# Death penalty for child rapists **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 17, 2013, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104 "2013-09-17T23:16:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2013, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104/61 "2013-09-19T00:29:11Z")
God, you people are soft. > [@Trinopus](#): > > Just to mention the most common argument: if there’s a death penalty for raping a child, then the rapist has no strong reason not to kill his victim afterward. It removes the possible witness, and, what’s the difference? The penalty can’t be any harsher. Ah ha. So you’re saying the death penalty is a deterrent. I see. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2013, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104/62 "2013-09-19T01:11:37Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > God, you people are soft. Yeah, the important thing is that we send a strong message that rape is \*only \*acceptable when the rapist feels that the victim really deserves it. I will not compromise on that. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2013, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104/63 "2013-09-19T01:14:57Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > . . . Ah ha. So you’re saying the death penalty is a deterrent. I see. Well, a differential one, at least! (I’ve never been one of those who say the death penalty is not a deterrent. I’m still opposed to it, but that isn’t one of the reasons.) ---
**Author:** ![Girlundone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/919ad9/32.png) [@Girlundone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girlundone)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2013, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104/64 "2013-09-19T02:03:38Z")
> [@](#): > > if there’s a death penalty for raping a child, then the rapist has no strong reason not to kill his victim afterward. Exactly, because immediately after raping a small child, a violent pedophile is going to think, “hmmm I better not kill this one…that’ll get me the death penalty.” Child rapists are known for their restraint, their rational decisions grounded in reality, and they are most certainly kept within the realm of “just raping but not murdering” \*because of the current laws. \* Hearing or reading about explicit details of heinous crimes very often produce a visceral and emotional emotional response in people. I don’t think it’s all that uncommon to have an intial response like the OP had. Some of you act like someone voicing this kind of response is as equally heinous as the child rapist. The OP already acknowledged an emotional response. The overblown self righteousness is stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Gateway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dbc845/32.png) [@Gateway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gateway)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2013, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104/65 "2013-09-19T03:37:30Z")
Heck no! I don’t believe in offing them or anyone who does similar acts… -High frequency behavior behavior does not come from a low frequency being. Visa versa. It seems to me we can’t punish this person for taking a low frequency action if they are at a low frequency, making the high frequency action maybe impossible. So called evil, from what I have found so far, can be one of a few things: BLINDNESS, BEING OVERCOME, OR THE THING NOT BEING WRONG. If the person is blind: Well, would you punish a REAL blind person for bumping into something? If they are overcome through circumstance or other, then still: the person on the inside wouldn’t do this, but something has compelled them beyond them choosing to say “no”. In which case if the person is still by a moral standard supposed to say ‘no’, the truth is not in them and thus once again blindness is where they find themselves. -Lastly: Is it not so that if anyoune of you had his mind, his feelings, his past, his urges, his understanding of right & wrong in that moment, you would have done the same. What would be different for there to be a different action? In the end, I believe acts such as these should be prevented but not punished as there is not an instance which makes punishment required. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2013, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104/66 "2013-09-19T05:16:25Z")
> [@Gateway](#): > > . . . -Lastly: Is it not so that if anyoune of you had his mind, his feelings, his past, his urges, his understanding of right & wrong in that moment, you would have done the same. What would be different for there to be a different action? . . . This is merely tautological – if I were exactly like him, then, yes, I would be exactly like him – in which case it has no value, because I wouldn’t be “me” any longer, I’d merely be him. A lot of people are in similar positions, having similar feelings, and yet manage not to succumb to their impulses. What is the difference? Human individuality. Some of us are better at self-control than others. ---
**Author:** ![Gateway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dbc845/32.png) [@Gateway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gateway)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2013, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104/67 "2013-09-19T05:28:42Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > if I were exactly like him, then, yes, I would be exactly like him > In other words: > … > > A lot of people are in similar positions, having similar feelings, and yet manage not to succumb to their impulses. What is the difference? Human individuality. Some of us are better at self-control than others. LIKE him maybe. But the exact same situation & choosing “no”…? Not that I see. If there is no way out of doing that sort of thing given his internal orientation, then why punish him for the act when there was no “no” in him? ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2013, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104/68 "2013-09-19T05:28:51Z")
What the second most heinous crime? The top ten? Is this “set in stone” or do we remake the list every few years? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2013, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104/69 "2013-09-19T05:35:21Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > God, you people are soft. Actually, the correct term is “rational”. There is hardly anything stupider than basing serious policy positions about criminal jurisprudence on a self-indulgent desire to look “hard” or “tough” or badass. Keep your aggressive macho posturing for your own little sessions in front of the mirror, and don’t mistake it for intelligent thought on the best ways to prevent or reduce crime. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2013, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104/70 "2013-09-19T05:44:57Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Actually, the correct term is “rational”. > > There is hardly anything stupider than basing serious policy positions about criminal jurisprudence on a self-indulgent desire to look “hard” or “tough” or badass. > > Keep your aggressive macho posturing for your own little sessions in front of the mirror, and don’t mistake it for intelligent thought on the best ways to prevent or reduce crime. Oh, now be fair, stern discipline and fair punishment made **Chessic Sense** what she is today. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2013, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104/71 "2013-09-19T06:08:47Z")
