Comment by kayodelycaon
1 day ago
People aren't robots that think through every single decision. Arson happens frequently and nobody dies. Death is a rare consequence and the arsonist didn't intend to kill someone, it feels like an accident, not murder.
This is how humans work. We work on probability and approximation. We often act based the consequences of our intentions, not the consequences of our actions.
Someone that learns the consequences of their actions, regrets the harm they inflicted, and changes their behavior as a result, is not the same danger to society they were before. In fact society would be better off reintegrating them because they'll tell others not to do the same thing.
I'm not exactly sure where to fit this in, but people change. A society that makes vengeance the only rule, where death is punished with death, regardless of a person's intentions, is an authoritarian nightmare.
You're thinking on an individual level. What happens at a societal level. Crime goes down!
Also, an accident is if a party had fireworks and the fire got out of control. Arson is definitely not an accident if someone dies.
Regarding "people change" argument. I'm not advocating for the death penalty. I'm advocating that we separate non-civil and civil society. If that takes the shape of the next Australia? Sure, then if someone changes, they're not in jail.
I'm also not advocating for someone non-violently stealing bread to be separated from society. Those people can change.
Someone that at one moment of their life decides that someone else's is worthless because they want the contents of a cash register? Remove them from civil society.