The Death Penalty

[LiamPK]

What is the leftist teaching on the death penalty? Who should receive the death penalty under leftist teaching?

[BobKKKindle$]

In a revolutionary situation it may be advantageous and necessary to use the death penalty against counter-revolutionary forces due to the problems associated with a lengthy legal process and incarceration. However, more broadly, in a civic sense, I would oppose the use of the death pentalty in all circumstances, because it does not allow any possibility for the rehabilitation and recovery of the individual. Any crime is the result of a range of factors, to many of which the individual cannot be held accountable - for example, socio-economic conditions - and the death penalty does not account for this.

[Janus]

What is the leftist teaching on the death penalty?
There is no uniform view on it.

Previous discussions:
capital punishment (http://www.revleft.com/index.php?showtopic=66523&hl=+capital++punishment)
death penalty (http://www.revleft.com/index.php?showtopic=62307&hl=+capital++punishment)
Death penalty (http://www.revleft.com/index.php?showtopic=56652&hl=+death++penalty)

[Anarchovampire]

Though a pacifist and the kind of person who'd rather scoop a bug up and move it than kill it, I retain the death penalty in two cases:

Cold-blooded murder (attempted murder can be brought up)
Rape/Sodomy

Only because of personal experience really... I believe murders and rapists go beyond just normal psychosis and are a problem. They have removed or destroyed a human beings right to life and happiness, violated their being, and are a serious problem.

Frankly, this is where the last of my 'right-wing thinking' lies... I believe that certain criminals cannot be 'retaught' or brought back into society... and honestly, I cannot think of anything more worse, more sickening, more a violation of human rights than rape and murder... especially of the undefended...