I have a different take on the death penalty. I think it should be used on criminals who mess up our prison system, in other words I think the death penalty should be reserved for the jailhouse rapists, violent gang leaders, and anyone else who ruins another convict's chances of becoming rehabilitated.


anyone agree or disagree?

Disagreed.....

There are lots of other crimes that merit only a death sentence. I support the death penalty for sub human pigs that carry out barbaric practices like "honor" killings against their own daughters, for example.

Hmmm... interesting take, Eric.

I could go along with that, but I don't think it should be reserved for that...

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If it wasn't for double standards, liberals would have no standards at all...

Yeah not a bad idea - Maby set up a three strike thing in prison, after your third assault/rape/gang activity you get the needle. This would fix the lifer's "nothing to lose" mentality, and like you said provide an environment suitable for rehabilitation for those who want it. On the flip side, however, do we give each prisoner a series of appeals before thier execution? If so, it might cost us more money than its actually worth.

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but each rehabilitated prisoner saves us a shitload of money

For every violent rehab there are 500 return customers. That may be a conservative estimate.

I have no issue expanding the slate of capital crimes.

But what we really need is a return to the Constitutionally guaranteed speedy trial.

I am equally comfortable with either of these scenarios:

Korea - if you are imprisoned its your family's responsibility to feed, clothe and otherwise see to your mortal concerns. If they cease to support you, its a death sentence with a short fuse.

Germany - if you are sentenced you go in a VERY spartan cell and apart from 30 minutes once a week you stay there. If you spoil it, you smell it until its hosed down periodically. If you destroy what little you have that can be destroyed, you lose it. You have the option to accept books to read but if you destroy a book, no more. BUT, and this is VERY significant... once you serve your time, your record is wiped clean, you start afresh without prejudice. The rate of return customers is very low as prison is truly unpleasant and its NOT a junior college for organized crime.

Kurt Vonnegut - all crime is punished by the Hook. Think fishing if you have not read Cat's Cradle.

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No, I do not agree. I think violent prison rapists do not need to be in the 'general population' of the prison along with those who 'got the bitch' (habitual traffic offenders.)

Being a habitual traffic offender is not a capital offense and the offender should not be subject to gang rapes and torture which leaves them infected with HIV, HEPB or HEPC.

I also do not necessarily agree that child rapists should be on protective custody in the prisons. Now THOSE people are the ones who need to go into the population with gang rapists.

I also do not believe that a prisoner who has contracted HIV, HEPC and HEPB through (voluntary) sexual activity or tattoos should be given expensive treatment. But, at least according to them, they have their rights.

People who 'go inside' are not functional in society. Once 'inside' they do not have one single decision to make. Their food is provided, as is their clothing, and medical care. They may work, but it is menial work. They may get a GED, and the ones who do have to do so in the midst of those who don't care and sabotage the teaching. But they still get no real world kind of help.

Many go in with a Bachelors in Marijuana and come out with PhD in Cocaine.

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In my view, the "three strike rule" is not effective. What it will do is push lifers to commit more crimes against other inmates. Life sentenced individuals have nothing to lose and many I bet would rather be put to death anyway.

As opposed to the death penalty I firmly believe there are more effective ways to punish an inmate. By torture, in certain circumstances, we can truly give criminals a taste of their own medicine and this in turn will deter future crime. For example, If a man or woman is convicted of violentely raping a child he/she should be punished to where the torture fits the crime. By implementing torture, in certain circumstances, we can reduce the length of time that violent felons serve in prison. This will allow citizens taxes to be allocated to better funded rehabilitation programs for less serious offenders.

In conclusion, this provides a quicker, better effective, and cheaper alternative to life sentencing. It also is a better effective way to punish according to the crime they commit while in society.

I still think that no human has the right to end another humans life.

The "let god sort 'em out"-way of putting people to death, accepting some percentage of innocents being killed, is not up-to-date.

