Should suicide be a criminal offence?

If a person kills someone else, or attempts, that is illegal. They'll be charged with murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, etc., etc.

That being said, do you think the law ought to make suicide a criminal offense? Obviously you can't penalize someone who completes the act, but let's say someone attempts suicide and fails, should they law step in and penalize them in some way (with fines, community service, or something like *mandatory* counseling and psych evaluations?)

I don't get that, HOW can suicide be illegal? I never got that, it made no sense. SUICIDE, is illegal, so if you succeed they can't do anything with you anyway because you're already dead. And it's certainly NOT like people never commit suicide in prison, think about it, yeah they take your belt and your shoelaces but they leave you a bedsheet.

No there should be no law against someone that tries to commit suicide, what they should do is get them professional help so that they won't do it again, not prosecute them into further desperation or depression.

Chris wrote:If a person kills someone else, or attempts, that is illegal. They'll be charged with murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, etc., etc.

That being said, do you think the law ought to make suicide a criminal offense? Obviously you can't penalize someone who completes the act, but let's say someone attempts suicide and fails, should they law step in and penalize them in some way (with fines, community service, or something like *mandatory* counseling and psych evaluations?)

I don't think a fine or community service will help and in such instances there should be empathy to someone's plight, but mandatory counseling I can see. Maybe assign anyone who makes a documented suicide attempt a case worker, and put a lean on their legal privileges (like driving) per their progress.

I don't know what they do elsewhere....but in NY....if you tried to jump off of a bridge and they have to talk you down, you make a big spectacle of trying to kill yourself and they have to stop you, you will go to Bellevue. It's not an option. No, I don't think there needs to be a law prosecuting people who attempt suicide. They need help, not punishment.

They should get professional help and be required to repair any damage that may have resulted from their failed attempt, but arresting them isn't exactly going to remedy their problems much.

No, those who attempt suicide should not be penalized. It's their body, their life, they can do what they want.

If counseling or therapy was imposed on them, I'm not sure how much impact that would have on their lives - after all, suicide is the final option for most people and chances are they've already thought of that and for some reason or other it doesn't work for them. The other thing with forced counseling and therapy is that a person who needs help cannot be helped unless they want it themselves. That's not to say I'm against the idea totally, I'm just questioning it.

But imposing other things on them like fines or community service? No, that's ridiculous, that's not going to help them any.

No but I think they should be legally remanded to a psych ward for X amount of time. Most people who try suicide are really just crying out for help anyway, so help them.

Tony Marino wrote:No there should be no law against someone that tries to commit suicide, what they should do is get them professional help so that they won't do it again, not prosecute them into further desperation or depression.

Supernova wrote:I don't get that, HOW can suicide be illegal? I never got that, it made no sense. SUICIDE, is illegal, so if you succeed they can't do anything with you anyway because you're already dead. And it's certainly NOT like people never commit suicide in prison, think about it, yeah they take your belt and your shoelaces but they leave you a bedsheet.

It's illegal because it's still "murder", self-murder. Of course if you succeed, the law can’t prosecute because the victim was also the perpetrator and if you fail, as others have already said, it doesn’t help the problem if you’re charged with attempted murder. Though I supposed that has happened somewhere.

I think attempted suicide should come with mandatory time in a sanitarium, and that it should be a permanent splotch on your medical records (assuming that they don't do that already.) And if the attempted was an adult, they should be declared legally incompetent for at least six months to a year. While I wouldn't treat someone who wanted out of life like a criminal, I do think that....from a legal standpoint....empathetic "tough love" should be enacted to get their head back on straight....because chances are, if they tried before, they'll try again. Don't just calm them down, pump their stomach, and then let 'em go on their marry way.

I agree with everyone who said they need help, not legal trouble. But I must add that if their attempt racks up a lot of money in the police having to get them off a ledge or something like that, they should have to pay some of that money back.