If Atheists don't believe sociopaths who murder are evil, then they must believe that they are mentally ill.
Do I have to have a belief about sociopaths? I need to make decisions I'm faced with based on the best information I can get but there's no purpose served to me by deciding on the morality of a group of people which fit within any particular label.
When big court cases are on the news and people ask what do I think should be done with him/her, my response is always that I don't know without access to all the available facts of that individual case.
It makes more sense to me to show an interest in ethics, to listen and learn carefully about the process of law and understand as much as possible how these decisions of judgements are made (so I know who to vote for etc!!) than to spend time trying to form an assessment of 'these people'.
I don't agree with the DP because I think it devalues life and justifies killing - that in turn I feel makes murder more likely within a culture. MANY criminals who have committed apalling crimes REALLY DO believe they were justified, in other words what isn't acceptable can become acceptable given justification. Of course there's a place for justification, empathy, and justice but when it comes to the taking of a life (excluding self defence) I believe we should draw the line and argue for NO JUSTIFICATION.
I don't have to judge a sociopath, I neither have the skills or knowledge and it doesn't prevent me in the slightest from labelling the BEHAVIOUR as deeply wrong.
Does that make sense?