning the community. I lived in such a community the Pedo was a Scouser. The damage he did was unforgiveable.

[rgs2001uk]

Ah posting from Vatican City, may explain your point of view.

[gotlost]

YES

[Gary A]

I recommend a kinder more gentle approach. Castration is fine with me.

[britmaveric]

Yes - any methods of rehabilitation do not seem to work, so really not a lot you can do with them. (lock them up for life or execute)

[thaibutty]

One thing about Blokes from Oz is that their hearts and humour are

always in the right place!

Mr T. B. Bechtel, a City Councillor from Newcastle, NSW, was asked on a local

live radio talk show, just what he thought about the allegations of the

torture of suspected terrorists.

His reply prompted his ejection from the studio, but to thunderous

applause from the audience.

HIS STATEMENT

'If hooking up a terrorist prisoner's nuts, to a car's battery cables,

will save just one Australian’s life, then I have just three things to

say,'

'Red is positive,

Black is negative,

and make sure his nuts are wet.'

And this is my opinion on how to treat a pedophile...;-)

[Sabre]

Ah posting from Vatican City, may explain your point of view.

Excellent. Unintended irony there ...

[Sabre]

I recommend a kinder more gentle approach. Castration is fine with me.

If you're interested, I read an interesting article about how they are basically keeping the pedophiles in prison in California. After they serve their term they are forced to stay in a 'treatment facility', or something like that.

By the way - chemical castration is not as horrible as it sounds. I think it just refers to hormone treatment. That is, not permanent.

[johna]

Rehabilitation does not work, life in prison or the death penalty.

[Sabre]

Unfortunately, sentencing around the world has no effect on these people, perhaps the ultimate sacrifice "might have an effect". We will here from people who do not agree with capital punishment but if it were these peoples little ones would they change their minds.

You might remove their todgers, but you cannot put your babes head back to normality, ever .

I wonder if being a parent is a factor in this issue? I.e. am I more likely to answer 'yes' if I'm already a parent. One would expect so ....

[Huey]

Yes I think they should be executed, however it should be reserved for only the most heinous of cases (ie with pre-pubescent children) and only when DNA evidence is available.

[PhilHarries]

I think they should be treated humanely and with dignity.

They should be locked in a condo on the twentieth floor with an extensive range of liquors and told if they're still there in thirty minutes they will be taken and locked up with all the other criminals and no segregation.

Let them take the coward's way out as befitting their status.

[Ulysses G.]

Yes I think they should be executed, however it should be reserved for only the most heinous of cases (ie with pre-pubescent children) and only when DNA evidence is available.

This may be a first, but I agree with Huey.

[robblok]

I think they should be treated humanely and with dignity.

They should be locked in a condo on the twentieth floor with an extensive range of liquors and told if they're still there in thirty minutes they will be taken and locked up with all the other criminals and no segregation.

Let them take the coward's way out as befitting their status.

Kinda depends on what they have done if they only looked at some pics and never did anything with a child execution is a bit harsh.

[johna]

I think they should be treated humanely and with dignity.

They should be locked in a condo on the twentieth floor with an extensive range of liquors and told if they're still there in thirty minutes they will be taken and locked up with all the other criminals and no segregation.

Let them take the coward's way out as befitting their status.

Kinda depends on what they have done if they only looked at some pics and never did anything with a child execution is a bit harsh.

good point Robblok, there is a documentary DVD entitled "Capturing the Friedmans" that tells the story of a justice system gone wrong over this issue.

[Moonrakers]

Just make it so that they cannot harm any kids, ever, whatever method it takes.

[chimsa]

Surely, a few bodies swinging gently in the breeze along Jontiem Beach will do as a wonderful deterrent?

These hideous characters ruin lives. Ruin thiers.

[robblok]

I think they should be treated humanely and with dignity.

They should be locked in a condo on the twentieth floor with an extensive range of liquors and told if they're still there in thirty minutes they will be taken and locked up with all the other criminals and no segregation.

Let them take the coward's way out as befitting their status.

Kinda depends on what they have done if they only looked at some pics and never did anything with a child execution is a bit harsh.

I think most here are thinking if a guy fools around with kids. The pictures thing is different, but still, in the pics kids were used so perhaps a different issue for a poll.

Sure fooling with kids is different.. but how about a 17yo girl willing.. still underage.. still execute him ?

What i am trying to point at its not all black and white.

[givenall]

YES

Don't worry, the inmate don't look at these people very favorable. They normally become someone's bic..ch or they are murdered

Plus, they will be murdered by me it they do something to my kid

[IanForbes]

No, but they should be put somewhere that they can't re-offend. Be careful of what you wish for. There is a huge difference between having sex with a 15 year old girl that has portrayed herself to be far older, and some young child. However, I'd certainly hang the Mafia types that bring children to brothels though.

[dobadoy]

It's not just the age but the context that needs clarifying. An innocent 15-year old girl who utterly trusts in the benevolence of some male who then tricks or rapes her...is not the same as a 15-yr old hanging around in a pick-up joint trying to con men she is legal so she can take one home.

Anyone doing the former regardless of age should get the harshest penalty the victims or their family demand.

