You are assuming that having killed once he is more likely to kill again. Depending on the person this may not be true. A psychopath will likely kill again and so should be locked for good. OTOH someone who was not a psychopath and took this chance to rethink his life choices might be about as harmless as the next guy.
Before you say "we can't tell one form the other" let me say this: we cannot tell if we never look. Northern European countries have gathered a lot of expertise in this area, the least we can do is look at it, then maybe look to expend our own understanding of psychology.
Someone else in this equation didn't get to think their life choices, maybe for no fault of their own, because they're dead.
So, how long should you be in for a murder? 30 years? 20? 10? 5? If punishment really got nothing to do with it at all, and the perpetrator is really, really ashamed from just the trial and conviction, why not let them go after that?
>People die all the time, it's a tragedy. But I would not want the laws of my society to be built on the idea of revenge.
Why have punishments for breaking the law at all ? According to you it's built on the idea of 'revenge', right ?
OR maybe it is good for society if people who murder someone are locked away so that they can't kill someone else, AND maybe it's a good thing that people who have no qualms of killing someone at the very least find the idea of spending a large if not their whole life behind bars a strong deterrent.
But hey, 'people die all the time, so let's just forgive those who take the life of someone else, we don't want to come across as a vengeful society'.
I am happy I don't live in your society, it sounds like a paradise for sociopaths.
I was asking what's the motive for the punishment. Is it to revenge the victim or is it to prevent future victims. I'm not advocating for no punishment at all. The parent was asking what's enough (30,15,10,5 years?). I'd choose a number of years sufficient to deter effectively.
Sociopaths are another matter entirely. It's not a question of deterance or revenge anymore. We may be forced to lock them away indefinitely.
But i see it's getting political and words are turned in my mouth. have a nice day
Before you say "we can't tell one form the other" let me say this: we cannot tell if we never look. Northern European countries have gathered a lot of expertise in this area, the least we can do is look at it, then maybe look to expend our own understanding of psychology.