Poll: More punishing; Death Penalty or Life in Prison

[Grey Edwards]

It amuses me the number of people that sympathize with a man convicted with mass killings. Even if you have reservations about the court system potentially convicting an innocent man, this hypothetical says his guilt is not in question. It's 100% true, no room for what if's. So many want to see him repent for his actions, as if him being sorry for what he did is going to bring all those people back to life, or make their families just accept the loss of their loved ones.

But hey, let's worry about the feelings of someone that's complete scum.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

Honestly, if I were sentenced and I knew I had absolutely no shot of ever being released, I'd request the death penalty. The idea of sitting in prison for 50+ years sounds way worse to me than a quick death.

Well, I take that back: give me one year to figure out if I can bust out of this prison, and then if I've determined no way in hell, then yeah, shoot me.

 

[zumbledum]

i think death is the bigger penalty. its amazing how strong the human mind is when it comes to making whatever is the reality of your day to day existence the base average on what your expectations are based.

 

[DerangedHobo]

My question; is it a bigger punishment to put someone to death or is it a bigger punishment to have them rot in a maximum security prison?

And there-in lies the problem with all of this. Everyone wants a punishment, everyone wants this **** to burn in the deepest darkest pit of Hades for eternity. Have none of these people heard of "he who fights with monsters"? The worst part is the mindless hatred and brutality that goes along with this, a bunch of screaming mongoloids all cheering for the death of another because "they are the evil one and we need to punish them" like it's the fucking Colosseum.

And to think, people call themselves 'civilized'. The whole thing makes me pretty fucking sick.

To answer your question: The biggest punishment is being used as a conduit for everyone's hypocritical, ego-stroking murder fantasies.

 

[DerangedHobo]

So many want to see him repent for his actions, as if him being sorry for what he did is going to bring all those people back to life, or make their families just accept the loss of their loved ones.

By all means, what will his murder/incarceration in a cage for the rest of his natural get? Precisely? Write me a fucking list here, draw me a diagram.

But hey, let's worry about the feelings of someone that's complete scum.

Oh sweet sweet irony.

Edit: Grammar/Typos

 

[tippy2k2]

My question; is it a bigger punishment to put someone to death or is it a bigger punishment to have them rot in a maximum security prison?

And there-in lies the problem with all of this. Everyone wants a punishment, everyone wants this **** to burn in the deepest darkest pit of Hades for eternity. Have none of these people heard of "he who fights with monsters"? The worst part is the mindless hatred and brutality that goes along with this, a bunch of screaming mongoloids all cheering for the death of another because "they are the evil one and we need to punish them" like it's the fucking Colosseum.

And to think, people call themselves 'civilized'. The whole thing makes me pretty fucking sick.

To answer your question: The biggest punishment is being used as a conduit for everyone's hypocritical, ego-stroking murder fantasies.

I'm not 100% sure I get what you're going for here so could you clarify for me? You say the "He who fights with monsters" line so if either life in prison or the death penalty is what you want, what would you want? Or did you say which one you want and I'm just not getting it?

Also, as the OP, I will say that I'm very surprised at how split the numbers are. It is (Virtually) an even split between the two options; kind of fascinating to see the different philosophies come out when you can take out the "real life" part...

 

[ccggenius12]

(do the guys serving life ever even have people investigate whether they actually did it or advocate for them?).

Yes, particularly in cases based on eye-witness testimony and circumstantial evidence. Forensic technology is improving rapidly, and eye-witness testimony is worse than useless the vast majority of the time. Who would have thought that individuals with their own personal agendas, and cops pressured to punish SOMEONE, ANYONE for the crime could possibly be anything but perfect, eh?

 

[DerangedHobo]

Snip

The half drunk, in-coherent point (which veered completely off the OP but oh well) was referring to the people who come out of the woodwork and start calling for the death of people like this. The "He who fights with monsters" reference was illustrating that when you call for the death of this person or you support the death penalty, you are stooping to the levels of barbarity that they did. Calling for his death because he's 'evil' is doing the same dehumanizing that he did to his victims. As for which one is 'worse'? That's a moot point. That's the wrong (moral) viewpoint when it comes to 'justice'.

