21 Dec 21
https://www.al.com/news/2021/12/japan-hangs-3-inmates-in-first-executions-since-2019.html
Japan hanged three people, and it turns out their executions are all done in secret: prisoners are not informed of their fate until the morning they are hanged. Some death-row inmates are suing the Japanese government, saying that it causes serious mental stress and anxiety not knowing when they will be executed.
The kicker? From the article:
executions, often carried out during the year-end holiday season when parliament is in recess
These guys finding out they're going to be executed right before Christmas.
I'm pretty shocked this happens in Japan. I thought they were more advanced and civilized than China.
21 Dec 21
@vivify saidI assume you find capital punishment not acceptable. I don't fault you, not crazy about it myself, but what should we do with a person who gouges out the eyes of your 22 year old daughter, stabs her to death, and throws her in the city dump? Execute him like he did her?
Before some posters here get all self-righteous, from the article:
"Japan and the U.S. are the only two countries in the Group of Seven industrialized nations that use capital punishment".
21 Dec 21
@vivify saidI'm in favor of abolishing the death penalty because the risk of executing an innocent person outweighs whatever minimal deterrent benefit the death penalty might bring.
https://www.al.com/news/2021/12/japan-hangs-3-inmates-in-first-executions-since-2019.html
Japan hanged three people, and it turns out their executions are all done in secret: prisoners are not informed of their fate until the morning they are hanged. Some death-row inmates are suing the Japanese government, saying that it causes serious mental stress and anxiety not knowin ...[text shortened]... m pretty shocked this happens in Japan. I thought they were more advanced and civilized than China.
But I'm not going to become overly worried about the mental distress and anxiety of convicted murderers. Possibly, they should have thought about that before the intentionally killed people.
21 Dec 21
@averagejoe1 saidI should've elaborated. My issue is not so much with the death penalty, it's Japan's way of carrying it out. They are done in secret and Japan's justice minister is the one who determines when the inmates will die, and only lets inmates know they're dying day of the execution. On top of all that, they're being hanged, which is a fairly brutal way to day.
I assume you find capital punishment not acceptable. I don't fault you, not crazy about it myself, but what should we do with a person who gouges out the eyes of your 22 year old daughter, stabs her to death, and throws her in the city dump? Execute him like he did her?
Just seems a bit cruel.
But then again, the article says the inmates were convicted of horrendous crimes, including slaughtering an entire family then burning their house down.
21 Dec 21
I read somewhere that prisoners on death row are kept in isolation in a room with a bed and a chair. During the day they are not allowed to lay on the bed and have to sit in the chair all day in silence, waiting for the door to open and be led out and hanged. It can go on for years.
21 Dec 21
@vivify saidI was under the impression that they did not use capital punishment and their penal codes and systems were quite enlightened too.
https://www.al.com/news/2021/12/japan-hangs-3-inmates-in-first-executions-since-2019.html
Japan hanged three people, and it turns out their executions are all done in secret: prisoners are not informed of their fate until the morning they are hanged. Some death-row inmates are suing the Japanese government, saying that it causes serious mental stress and anxiety not knowin ...[text shortened]... m pretty shocked this happens in Japan. I thought they were more advanced and civilized than China.
How depressing.
@sh76 saidNot being picky, but your second paragraph does not jibe with the first, in that someone in your second paragraph, though convicted, may be innocent. Maybe his twin did it!!
I'm in favor of abolishing the death penalty because the risk of executing an innocent person outweighs whatever minimal deterrent benefit the death penalty might bring.
But I'm not going to become overly worried about the mental distress and anxiety of convicted murderers. Possibly, they should have thought about that before the intentionally killed people.
21 Dec 21
@averagejoe1 saidno
I assume you find capital punishment not acceptable. I don't fault you, not crazy about it myself, but what should we do with a person who gouges out the eyes of your 22 year old daughter, stabs her to death, and throws her in the city dump? Execute him like he did her?
@averagejoe1 saidstill no
OK. I left out that he made her boyfriend Mikey video the whole thing. He, and the cellphone, escaped. It is now streaming on Youtube. 5,000,000,000 views.
Would this change your answer? No chance of him being innocent.
not killing people is a commitment we adhere to as a society it's not about the convicted, even in the rare cases where the guilt is beyond a doubt
@zahlanzi saidOK, I commend that moral point of view. II guess I am just not quite that liberal on such a matter. I would pull the hangman’s switch myself.
still no
not killing people is a commitment we adhere to as a society it's not about the convicted, even in the rare cases where the guilt is beyond a doubt
@vivify saidThese individuals presumably committed brutal murders and did not give their victims prior notice that they were about do die in an inhumane manner. They also knew that in their society capital punishment is a possibility. I'm not sure why a countdown clock until their time of your death is more humane or a courtesy the inmate deserves.
I should've elaborated. My issue is not so much with the death penalty, it's Japan's way of carrying it out. They are done in secret and Japan's justice minister is the one who determines when the inmates will die, and only lets inmates know they're dying day of the execution. On top of all that, they're being hanged, which is a fairly brutal way to day.
Just seems a bit ...[text shortened]... nvicted of horrendous crimes, including slaughtering an entire family then burning their house down.
21 Dec 21
@quackquack saidThe U.S. has laws against "cruel and unusual punishment" for a reason. That reason is the belief that despite the severity of a crime, the criminal is still a human being and should be treated as such.
These individuals presumably committed brutal murders and did not give their victims prior notice that they were about do die in an inhumane manner. They also knew that in their society capital punishment is a possibility. I'm not sure why a countdown clock until their time of your death is more humane or a courtesy the inmate deserves.
Keeping someone in the dark, potentially for years, about when they're going to die, only to announce it the day of, naturally causes each day to be filled with anxiety and mental anguish. At least knowing when you will die gives you time to prepare and some idea of how to live the rest of your days.
Add to that the fact that execution is carried by hanging someone from their neck, this system seems pretty cruel for what's supposed to be a modern and advanced society.
21 Dec 21
@averagejoe1 saidGranted.
Not being picky, but your second paragraph does not jibe with the first, in that someone in your second paragraph, though convicted, may be innocent. Maybe his twin did it!!
For the purpose of this discussion, I'm assuming they're guilty.