Anony mous I used to be against it, because I thought most people can be redeemed. Then I got older and wiser. Some people are just evil and their only goal in life is to destroy others
Me too. Isn't it interesting quite a few of us feel this way?
If you'd asked me when I was a believer I'd have said execution was institutionalised revenge and I was totally against it.
As you say some people cannot be redeemed, unfortunately nature made them that way in the case of psychopaths. However, even though I'm actually deeply sorry for psychopaths, the fact is they take life - often making their victim feel utterly terrified in the process. Because I think there is no after life I see murder as even more heinous and we must do all we can to prevent it.
I used to believe at least the victims will be resurrected, which made me more able to forgive ...now? As you say, we cannot allow a Ted Bundy etc to exist within our society They are far too dangerous. And child killers, for me, are beyond the pale. These days I would volunteer to throw the switch on them. It's not judgementalism, it's pragmatism. Life is precious and murder is the one crime you can never make right. It would have to be for cases where there was no doubt who committed the crime. Prior to DNA testing I'd be less sure as I know there have been horrendous miscarriages of justice, which is my one reservation when it comes to the death penalty.
As an aside I had a mate who was a Pierrepoint , related to Britain's last hangman, lol. He was an artist.
