h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I had not heard of this case before. I have to say that Bentley, although not guilty of murder given that he was not firing a gun at the time of PC Miles' death, he was still a guilty party. I work in a prison and we get chaps coming in on murder charges because they killed someone in a fight, say, although without the intention of causing death. In this case the boys were armed and dangerous, to use the cliche. Bentley may not have deserved the death penalty, but a long stint in prison would not have gone amiss!

Sigh...the death penalty is not an easy one to discuss. I sit firmly on the side that it can be an appropriate solution, however only say 1% of the time. Its very easy to say 'all child killers, pedophiles, murderers and rapists' should be given the death penalty because their crimes are so heinous to (surely) every person hearing of them. Also it is pretty expensive to keep someone in prison for life (which means life, depending on whether enough has been done to reduce the risk to the public. Just to clarify) and we have a national population crisis at the moment with 81k prisoners interred at the moment in spaces we just dont have. All good reasons. But is it morally right to kill someone for these reasons? Do we not then become just as bad as the criminal? And can we ever be TRULY sure that the person locked up is the person responsible? Its too hard a question to answer.

lets not forget he had the mind of an eleven year old, a bit of compation would not have 'gone amiss'. its true he may have needed to be taught right and wrong but no amount of prison is going to teach him anything. 81k prisoners is not 'all good reasons', can there be a good reason to kill someone? Hitler felt gasing was an 'appropriate solution', dosnt seem so appropriate now though.

I belive we are all entiteled to our opinions and i feel its good you realise that capital punishment makes the law as bad as the criminal. but is it always about morals and what is what you may think is right in societies eyes or is it about real lives and people? I am strongly against the death penalty and I dont think you can just sit on the fence and decide whether it can be an 'appropriate solution' even if it is 1% of the time. either it is or it isnt, you cant decide some one must die just because we feel they deserve to and if its only 1% it cant be making much diffrence to your figure of 81k so whats the point.

we can never be 'TRUELY sure' and even if we could do you still think its right that they die, as children we are taught not to hit back so why as adults do we choose to resort to childish games of he started it? Do two wrongs make a right?

its not up to the legal system to play god.

Interesting yes, informative yes. But who did kill PC Miles?
Craig was supposedly suprised to have shot him between the eyes while standing behind him. The bullet was probably a 0.32 and the hand gun Craig had was a 0.455 firing 0.45 ammunition. It's debatable whether a 0.455 could even fire 0.32 ammunition! So, who has got away with the murder of a policeman? Who's keeping quiet? Answers on a postcard to any senior policeman in 'unsolved crimes'
JohnIK