Should child rapists get the death penalty?

Posted April 14th, 2008 by Joel

American law has long followed an eye-for-an-eye legal standard for the death penalty: Only murderers could be executed. But that may be about to change. This week, the U.S. Supreme Court hears the case of a Louisiana man given the death penalty for raping his 8-year-old stepdaughter. Supporters of the penalty say Patrick Kennedy's crime was so heinous that death is the only appropriate punishment. But opponents say an execution might make victims more reluctant to report the crime -- or motivate rapists to kill their victims. Should the death penalty be extended to child rapists?

Listen to Ben and Joel's discussion, or go weigh in on the topic.

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Thoughts

change of laws first

Submitted on April 22nd, 2008 by Anonymous

what counts as a child rapist first off, i mean is an 18yo who sleeps with a 17yo considered a rapist in this. we need to figure out, first and foremost, a working set of laws that protects all the people that are truly victims and doesn't shaft all the people that maybe made a stupid mistake or just did it in the wrong state. moreover consideration should be taken into account for the safety of the children, if you are already getting death why leave the kid alive.

Let's not...

Submitted on April 15th, 2008 by Anonymous

Let's not give child rapists any more motivation to murder the child so that they cannot serve as a witness against them in a trial. I can't say enough what a terrible thing any crime against children is. And in fact, I am very much in favor of the death penalty. It is the best deterrent for the person put to death against committing an other crimes. But, it should only be used in first degree murder cases.

No

Submitted on April 15th, 2008 by Anonymous

It's clear that the death penalty in general is not serving its purpose to be a deterrent for crime. Texas is the state that carries out the most executions a year and they still have a high crime level. Think about it... a murderer with no conscious probably doesn't care about their own life. The death penalty is an easy way out for them, rather than having to sit and spend a life sentence in jail. Plus it costs millions more to execute a person because of all the court fees and appeals a person has to be given than it does to house them in a maximum security prison for forty years. But more along the lines of this particular case, most rapists are found to be mentally ill, and although this doesn't mean they shouldn't be held accountable for their actions, it does make it a moral issue to put them to death.

I don't know

Submitted on April 15th, 2008 by John 2000

about the death penalty. In too many states these monsters would live longer than those given life sentences would stay in prison. Personally, I think they should be taken out back and shot immediately.

Killing child molestor??? It's Just a Fad!!!

Submitted on April 15th, 2008 by Anonymous

Hating child molestors is only a fad. When you focus the anger of a nation on one topic, there is no end to the damage it could bring to an individual, a community or a nation. Why don't we focus our anger on solving issues that could potentially hurt a lot more people? Child molestors need help, not the electric chair. We have fallen down a slippery slope. It started with us against them. Then it was us getting money (a lot of money) from the Catholic Church. Then it was us raising laws to protect our children. Now it is us killing them. Then it will be us hunting them down. Then us watching for a strange glance from an enemy. Then it will be us killing everyone we think looks wrong. Then it will be us going crazy. Let's drop the child molestor fad and start working on something really important.