Is the right person being punished ?

[LewisSmith1239]

This is my first post and it is possible this subject has been discussed before.  I am not a religious person and I have always been for the death penalty for those found guilty.  The thoughts that I have and discuss below come from being a parent.  I only have one child, a son, and fortunately I can say that he has never caused me a day grief. But I often think about the parents of these criminals and how it must affect their lives. I can't help bu think they are the ones really being punished and the criminal was getting off easy.

My concern does not apply in every case.  The ones I do think about, from being a parent, are those parents that were involved in their children's lives and did everything good parents could do.  Unfortunately they just had a bad child.

In these type cases the parents are being punished more, since anytime a child dies before the parent it is sad.  I have no compassion for the criminal, but I think he or she is getting off too easy with death.  They need to be the ones that suffer by being locked up for the rest of their lives. I also recognize that some crimes, especially those involving children, should not have this consideration regardless of how good the parents were.

In situations where the parents were absent and more or less contributed to their child becoming a criminal,  I do not have these concerns.  They, in my mind are in many ways guilty also. You reap what you sow.

In delivering true justice I feel the parents or immediate family should be investigated to determine what kind of parents they were and let the jury have access in cases deemed appropriate by the judge.

I would appreciate comments.  If the subject has been discussed before please direct me.

 

[JTiscool]

You do not have to worry about the parents of the murderer being puished. No one is punishing the parents except the murderer themselves. If they didn't commit the murder in the first place then none of this happened. They didn't think of their loved ones when they did the crime so it's their fault.

[ScoopD (aka: Pam)]

I have to disagree with you JT, you have no idea what a murderers family is put through by the general public...  it is disgraceful...  yes the inmate is the cause of it all but people can be very cruel to the inmates relatives.

[JTiscool]

Yeah, I for some reason forgot the public likes to attack the actual murderer as well as the family of him =X

[Lady]

I have to disagree with you JT, you have no idea what a murderers family is put through by the general public...  it is disgraceful...  yes the inmate is the cause of it all but people can be very cruel to the inmates relatives.

You are correct , take it from someone who has a family member on DR . My family's lives was turned upside down as a result of my brothers choices . I have siblings that I haven't seen for over 20 yrs because they fled the state when my brother was arrested .
 
As for blaming the parents that is just wrong on so many levels . The inmate alone is to blame for the hell that everyone involved goes through ,regardless of what kind of childhood the inmate had.

[skflorida]

You are correct Lady, the general public does treat the families awful, and there is no excuse for that kind of behavior. I'm not sure what you mean about investigating a criminals family, are you saying that if the parents were "good", the murderer should not be executed and if they were "bad" then off to death row you go? Defense attorneys always bring up a defendants background and childhood, usually as a mitigating factor in the punishment phase, the worse the childhood the more sympathy they are hoping to garner. I feel that with very few exceptions, the only thing that should be considered when passing punishment  are the facts of the crime and the defendants past criminal activity, not their morals or such, but actual charged criminal acts. I certainly feel for the families of these murderers, They are most certainly not to blame, but not giving a sentence of death when the case warrants it, because the family are "good" people just doesn't fly with me.

[JonnyTwoToes]

I have to disagree with you JT, you have no idea what a murderers family is put through by the general public...  it is disgraceful...  yes the inmate is the cause of it all but people can be very cruel to the inmates relatives.

You are correct , take it from someone who has a family member on DR . My family's lives was turned upside down as a result of my brothers choices . I have siblings that I haven't seen for over 20 yrs because they fled the state when my brother was arrested .
 
As for blaming the parents that is just wrong on so many levels . The inmate alone is to blame for the hell that everyone involved goes through ,regardless of what kind of childhood the inmate had.

Really?  So how a person is brought up and social and economic influences have no effect on an individuals 'path' in life?

[JeffB]

I for one am sympathetic to the offenders family.  They too have been victimized by the scumbag who is executed or sitting on death row, etc.  An executed offender's family looses a family member, albeit a horrific one.  Presumably, the family of the offender loved him/her and they too have to deal with the loss as well as the stigma of being family members of the offender.  A very unfortunate position to be in for sure.

Is it fair to place blame on the offenders family?  In most cases I would say of course not.  That misplaced blame is simply by association.  But whether the family of the offender offered a comfortable, stable environment for the offender or not, the offender is accountable for his or her actions.  They do not place youthful individuals on death row - only adults, and with adulthood comes responsibility and accountability.

So unless family members actually took part in the criminal action (and are indicted accordingly), it is unreasonable to persecute them.

[skflorida]

Yes, an individuals background does effect their path in life, it may go a long way to explain their behaviour, it may even be a partial reason, but it should not be an excuse. A dreadful childhood can possibly explain who this person has become but to use it as a reason to allow a murderer to escape capital punishment is ridiculous.

[JonnyTwoToes]

Yes, an individuals background does effect their path in life, it may go a long way to explain their behaviour, it may even be a partial reason, but it should not be an excuse. A dreadful childhood can possibly explain who this person has become but to use it as a reason to allow a murderer to escape capital punishment is ridiculous.

Agreed, it is never the fault of the family is someone decides to step over the line and kill someone however looking through the Texas death row website, it is hard to find an inmate that that isn't described as a 'Labourer'.

Not suggesting for one minute that ALL DP inmates are 'labourers' but the high percentage does point to the fact a certain demographic is present with the vast majority of inmates.

The fault lies squarely at the feet of the perpetrator but an inferior social or economic upbringing does greatly effect the individuals path in life.

I am a great believer in the fact that we make our own chances in life, but I can't speak for those who see nothing but brick walls throughout their whole miserable lives.

