Quote Originally Posted by thir View Post
I think there is a reason why it is the judges meeting out punishment, and not the victims. You cannot expect the victims to keep an even head.
Yes, that's very true. And the justice system is not (or is not SUPPOSED to be) about getting revenge. It SHOULD be about protecting society. Sometimes, though, it seems that lawyers and judges are more interested in protecting the criminals.

Nothing the justice system can do will make the victims feel any better. The pain and loss will still be there. Over time, sometimes, it can grow less, but killing the criminal, or putting him in prison, or using him for slave labor will not ease that loss. What those things WILL do is keep the criminal from hurting society again, at least for the time he's in prison.

Of course, the judges can do more damage to the victims by not sentencing criminals.

The only reason why I support any kind of death penalty, and only for the most violent criminals who cannot be rehabilitated, is to eliminate the possibility of them ever being able to kill again. If you check out that list you'll see quite a few convicted killers who were either paroled or escaped and killed again. There is no parole, or escape, from death.