Edit: Typos

 

[Tsun Tzu]

First we have to address the issue of tax money, since if you sentence them to death you're paying quite a damned lot in legal fee-

Take away all the red tape. There is a 100% chance that the person in question is guilty. There is NO chance that they did not do it. There will be NO red tape at all; if sentenced to death, it will be right then and there with no appeals and no time (eliminating one of the biggest problems a lot of people have in that it's cheaper to let them rot then it is to go years and years of appeals). If it helps your decision, you get to decide how he dies (whether you want to save money and just slit the guys throat or whether you want it to be painful like lighting him on fire) but they HAVE to die (so no beating him to the point of death and letting him live). Did I cover everything in terms of arguments against the death penalty? If I did not, pretend I did and assume it's not a problem.

Ok, well now we're basically arguing on the level that I always do on the subject, since I'm of the mind that, due to corrupt officials, the death penalty is...a problem because of the documented cases where innocent individuals have been sentenced.

However, in cases where there is absolutely no room for corrupt bullshit or evidence tampering? Have a trial. Then off 'em. Preferably in the cheapest, most humane way possible.

TLDR (you wound me D; taking away the politics and red tape, what's the worse punishment; life in prison or death penalty?

I suppose it depends on what's worse for ya- expunging life and its potential (which goes hand in hand with belief in an afterlife) vs. a life time of forced confinement with square meals and access to some modicum of entertainment/exercise.

The latter strikes me as 'worse,' since your freedom is being taken from you until the day you die, while the former is a pretty quick, cut and dried end to it all.

Thooooough the latter is definitely worse for tax payers. Those resources could have gone to any number of better things. Like, I dunno, housing for the homeless.

More of a net loss for humanity, really.

 

[PainInTheAssInternet]

Life in prison, which is a death sentence. You will spend the remainder of your days waiting for it to end, knowing that you cannot escape. Bare minimum human contact, what you do get is not very pleasant. This would be particularly applicable to terrorists in an American prison.

From a very personal perspective, I'm an atheist. I don't think he'll be punished in any form beyond this life, so the worst thing that can possibly happen is draw it out as long as conceivably possible and make it clear that death is the only way out. They will never be free again. Death itself is the desirable carrot on a stick that is so close yet so far away.

If you kill them right away, they're afraid for a bit then all their problems are over.

On the flip side of this, if they DO turn out to be innocent, then it's a horrific and barbaric process and I view it as problematic as I do the death penalty due to all that they have lost and endured.

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

This is a question with many variables: what kind of prison will the person be sentenced to? What kind of people will be kept there? What kind of person is he? Also punishing in what way? From a basic human rights perspective? Looking at how it will affect him or what will happen to him?

My basic thought is that death is the more punishing option, because people can adapt to prison. It is a mere shred of life, but a shred is more than death. But like I said, there's tons of variables, and if I was given choice between death and the rest of my life getting beaten up and under threat from psychopaths with next to no freedom or human rights, I'd probably think hard on it.

 

[Atomic Spy Crab]

They don't deserve hope, life in prison also allows chances for escape. This happened in 2012 when ISIS orchestrated a massive raid on a high security prison to break out Shakir Wahiyib and many others. Death leaves dreams unfulfilled, no hope, and you don't die peacefully typically.

 

[kyp275]

snip

Totally, we should free the guy immediately, maybe give him a couple more bombs to make up for all the inconveniences we caused him. Hell, we should free every criminals everywhere. After all, punishing them only brings us down to their level after all as you said. I mean, how dare we imprison people like Ariel Castro, by your logic that totally makes us the same as him.

As for the bomber in this case, all the people talking about being beaten up in prison etc. need to realize that had he been sentenced to life in prison, he would be serving it at the fed's supermax, which means practical isolation (23hrs per day) for the rest of his life, not much beating from fellow inmates there.

