There was this thing on 60 minutes where this white girl Id'd the black guy who raped her and then some years later through dna testing it was found he was not the guy. Eyewitness testimony is bad a bunch of time. If we were practicing your brand of justice he might be dead man. I would much rather a rapist get off then have an innocent man punished. Here is another story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Frimpong
While true mistrials are unfortunate in any circumstance. But you would rather the rapist get off and rape again?? Rapists don't just do it once and stop. They are always looking for victims. What if that victim happened to your wife or daughter? Also a lot of these rape crimes end up in murder.
I'm not saying we don't punish people I am saying we need to be very careful about balancing public safety with the protecting the rights of those convicted. The problem I see with rhad's attitude is that in regard to something like execution if someone is wrongfully convicted and then executed what do you do then? How are system functions is that due process never ends and even if someone is convicted there is still the possibility for exoneration down the road which given how many wrongful convictions we are finding out due to DNA, witnesses recanted and prosecutorial ineptness and/or misconduct we need to keep in mind that our justice system is flawed. You cannot seperate out by saying that trial and punishment are separate as one directly leads to the other and for someone wrongfully convicted you can't say "well the trial was flawed but the punishment was just since you were convicted."
Well I dont think rhad said they should all be excuted. Execution should be the maximum punishment and that would depend on the crime and the judge to decide. I am personally more in favor of just locking these people up for the rest of their lives so they can not harm anyone else. So in most cases they can be exonerated down the road in case of a mistrial. However in some cases where there really is guilt beyond a reasonable doubt execution should definitely not be out of the question. The case at hand is a perfect case for execution if the suspect is indeed found guilty of rape and murder. Way too early to jump to any conclusions now. I still pray that they find her alive but I think most know those chances are small.
Just wanted to add let's not turn this into a Death Penalty debate. I feel it is headed down that road. That probably has a thread of its own on here.
Apologize? I honestly don't have a good answer for this. You're willing to sacrifice what I would consider "justice"* for potential innocents. I wager that this is better addressed by correcting the "flawed" justice system you mention in the same post. I don't want to sacrifice giving criminals there due simply because people can lie in a courtroom. If that's our standard, throw out all punishments - the principle's the same. I think a lot of these arguments are just a handy method to further along the anti-death-penalty agenda. That's not an insult or condemnation, but it speaks to some not so cut-and-dry complications. *As sunsfan mentioned, I am not advocating death for every rapist or whatever. But probably most.
UPDATE - Body found believed to be Chelsea King sigh... this story really just makes my blood boil. ------- http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/TheLaw/po...unner-chelsea-king-17/story?id=9992504&page=1 Police Find Body Believed to Be Missing Runner, Chelsea King, 17 Days After Sex Offender Arrested, Body Thought to Be High School Student Is Discovered By RUSSELL GOLDMAN March 2, 2010 Searchers found a body believed to be a 17-year-old San Diego high school student who went missing while running in a park near her home last week, the San Diego County sheriff said. Chelsea King Disappearance: Who is Watching California's Sex Offenders? Suspect John Albert Gardner is being held on suspicion of murder in the disappearance of Chelsea... Expand Suspect John Albert Gardner is being held on suspicion of murder in the disappearance of Chelsea King, right. Authorities said he was arrested after a piece of King's clothing containing DNA evidence was found near the California shoreline in the park where she was last seen jogging. Police found the body believed to be Chelsea King Tuesday afternoon, six days after she went missing on Feb. 25 and two days after they arrested John Albert Gardner III, a convicted sex offender whose DNA was found on King's clothing near where police believe she was abducted. Related Same Park, Same Guy: Other Woman Attacked by Chelsea King Suspect The search for King began the evening she disappeared and intensified each day, as the FBI and members of local law enforcement agencies, supported by hundreds of volunteers, scoured the marshy areas near Lake Hodges, where King often went for lengthy jogs. Authorities also employed teams of sniffer dogs, unmanned drone aircraft and helicopters equipped with infrared sensors to help find the straight-A high school senior, who also ran cross country and played in the school symphony. Gardner, 30, was arrested on suspicion of rape and first degree murder and is scheduled to be charged Wednesday in a San Diego Court. Police said Gardner, who was arrested in 2000 for committing lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14, may also be connected to the disappearance of Amber DuBois, a 14-year-old who disappeared near San Diego on her way to school in February 2009. Authorities Monday also linked Gardner to an attack on 23-year-old Candice Moncayo, who identified Gardner from a mug shot as the man who attacked her weeks before along the same running path where King went missing. Moncayo was able to fend off her attacker by elbowing him in the face and running away.
This is a cool story, and it proves that Double Dragon is a useful game for kids to play. Um... ewww... Okay, sorry for the jokes in such a thread. I am. But part of what annoys me about our culture's interaction with the media is that we have an insatiable appetite for these "missing girl" stories, especially when there are salacious details. I too feel terrible for this girl, may she rest in peace, and her family, but do we (not the BSS, but the country) have any perspective here? How big a problem, nationwide, is the missing girl syndrome? Versus everything else going on and all the other causes of death in the US, all the other causes of misery... It's just... odd. Maybe it's that the story is so human in a way, and we can feel like we're all part of one small village, complete with creepy white guy sex offender and beautiful high school girl who meets an untimely, sad and creepy demise. That's more captivating to people than the total thousands of rapes yesterday, the idea that sex slavery exists in the US, or the number who will die of heart disease, and so forth. Or even Colin Powell speaking out on the highschool dropout rate, which really is a gi-normous problem that will garrot the future of the country (same day headlines, but it will get less airplay.)
I just realize I have a sex offender living next door to me. He did his crime in California. Then he got arrested in Arkansas for not filing. At first I thought it was some old man but it might be his son or his nephewnor something.