[Lady]

I have to disagree with you JT, you have no idea what a murderers family is put through by the general public...  it is disgraceful...  yes the inmate is the cause of it all but people can be very cruel to the inmates relatives.

You are correct , take it from someone who has a family member on DR . My family's lives was turned upside down as a result of my brothers choices . I have siblings that I haven't seen for over 20 yrs because they fled the state when my brother was arrested .
 
As for blaming the parents that is just wrong on so many levels . The inmate alone is to blame for the hell that everyone involved goes through ,regardless of what kind of childhood the inmate had.

Really?  So how a person is brought up and social and economic influences have no effect on an individuals 'path' in life?

All 8 of us was brought up the same way  , he chose to kill and his other 7 siblings chose not to kill .I just think all this social and economical influences  is some peoples way to make excuses for murderers .No matter how ya try to justify it , in the end it all comes down to the inmates choice to murder .People said horrible disgusting things about my mother and it angers me when do gooders try and blame the parents .

[LewisSmith1239]

Yes, an individuals background does effect their path in life, it may go a long way to explain their behaviour, it may even be a partial reason, but it should not be an excuse. A dreadful childhood can possibly explain who this person has become but to use it as a reason to allow a murderer to escape capital punishment is ridiculous.

Lets face it, the Death Penalty can be interpreted in two ways.  Execution or life without parole.  The degree of punishment is different, since it can be quick (less punishment for the criminal) or it can be prolonged so the criminal suffers years of punishment.  So we are not talking about escaping the death penalty, just the time.

In my opinion the inmate that gets executed is actually getting a break. I know that if it were me I would go for a quick exit in lieu of being locked up until I die.

 I am all for making the criminal suffer the most for their deeds but I do not think the tax payer should have to foot the bill cost for these years so I favor out right execution and say to hell with my desire for the most punishment.

My post on this subject should in no leave one thinking that I have compassion for the inmate.  My compassion is for those parents that raise their child correctly, but unfortunately the child did them and the public wrong. 

The emotional suffering of the parents should by all means be considered.  An investigation could determine if they were dedicated parents or if they were neglectful and in a way contributed to their child's crime and a judge or jury could decide accordingly

 

[JonnyTwoToes]

Yes, an individuals background does effect their path in life, it may go a long way to explain their behaviour, it may even be a partial reason, but it should not be an excuse. A dreadful childhood can possibly explain who this person has become but to use it as a reason to allow a murderer to escape capital punishment is ridiculous.

Lets face it, the Death Penalty can be interpreted in two ways.  Execution or life without parole.  The degree of punishment is different, since it can be quick (less punishment for the criminal) or it can be prolonged so the criminal suffers years of punishment.  So we are not talking about escaping the death penalty, just the time.

In my opinion the inmate that gets executed is actually getting a break. I know that if it were me I would go for a quick exit in lieu of being locked up until I die.

 I am all for making the criminal suffer the most for their deeds but I do not think the tax payer should have to foot the bill cost for these years so I favor out right execution and say to hell with my desire for the most punishment.

My post on this subject should in no leave one thinking that I have compassion for the inmate.  My compassion is for those parents that raise their child correctly, but unfortunately the child did them and the public wrong. 

The emotional suffering of the parents should by all means be considered.  An investigation could determine if they were dedicated parents or if they were neglectful and in a way contributed to their child's crime and a judge or jury could decide accordingly

Some good points here.

To go on from that, I think it's important not to look at those on death row as simply one group of people.  The majority of Texas death row do seem to fit a certain demographic, however there are those in the minority that maybe need to be looked at on a case by case basis.
Most of those on the Texas death row killed whilst committing robbery (which makes it the capital offense it then becomes) or killed because of drugs.  Although that does sound rather simplistic, that really is the case here.

So we are left with robbery and drugs being the primary offense - it seems to me that the murder/killing is secondary to these criminals.

If that is true, then we have a pretty solid base to suggest the social and economic background of an individual may well lead them into criminal acts of robbery and drugs.  Thus onto a capital offense where a murder is involved.

[JTiscool]

Yes, an individuals background does effect their path in life, it may go a long way to explain their behaviour, it may even be a partial reason, but it should not be an excuse. A dreadful childhood can possibly explain who this person has become but to use it as a reason to allow a murderer to escape capital punishment is ridiculous.

Lets face it, the Death Penalty can be interpreted in two ways.  Execution or life without parole.  The degree of punishment is different, since it can be quick (less punishment for the criminal) or it can be prolonged so the criminal suffers years of punishment.  So we are not talking about escaping the death penalty, just the time.

In my opinion the inmate that gets executed is actually getting a break. I know that if it were me I would go for a quick exit in lieu of being locked up until I die.

 I am all for making the criminal suffer the most for their deeds but I do not think the tax payer should have to foot the bill cost for these years so I favor out right execution and say to hell with my desire for the most punishment.

My post on this subject should in no leave one thinking that I have compassion for the inmate.  My compassion is for those parents that raise their child correctly, but unfortunately the child did them and the public wrong. 

The emotional suffering of the parents should by all means be considered.  An investigation could determine if they were dedicated parents or if they were neglectful and in a way contributed to their child's crime and a judge or jury could decide accordingly

If Life in prison is more of a punishment than the death penalty then why do murderers make deals?

Negligence is not an excuse for murder. Tons of people are neglected by their parents and they don't go on to commit violent crimes.

[Jim S]

Lady, My sympathy for you and your family for being caught up in the mess your other family member caused. I feel it should only be the guilty party's blame, not his her family's. They did NOT make him/her kill someone.