Looking at pictures is not the same thing. Yes, there must be some abuse behind the production of the pictures, but to execute someone for enjoying looking at abusive pictures is a principle with a lot of loopholes. Try generalising it, it won't work. Of course, if they are directly supporting the production of those pictures by ordering them or paying for them, then there is a case for a penal sentence, but I don't think it warrants the death penalty.

I have kids, and to another poster who said 'does it matter if you are a parent' I think the answer is definitely yes. Pre-fatherhood would have said 'lock them up and throw away the key'; now, I know that if somebody did something to my kids I would wish not just for the right to have them executed but to be the one who looked in their eyes and pushed the button. I'd also want that button to be connected to some very slow and torturous mechanism.

[theoldgit]

I have never believed in the death penalty for any reason, if the offence is murder then sadly it wouldn't bring the victim back, and whilst it might bring some short term satisfaction to relatives, I suspect that satisfaction would be short lived.

In the case if sex offenders then it is not so clear cut, as has already been pointed out what about the teenage girls selling herself and makes out she is far older than she is, any guy caught with her could be sent to jail and on release placed on the sex offenders register, I couldn't in all honesty sentence them to death.

In the case of a classic paedophile, and by that I mean somebody who interferes with young kids, someone who trades them as sex objects, somebody who photographs them for profit, or even those who buy these dreadful pictures, because without these people there would be no need to take the pictures in the first place, thus saving some kids, well then it's no so straight forward, execution is a quick release for the perpertrators and possibly in years to come the abused child might have a sense of guilt.

One could say that the possibility of a death sentence would be a deterrent, but the evidence doesn't support this.

On balance I wouldn't vote for the death penalty, I think life in prison would be far better, trust me that's not a soft option.

You cannot rule out the possibilty of a wrongful conviction, and whilst I take the point about being sure with DNA evidence mistakes can and do happen. In a previous life I have come across the most awful people who have been convicted of murder and child sex offences, and whilst they were truly obnoxious they were later proved to be innocent of the crimes for which they had been convicted. If the hang em brigade had their way then the state would have killed innocent people.

Well that's my two Satangs worth.

[dobadoy]

thanks oldgit (if you don't mine me callin y'that!), some sensible points in there.

[ukrules]

It's a slippery slope here for a number of reasons.

One day I am sure there will be a way to identify people like this before they know themselves, by this I mean when they are still children / teenagers themselves. I'm talking about some kind of genetic or physical brain difference which is left over from when a child turns into an adult, like an unusual response whilst undergoing an FMRI scan, this technology is being worked on now with regards to detecting lies.

What then ?

[elkangorito]

The only good thing that comes from a thread like this is that all the truly deranged people happily expose themselves. I am not one of them & I voted NO!

[MB1]

I have never believed in the death penalty for any reason, if the offence is murder then sadly it wouldn't bring the victim back, and whilst it might bring some short term satisfaction to relatives, I suspect that satisfaction would be short lived.

In the case if sex offenders then it is not so clear cut, as has already been pointed out what about the teenage girls selling herself and makes out she is far older than she is, any guy caught with her could be sent to jail and on release placed on the sex offenders register, I couldn't in all honesty sentence them to death.

In the case of a classic paedophile, and by that I mean somebody who interferes with young kids, someone who trades them as sex objects, somebody who photographs them for profit, or even those who buy these dreadful pictures, because without these people there would be no need to take the pictures in the first place, thus saving some kids, well then it's no so straight forward, execution is a quick release for the perpertrators and possibly in years to come the abused child might have a sense of guilt.

One could say that the possibility of a death sentence would be a deterrent, but the evidence doesn't support this.

On balance I wouldn't vote for the death penalty, I think life in prison would be far better, trust me that's not a soft option.

You cannot rule out the possibilty of a wrongful conviction, and whilst I take the point about being sure with DNA evidence mistakes can and do happen. In a previous life I have come across the most awful people who have been convicted of murder and child sex offences, and whilst they were truly obnoxious they were later proved to be innocent of the crimes for which they had been convicted. If the hang em brigade had their way then the state would have killed innocent people.

Well that's my two Satangs worth.

A sensible well balanced post IMO and I myself would NOT agree with someone being executed for some acts of peadophilia, those acts being taking sexually explicit pictures of children or being in possesion of them, exposing one's self to children or molesting them, whilst I agree that they are serious crimes against children is it right that execution is the punishment for those who do this.

Problem is how long do we lock these people up for.

One of the problems with crimes like paedophilia is that it's also treated as a mental illness and a paedofile can be locked up for a certain lengh of time and is then released back into society and can become a repeat offender and escalate paedofilia activity which can lead to the murder of children.

Should we lock them up for LIFE ?, and IMO life should mean life, until the day they die in prison with no chance of release ever, or should we allow them to be released from prison knowing that there may be a chance that they re-offend which could result in the loss of a life of a child.?.

[Sabre]

How about the fact that child abusers were - tyically - abused themselves, as children? Still want to kill 'em?

[ThailandTommy]

A member of my family was murdered by a paedophile, until you experience first hand the trauma and devastation it causes you really have no idea of what you are talking about let alone considering an option of whether or not you want the scum to live or die.

If I had my way I would torture them for as long as it took them to die, but that’s just me I am sure there will be some shocked ‘do gooder’ who will disagree.