‘I have also come to believe that Life Without Parole (LWOP) which is available as sentence in many American States – and soon will be here – IS actually probably a worse punishment than the 20 or so seconds of terror prior to instant death by judicial hanging as was practiced here and in England’

This guy is not a liberal

Okay, lets take one step back and say, no death penalty but our most serious offenders in NZ are shipped off to Mainland China for punishment, Chinese style. Contract out the most serious offenders to a country that takes no prisoners.

Would cost a fraction of that $10,000 per year and the chances of them coming back to NZ are minimal. Panders to the sooky liberals who do not wish Murray’s list to go to the gallows, while at the same time satisfying their need that revenge is a dish best served cold. And they don’t come much colder than a Chinese prison.

http://www.wesleylowe.com/deter.html

Not that long. Inky is right in that it was abolished for murder in 1961, a few years after the last execution in 1957. Have another look at when the crime graph starts to climb.

Yes indeed, why would you. There is nothing exerting any pressure on you to do so, other than your own morality.

“When NZ had had the death penalty we had 2 million (?) people and no automatic weapons so the situation was not like today.”

I see, so its really the growth in population and the availability of automatic weapons in NZ that will allow murderers to “take six with them”. Good grief, to think you actually have the vote.

“The 1950s was the lowest point of murder in this countries history.”

What Sensibles Sentencing graphs really show is the Progressive’s steady Gramascian style undermining of NZ’s moral base. For if you’re going to institute socialism, you cannot have a moral citizenry. Blurring the line between right and wrong is what its all about, and that is another reason the death penalty, that plain and simple marker of evil, had to go.

Also did the crime increase because the death sentence was dropped, DPB introduced or cannabis was made illegal? or was it a increase in unemployment, TV or change in schooling?

Could it have been the beatles or Led Zep?

think about the fact that crime in NZ was a straight line for decades but started to climb not long after the last murderer was executed.

Wouldn’t that be evidence of the lack of a deterrent effect?

We abolished the death penalty quite some time after the last person was executed, but even the existence of the death penalty in that time (and the fact of an actual death under the death penalty) the murder rate still trended upward.

Why would I answer your question? When NZ had had the death penalty we had 2 million (?) people and no automatic weapons so the situation was not like today. How many did Minnie Dean kill? Several other on the list killed more than one person.

The US funded SST data goes back to the 1950s, I said 50-60 years which is the 1950s. The 1950s was the lowest point of murder in this countries history. Capital punishment was abolished 1935-1950 as well.

The US funded SST data goes back to the 1950s, I said 50-60 years which is the 1950s. The 1950s was the lowest point of murder in this countries history. Capital punishment was abolished 1935-1950 as well

So what is the chance Clayton Weatherston was not guilty?

I asked you what was the basis for your claim that reinstitution of the death penalty would result in murderers “taking six people with them”.

I’ll ask again. Could you please point out how many times this happened before the death penalty was abolished?

If you cannot do that, I suggest you admit your claim was emotive crap. Irrational rubbish of the kind Progressives and liberals always resort to when discussing the death penalty.

“There is no evidence that a death penalty reduces murder rates.”

More worthless crap. There is a tonne of evidence.

What is more one only needs to look at the graph on this page-

http://www.safenz.org.nz/statsgraph.htm

and think about the fact that crime in NZ was a straight line for decades but started to climb not long after the last murderer was executed.

So I would work to stop the increase in violence that leads to the murders. Reform in our Drug policy, mental health treatment and welfare system would reduce crime by 10% to 30% at least.

This way there will be space and money to jail for life those that are truly evil

There is no evidence that a death penalty reduces murder rates. Yes we have a more violent society now than in anytime in the last 50 or 60 years. However murder rates are lower than in the late 19th century.

Maybe there are lower murder rates in counties with the death penalty like Iran, Saudi Arabia and China. I do know that the US has a higher murder rate than NZ and Finland a lower. That of course doesn’t prove anything. If Finland had the death penalty maybe their murder rate would fall.

It doesn’t sit comfortably with me to give the state (or a mob) the right to end someones life. I am not convince that all convicted murders are guilty (David Tamihere conviction makes my stomach uneasy) or that all those found not guilty are innocent.

uh oh – -I guess all this would just support what I contend is the majority, democratic position of the population at large.

Referendum John?

You mean like they did before the death penalty was abolished Inky?? Maybe you can give me the figures on how many times your predicted event occurred in NZ’s history. Of the 85 people who were executed prior to the death penalty’s abolition in 1989, how many “took six people with them?”

Here’s a list of the executions. You can read for yourself and then get back with the answer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_executed_in_New_Zealand

Gawd leftists are morons. Always always always.

Death sentence.

In both cases you go into prison and come out dead.

The only difference is time.

If LWOP is introduced I hope they have a clause allowing those so sentenced to commit suicide at their discretion.