> [@Girlundone](#): > > Exactly, because immediately after raping a small child, a violent pedophile is going to think, “hmmm I better not kill this one…that’ll get me the death penalty.” Child rapists are known for their restraint, their rational decisions grounded in reality, and they are most certainly kept within the realm of “just raping but not murdering” \*because of the current laws. \* I agree with this. > [@](#): > > Hearing or reading about explicit details of heinous crimes very often produce a visceral and emotional emotional response in people. I don’t think it’s all that uncommon to have an intial response like the OP had. Some of you act like someone voicing this kind of response is as equally heinous as the child rapist. The OP already acknowledged an emotional response. The overblown self righteousness is stupid. And I agree with this to some extent. I like **drewtwo99** , but I think this comment was overboard: > [@drewtwo99](#): > > You’re a fucking sicko. What the ever loving fuck? You WANT to reward people in prison by allowing them to rape whoever they want without consequence? You think raping someone convicted of rape is going to make society a better place? > > GTFO of this message board, please. I’d rather read 1000 posts from Clothahump than read another single one of yours. People are emotional creatures. You hear about something terrible and you want the perpetrator to get their due. But, after having some time to cool down, you should be able to think more rationally. The OP said that yes, she was angry when she made the post, but she also said that she still doubts she’ll ever change her opinion. That is unreasonable. It’s possible to be understandably angry, while still being able to see the big picture. I don’t want to chase the OP off the board over this. I just want her to think about it some more. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2013, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104/72 "2013-09-19T06:50:12Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” You’re correct, ‘two wrongs don’t make a right’… But three lefts do. 😃 _ **Somebody** _ had to say it. 😛 D&R ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2013, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104/73 "2013-09-19T15:05:37Z")
Here is a tangentially related Great Debates thread > **[What distinguishes "justice" from "vengeance"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=702330)** > > I think most of us would attribute a noble connotation to the word “justice” and a rather sinister connotation to “vengeance.” But what really sets the two apart? Is there a real distinction between the two, or could one be said to be a subset of... It’s pretty clear which side the OP is coming from. ---
**Author:** ![OurLordPeace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e8c25b/32.png) [@OurLordPeace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OurLordPeace)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104/74 "2013-09-19T16:10:48Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Well killing innocent people is Americas favortie past time right behind killing black males for funsies. > > Why don’t you get the fuck off this message board? You don’t fucking own it. If you can’t handle that this is a public board and not everyone falls into the general circle jerk groupthink of the more vocal posters then maybe you should go back to your moms’ basement where you can cry and whine to her like a four year old, “Wah! Mommy I read something I didn’t like please make the baddie go away so I don’t have to look at it again”. Here’s an off-topic, but important point: That’s not what “groupthink” means. It basically refers to the negative mirror-image version of teamwork. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2013, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104/75 "2013-09-19T17:32:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by **Slithy Tove** > During the child molestation panic of the 1980’s it was much bandied about that many child rapist had themselves been raped as children. > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > And that panic also demonstrates that a death penalty for child rape would probably kill a lot of innocent people. Raping a child because you were raped as a child does not leave one innocent. It may bring them some compassion from those who judge them but they still have committed a horrendous act. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2013, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104/76 "2013-09-19T18:14:24Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > Most rapists were raped as children I’m gonna call bullshit and request a cite. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104/77 "2013-09-19T20:37:06Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Exactly. I would abhor being a master as much as I would being a slave. Hmm, I’ll cross you off the invite list for Doc’s Decadent Doper Dungeon Of Delight Party. Note to Mods- There will be a jackboot polishing station! ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2013, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104/78 "2013-09-19T20:46:46Z")
> [@Gateway](#): > > . . . If there is no way out of doing that sort of thing given his internal orientation, then why punish him for the act when there was no “no” in him? Actually, if people are incapable of not committing crimes, we hold them to be mentally ill, even insane, and punish them less severely. (This requires a bit of cooperation on their part, given that they clearly do know that what they’re doing is wrong. But the courts do, traditionally, show a little more mercy to the killer who cries, “Please stop me before I kill again” than for the unrepentant monster who just laughs.) ---
**Author:** ![raspberry\_hunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@raspberry\_hunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raspberry_hunter)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2013, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104/79 "2013-09-19T21:00:13Z")
> [@TashaKitty](#): > > How can you believe that wanting a rapist to get a taste of his own medicine is barbaric and sick? I came up with a perfect punishment for rapists about three years ago, although I guess it’s not particularly more applicable to child rapists or anything. Perform surgery on either his genitals or his abdominal region, involving a number of stitches to close the opening. While he is still recovering from that, make an alarm go off that makes him perform a relatively simple but slightly-tricky-to-get-right task _every two hours_. Including in the middle of the night. If he doesn’t get it right, the alarm gets louder. And louder. Sometimes, let the alarm go off without his needing to perform that particular task. Then he needs to perform another task, that could involve jiggling or acrobatics or singing or dealing with a pile of feces. But he’s not sure what it is (unless it’s the feces). Sometimes one of these things works. Sometimes none of them works. It would be cruel, but it wouldn’t even be _unusual_ punishment. (Why, yes, my daughter is about three and a half years old, why do you ask?) ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104/80 "2013-09-21T04:59:11Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Well killing innocent people is Americas favortie past time right behind killing black males for funsies. Race Card award! Irrelevance award! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-penalty-for-child-rapists/669104.md?page=5)