Jan 19, 17 / Aqu 19, 01 04:03 UTC
Re: Should the Death Penalty be allowed in Asgardia? ¶
"The risk of executing innocent people is minuscule, but even a minuscule risk in this gross miscarriage of justice is too much"
No it isn't. I would rather see ten innocents shot out an airlock than even one guilty go free. You also seem to be under the delusion that this wont be a surveillance state. Its a space station, there will be cameras in every corridor, every crevice. You're right, the risk is minuscule, far more so than on Earth.
"Having a perfect trial, perfect evidence and completely competent representation for individuals facing the death penalty is simply impossible."
Than it is impossible for all trials thus all punishments are invalid.
"I view the death penalty as an outdated and barbaric form of deterrence."
Clearly you're quite sheltered as the vast majority of the world doesn't. Have you ever spent time outside of the first world? Death is an integral part of punishment, the human condition and most importantly natural selection. Should there be a certain type of person who is genetically prone to irrational violence, it is logical to eliminate their genes from the pool. There is nothing out of date about the death penalty unless you think we humans have transcended nature its self, which is quite a ridiculous assertion.
"we should seek to rehabilitate these individuals and put them to use for the state through the utilization of the best scientific rehabilitation processes."
These individuals are a drag on the state and their sheer need for rehabilitation detracts from far more important matters of the state. Should conclusive evidence arise that it is cheaper to rehabilitate them than to simply smite them I would be happy to allow this, on Earth, not on a space station. Rehabilitation has no business occurring on a space station.
Reason: reformat