Should the State (a country or a country's government) have the power to decide the fate of someone? Here are two situations for your consideration.

Situation 1:
A person is arrested of the rape and murder of a young child. The media plays a circus around the case and when the person goes to court a guilty verdict is handed down. Should the State have the power to order and carry out a death sentence? What if this person is innocent of the crime that they were accused? There have been many cases of people being executed and then posthumously exonerated. In fact there was one case in the US where the victim of a rape ID'd her attacker, and that evidence alone (due to rest of the case being circumstantial) he was convicted. He was sentenced to life in prison instead of death, but it took 13 year and a DNA test to prove that he was not the perpetrator. When such miscarriages of justice can occur should the state have the power to sentence to death?

Situation 2:
The Sate declares war on another country and orders all able-bodied men to fight. The country has as part of it’s laws and constitution strict anti-killing and anti-forced labour policies and laws. The drafted personnel are forced (many against their will) to train, fight and kill the other countries personnel. Should a country State that does not allow its citizens to kill one another or force one another to labour, with or without pay, against their will, be allowed to go against its own policies and force it’s citizens to fight and kill?

Should the State have the power to decide life or death?

Please note: Judicial systems gain their power from the State, so therefore although the judicial system is separate from the State, the State still decides to scope of the powers the judicial system has.

Please explain your reasoning. Serious answers only please.

Thanks.
ckswife:
As you pointed out my question is ling so I will try to keep this edit brief.

You mentioned about a child discovered covered with someone’s DNA, what if it is a mistake in the testing, testing the wrong sample? Or what if someone lies about, and manufactures the evidence to frame some one? Moreover what if there is no reasonable evidence to corroborate the prosecutions case?

If the person is innocent and put to death based on faulty evidence, Would a “Sorry, we got it wrong” be enough? I doubt that you would accept it if it was someone close to you.

"It is better that one hundred guilty men go free than one innocent man be punished."

And what does my age have to do with asking or answering questions

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