I do not, cannot, and will not support Capital Punishment - I cannot fathom entrusting any body of government with the responsibility to determine the right to live or die. I simply cannot.

But events of late, pervasive throughout the news media, have set me to contemplating what alternatives exist. Equally distasteful, to me, is the idea of imprisonment for certain crimes - for it is equally unfathomable to me why we, as a society, should be put with the burden of supporting these criminals financially. Understand, this pertains only to the worst offenders...

... but that said, what alternatives are there? The cost and responsibility for punishment are things that we, as a society, must agree to endure for the betterment of ourselves as a people, right? Well, maybe not.

As a matter of hypothetical discussion, I provide the following suggestion.

Excommunication from society; persons convicted of crimes of sufficient nefariousness are stripped of their status as members of a given society which entails a loss of protective status and all rights and freedoms assured us by our various tenants and writs with which we govern ourselves. Such a person would be considered an outcast, not privy to the privileges of proper society and would be branded as such in a fashion that all who observe them would be made clearly aware of their status, or lack there-of. Repercussions for their crimes then would be open to any who chose to act, or not.

Have you seen Mad Max? One of Mel Gibson's first films? No? Well, needless to say it involves groups of renegades who have joined forces to take control of the (post-nuclear war) streets through the back end of Australia.

If your idea did go through, and they did start doing that, what would stop fellow exiled criminals/bad people from joining forces and starting their own string of hostile actions; if not downright making their own community wherein they plot to seek revenge and take over the country that treated them as such?

Needless to say, mercenaries would be quite happy, either way...

While I think the idea is good, in theory, I think there should be some precautions taken. Perhaps collars that blows up the exiles head when he comes too close to civilization? Or perhaps they could involuntarily become test subjects for cancer/sickness research? Or perhaps they could have their own little island somewhere secluded where they are simply dropped off and left to their own devices?

I just wouldn't want some killer being turned loose on the city limits, wherein he could decide he doesn't care what happens to him, and he busts into my house on a killing rampage that he expects to end eventually anyway - but not before taking a bunch of innocents to hell with him.

But, on the other hand, I could get a gun...

That's a very valid observation, and naturally I would tend to agree that certain precautions would have to be in place to prevent exactly what you suggest. However; as a point of reference - we're talking about criminals of the worst variety and it is my belief that, of a larger population tending towards a stable society, there would be a degree of vigilantism enacted against these individuals by those they have wronged in their criminal actions and those who chose to abstain from retribution would likely be compensated for by those self-proclaimed protectors of the innocent who would, in turn, take it upon themselves to see these individuals harmed or killed. The desire being to relieve the burden of responsibility from the bodies responsible for governing a society and instead place the ability to react accordingly in the hands of those who have the most reason to.

It sounds harsh, and admittedly, is.