Japanese execution draws criticism

[vudeja]

ft.com
"In Japan, inmates and their immediate relatives are not informed of the execution date until the day it takes place."... "Today's execution, as in the past, was carried out when the parliament was adjourned," said Amnesty in a statement, "We believe that is to avoid questions from lawmakers." Mariko Sanchanta, Tokyo"

[GomiGirl]

Not wanted to start a huge capital punishment debate.. but if a country is going to do it (and I don't think it is a true deterrant against criminal activity but is used as revenge), surely it is better to do it quietly and quickly and not use it as a political frisbee.

Also, for the person who is to be executed, it has been debated that knowing the time and date of your impending doom is cruel and unusual punishment.. sure I know that if you are murdered you don't have a choice either, but at least you don't know that it is coming for months and so live it everyday.

That is all I will say on this subject..

[American Oyaji]

I agree.

Hurry up and get it over with.

Thats why Timothy McVeigh (The American Terrorist who blew up the Fed building) went so quickly. He cancled ALL his appeals. He KNEW he was gonna die when he got caught.

That's one of the reasons the process takes so long is the fact that the appeals process goes on and on and on in a death penalty case.

Most criminals try to postpone their date with death.

[cstaylor]

::cough:: The reason they keep them alive as long as they do is that they sometimes have the wrong person behind bars. The only thing worse then the state murdering people is the state murdering the wrong person because they didn't have adequate legal representation.

[American Oyaji]

That indeed is true too.

[Taro Toporific]

ft.com
"In Japan, inmates and their immediate relatives are not informed of the execution date until the day it takes place."... "Today's execution, as in the past, was carried out when the parliament was adjourned," said Amnesty in a statement, "We believe that is to avoid questions from lawmakers." Mariko Sanchanta, Tokyo"

Japan Still Has the Death Penalty
WashingtonPost.com) Jan 16
....This place is not Texas. It is Japan -- the only industrial democracy other than our own that still regularly executes convicted murderers. In 2004, the Japanese conducted two executions by hanging, the sole method employed there.

[DJEB]

::cough:: The reason they keep them alive as long as they do is that they sometimes have the wrong person behind bars. The only thing worse then the state murdering people is the state murdering the wrong person because they didn't have adequate legal representation.

Agreed, Chris. My father, Dr. John Barnes, was murdered on August 1st, 1997 in Torrance, Ontario. As a family member of a victim, I can tell you that you go through a lot of different feelings. However, in my case, the Canadian government executing the killer was not a thought that was ever appealing to me. In fact, it was rather sickening to me to hear people try to cheer me up by suggesting all manner of violent things that ought to have been done to my father's killer. In those situations, what families want most is for no one to ever be killed again.

[Samurai_Jerk]

::cough:: The reason they keep them alive as long as they do is that they sometimes have the wrong person behind bars. The only thing worse then the state murdering people is the state murdering the wrong person because they didn't have adequate legal representation.

Agreed, Chris. My father, Dr. John Barnes, was murdered on August 1st, 1997 in Torrance, Ontario. As a family member of a victim, I can tell you that you go through a lot of different feelings. However, in my case, the Canadian government executing the killer was not a thought that was ever appealing to me. In fact, it was rather sickening to me to hear people try to cheer me up by suggesting all manner of violent things that ought to have been done to my father's killer. In those situations, what families want most is for no one to ever be killed again.

That depends on the family. You often see people talking about how they will get closure when the killer is executed. I doubt they actually do though.

To me questions that appeal to emotion like, "How would you feel if it was your mother (daughter, brother, uncle, best friend, etc.)?" are BS. Yeah, if someone killed a family member or friend I'd want them dead and given the opportunity might even kill them myself. But the whole point of a legal system and due process is to avoid that kind of reckless emotional "justice". Even if you can show that 99.9% of people close to victims want the killer to die (or live for that matter) is still doesn't answer the question of whether or not the death penalty is just.

[Big Booger]

Not wanted to start a huge capital punishment debate.. but if a country is going to do it (and I don't think it is a true deterrant against criminal activity but is used as revenge), surely it is better to do it quietly and quickly and not use it as a political frisbee.

Also, for the person who is to be executed, it has been debated that knowing the time and date of your impending doom is cruel and unusual punishment.. sure I know that if you are murdered you don't have a choice either, but at least you don't know that it is coming for months and so live it everyday.

That is all I will say on this subject..

Unless a psychic told you in advance. hehehe

[DJEB]

You often see people talking about how they will get closure when the killer is executed. I doubt they actually do though.

Me too. Victims families go through a lot of different emotions. They may feel at one point that they want the killer executed, but at another time change their minds. Moreover, "closure" is something that doesn't exist. There will never be a magic moment where the memories will cease to be painful for me.

To me questions that appeal to emotion like, "How would you feel if it was your mother (daughter, brother, uncle, best friend, etc.)?" are BS.

Agreed. Arguments like that are fallacious crap.