 

[DerangedHobo]

Totally, we should free the guy immediately, maybe give him a couple more bombs to make up for all the inconveniences we caused him. Hell, we should free every criminals everywhere. After all, punishing them only brings us down to their level after all as you said. I mean, how dare we imprison people like Ariel Castro, by your logic that totally makes us the same as him.

Nice fucking strawman m8. But hey, you're the moral arbiter right? I am glad you are not in the legal system, we as a species would be fucked.

 

[kyp275]

Totally, we should free the guy immediately, maybe give him a couple more bombs to make up for all the inconveniences we caused him. Hell, we should free every criminals everywhere. After all, punishing them only brings us down to their level after all as you said. I mean, how dare we imprison people like Ariel Castro, by your logic that totally makes us the same as him.

Nice fucking strawman m8. But hey, you're the moral arbiter right? I am glad you are not in the legal system, we as a species would be fucked.

Defaulting to personal insults instead of arguing your points, classy. As for your post, no, I'm not the moral arbiter - there's a reason why we have a jury system where the criminal is judged by his peers, THOSE PEOPLE are the arbiter.

Not that you'd agree I think, since you're the one that's been talking like he's the moral arbiter in here, going so far as to calling everyone he disagrees with "screaming mongoloids".

 

[DerangedHobo]

Defaulting to personal insults instead of arguing your points, classy.

Don't fucking insult everyone's intelligence by claiming you wanted a 'classy argument' here. 'Classy arguments' don't start off with you shitting on everything.

he's the moral arbiter

And that's the big joke, that the 'deranged hobo' seemingly has a better moral compass than those who think it is 'justice' to have a state sanctioned murder program so they can... what, exactly? Save 'tax payer money'? Get some perverse vicarious win out of their execution?

 

[RebornKusabi]

The only reason I picked "Death Penalty" is because in the past, there have been many cases of murderers who have both repented on their crimes and attempted to make amends for them and to rob them of this is something I always felt was a waste. True their crimes can never be reversed but if their choices have lead them to prevent another mistake from happening then their deaths are wasted.

I also have to say that I was a proponent of the death penalty until I did research on it and found the nightmarish cases of wrongful deaths (usually people of African descent, sadly) and in a case of life in prison, these minor... glitches can be ironed out. Death is a final solution to a problem that still plagues modern law and I feel that it is should only be reserved for people that absolutely need it- some gang banger should NEVER be put to death while Charles Manson is still living.

 

[IOwnTheSpire]

I agree with DerangedHobo in that I am disgusted by the people who want to just have this guy taken out and shot like he's some wild animal and pretend they're still civilized.

I am also befuddled at the fact that people talk about this guy as scum, evil, whatever word you want to use, but then think he shouldn't have to live alone in a room, because that would be 'cruel'. No problems with killing someone, but locking them away? No, that's too far! Give me a break, people.

Here's the thing: all these people who want him to die think that he forfeited his right to live when he committed this crime, which sounds like one of the many ridiculous excuses used by people to justify their bad actions, but the question isn't 'What gives them the right to live?' it's 'What gives us the right to take his life?' because deliberately taking lives is why we condemn these people, yet somehow it's okay to sink to their level.

 

[rutger5000]

Depends on the person and prison in question now doesn't it. But really, is that truly what's important here? I understand anger, and desire to hurt those who've hurt or frightened you. But that instinct, however justified, is a bad one. What modern society ought to aim for is dealing with people who can't be allowed into society as humanely as possible. Not to punish them to make them suffer as their victims, that's revenge and cruelty.
Sometimes people through patience and guidance can be rehabilitated. Sometimes people pose such a threat they can never be allowed back in society. I'd say it can be argued that in those situations it's better for all parties involved to have the criminal executed.
Besides it has been proven often that severity of punishment is a poor detergent for criminal activity.

 

[Vykrel]

a couple of people on Reddit posted an artist's image of what his cell supposedly would look like. it might as well have been purgatory. im sure hes happy with the death sentence.