No criminal shall be taken the possibility of reversal, the catholic church latest teachings about the death penalty states, effectively banning the death penalty.

Maybe you should better enhance the circumstances in the prisons and chemically "castrate" aggressive inmates, so hormones responsible for aggression are suppressed and all inmates become tame as lambs.

Killing people is no solution. Also, it doesn't save money.

Da German

You probably know sex-offenders in many cases had a bad childhood and got beaten and stuff? So beating them probably won't help *that* much.

Da German

I think prison should be the last place a person would rather return to instead of a home away from home.

As for the death penalty, I have no opinion because each case is different. I don't see the point in locking up forever someone who is a hopeless case like Charles Manson. The world would be a much better place without him, but it's not up to me to decide his fate. My personal feeling is he needs to die from lead-poisoning.

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I agree. I disagree with the Death Penalty entirely unless a prisoner remains a threat even while in jail. In this case the prisoner certainly is a threat.

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And many think otherwise...

Then I would suggest that the Vatican should not adopt the death penalty...

Killing people is cheap. The process of killing them; appeals, etc, is what gets expensive...

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If it wasn't for double standards, liberals would have no standards at all...

Agree...mostly

Agree with the death penalty. Lawful execution is moral and just IF the person under penalty of death is truly guilty. People such as the Manson Family should have been under the earth decades ago. The liberal fools in Calipornia shed tears for these miscreants. Madman Manson and Tex will never see the light of day outside the walls but why should the state pay for their room and board? Not a good thing.

Gang leaders who refuse to disavow their "colors" be they black, brown, white, yellow or red or any combination thereof should be terminated in and out of the prison system. No greater gratitude would be forth coming by the black community than to skim the pond of the scum who terrorize their lives, endanger their children's lives and force a public image of black thuggery. The black community has the greatest % of young men in prison, in crime, on the run, in the court system than any other demographic ethnic group. Skim this scum off the top of the pond and the black community can be productive and walk the streets of the inner cities at night. Same goes for the Hispanic population -- the next highest group of young men relative to their demographics.

Years ago there was a film starring Michael Douglas featuring a group of judges, lawyers and prosecuters who ruled on the death sentence for various evil doers. It was entitled: "The Star Chamber." Eastwood did a spin off of sorts with the motorcyle cops turned vigilantes.

While such a "cleansing" would be salutary for the nation, it will never happen. And in the overall spectrum of political life, it's a good thing more of less. China for example has no qualms about putting one in the brain pan of criminals. Even high profile white collar con men find themselves at the wrong end of the firing squad. Imagine if a man like Madoff or the other rip off artists, if they would have committed their sleight of hand accounting in China. Dead...end of story. It might be a good thing for all to know that if you rip off, destroy the nest egg of thousands of people, young and old...and get busted...you die. All remaining assets would be divided as equally as possible. All of his wealth would be confiscated. Before he was to be executed he was to be advised he is dying a broken and poor man.

"It was all for nothing Bernie...now it ends and you have exactly zero."

Next day...the gallows.

I wonder how many executions nationwide it would take to convince the criminal minded that crime does not pay. Would crime end? Of course not. It would elimnate the greater part of the now rampant crime wave of drugs and other violations. But the society has it in their minds that Prison Nation America is the way to go. It creates jobs...watching those who are incarcerated.

A distinction has to be made between the petty offender and the criminally minded [insane?] career criminal. It would not be difficult to weed out those who will never abide by the rules and those who can be taught a lesson the first time they are incarcerated.

But...there is no fool proof system.

Basically...I approve of the death penalty for murder. Starting with Manson.

No...no needle. Hanging, beheading or firing squad. No pleasant death is to be permitted a violent man. He is to die under fear and violent procedure. No overdose that sends one off quietly and pleasantly...it must be an object lesson to the peoples.

I remember when "Death Wish" came to the theatres. The audience cheered when Bronson whacked out the would be robber in Central Park. It revealed the mind set of the people...attempt to rip off and you die. Object lesson.