Dylann Roof sentenced to death for Charleston church massacre (1 Viewer)

[Heathen Saint]

He was unapologetic, even going as far as to say he did not regret doing it and said that he has no psychological issues.


Dylann Roof jury: Death penalty for Charleston church shooter - CNN.com



This brings up a topic i've been interested in for awhile. What is your opinion on the death penalty? Should we as a country have the right to kill another human being as a matter of principle? Please leave out all of the "you're a softy" or "you're siding with the killer" nonsense for sake of civil conversation. That's not what i'm doing. This was a sick, twisted human being. I just have pondered this question over the years and would like other takes on it.

Also, do you think someone like this really had no psychological issues? To me, clearly he had psychological issues. Whether imprinted in him by other people, the internet, sects of society, whatever...I think that people who harbor not just scant racial prejudices but a desire to hurt or kill those he hates is very definitively having a mental health crisis. Yes, on a continuum from unnoticeable to severely mentally incapacitated, he might have been somewhere toward the former--but this was definitely a product of sick irrationality.

 

[kcirdor]

for death penalty. Some are so broken there is no rehab. Yes, we as society should have the right to come to an agreement on what is the limit of sociopath before we cut life support.

Yes, people can believe in things and NOT have acute psychological problems. Did Dylan? I have no idea but I believe he did.

 

[Heathen Saint]

for death penalty. Some are so broken there is no rehab. Yes, we as society should have the right to come to an agreement on what is the limit of sociopath before we cut life support.

Yes, people can believe in things and NOT have acute psychological problems. Did Dylan? I have no idea but I believe he did.

Perhaps you're right. After all, there are folks who seem to function "normally" in society before blowing themselves up because they believe it to be an infallible act of religious servitude.

But I suppose i'm just picking at my own brain and can't answer as precisely. To me, A human having demonstrated chronic hatred of humans of another skin color and planning out a massacre in which these people were begging him to stop and he only does so when he runs out of ammo seems to beg the mental issues question. So I suppose it could be on a case by case basis.

 

[saintfan-n-alex]

Hard to think one is not mentally disturbed who did this, his persistent denial of such seems to also point to that fact and choice of council makes me wonder if previous lawyer wanted to argue mental health - if he was he wasn't too much so to stand trial

I'm not for the death penalty even in cases such as this where guilt isn't a question

 

[billinms]

I have little doubt that he is mentally ill and fully support giving him the death penalty.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

No for the death penalty - would much rather he rot in prison with only Ta Nehisi Coates books

No remorse for killing is pretty textbook sociopathology
Assuming at least some persecution complex in there as well

 

[tenordas]

I don't believe anyone can go in to a place and kill a lot of people without having psychological problems, whether they are cognizant of it or not. For that matter, I don't think a person can kill another single human (except in self-defense) without having severe psychological problems. Are those problems curable? that's a case by case question.

However, I am against the death penalty.
First, I really don't believe any person or group of people should have the authority to decide that someone is too far gone to redeem. To me, all life is sacred, no matter how messed up it may be.
Second, if we're looking to severe punishment, I believe a lifetime behind bars is actually a far more severe penalty than the death penalty.
Third, what about the wrongly convicted? There have been many cases where recent advances in DNA evidence have reversed sentences of those wrongly convicted. If they had been put to death, what then?

 

[crosswatt]

My opinion can best be summed up by Robin Harris:

 

[Heathen Saint]

I don't believe anyone can go in to a place and kill a lot of people without having psychological problems, whether they are cognizant of it or not. For that matter, I don't think a person can kill another single human (except in self-defense) without having severe psychological problems. Are those problems curable? that's a case by case question.

Just to play devil's advocate, though..Hypothetically: What about people of remote tribes, or something of the sort? They may have killed someone who looked different (yet presented no threat) at the drop of a hat because doing so was assumed to be protecting your own and was just "what you did". There wasn't as great a conviction for doing something like this because culturally it was just something that happened. Maybe the outcome would vary based on context, but I have no doubt that humans naturally do not want to hurt or have the urge to kill one or many of their own kind until some sort of outside force instills that instinct upon them.

I suppose I'm kind of arguing against myself and my preceding opinion here, but doing it out loud, so forgive the sloppiness. Just find the topic really interesting.

However, I am against the death penalty.
First, I really don't believe any person or group of people should have the authority to decide that someone is too far gone to redeem. To me, all life is sacred, no matter how messed up it may be.
Second, if we're looking to severe punishment, I believe a lifetime behind bars is actually a far more severe penalty than the death penalty.
Third, what about the wrongly convicted? There have been many cases where recent advances in DNA evidence have reversed sentences of those wrongly convicted. If they had been put to death, what then?

I agree and couldn't have said it better.

 

[Slim K]

People that do these kinds of things deserve to suffer. It's too easy to adapt in prison and eventually find your way. Keep them in prison and then at the point where they adapt to prison lifestyle and become comfortable in it, execute them.

Also, I often see people say all life is precious but unless that comes from the mouth of a vegan I can't understand why people say that.

 

[Semper]

I'm fine with the death penalty. Sooner the better.

 

[Heathen Saint]

Also, I often see people say all life is precious but unless that comes from the mouth of a vegan I can't understand why people say that.

I can't really comment on where the line is drawn as it refers to plants and other non sentient living things

Regarding human life...I personally err on the side of being against the death penalty just out of principle--being that while i'm fine with locking someone up until they rot, I don't think we as a society have the right to take human life. Part of that view is knowing there will be people furious with the fact that the person probably will get decent treatment/solitary confinement his whole life--and subsequently understanding and being empathetic to that view.

 

[cdogg]

Death is worse than life, even in prison. If it wasn't, why would the death penalty be a question? Prison would be the worst sentence you could give, but it isn't. Death is. If death was better than life in prison, there would be suicides by the hundreds daily.

 

[tenordas]

Death is worse than life, even in prison. If it wasn't, why would the death penalty be a question? Prison would be the worst sentence you could give, but it isn't. Death is. If death was better than life in prison, there would be suicides by the hundreds daily.

There are. Suicide a much bigger problem than you think it is.
https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/

On average, there are 121 suicides per day (in America). Each year 44,193 Americans die by suicide. There are 25 attempts for every successful suicide,

Note those numbers only count our country. It's a huge problem world-wide.

Supposedly, the death penalty is a deterrent, but it hasn't proven to be so. A psychopath doesn't care about dying, and people who commit crimes of passion are so caught up in their emotion, such a threat not only isn't a deterrent, but may even be something they desire.

 

[moe1967]

He should already be dead.