4 ms·

I don't find the fact that some people are found innocent to be a convincing reason to be against the death penalty. The replacement, which is life in prison, s

by rndmize 10y ago

I don't find the fact that some people are found innocent to be a convincing reason to be against the death penalty. The replacement, which is life in prison, strikes me as even less appealing. How is sending someone to jail and leaving them there for 20 years only to figure out that people fucked up and the guy wasn't actually guilty - "Sorry chap, but it's only a third of your life we've ripped away from you, you've still got one third left!" - any better? I'd rather be dead.

brador 10y ago
What if it was you? What if you were framed for a crime? Would you prefer the death penalty then or only if it's someone else's head on the line? State murder is an ugly business that has no part in any modern society.
- rndmize 10y ago
  "What if it was me?" is exactly what I'm considering. Life doesn't have infinite value in and of itself. Consider - if you were in a coma or vegetative state, is that a life worth living, even if we have the technology to keep that person alive? If you had Alzheimer's and were gradually losing all mental faculties, would there be a point where you'd rather be dead? I'd consider being in long-term or life prison to be the next closest thing to those examples; a life without freedom, friends, family, with the potential for a wide variety of suffering beyond that - poor medical, poor food, guard abuse, fights, solitary, rape - what in this is worth living for? Prison is specifically meant to be a punishment, not a rehabilitation. And then maybe you get out a couple decades later, everything has changed, no one will hire you, everyone has moved on...
lukewink 10y ago
Most people do not feel the same way. Also, the death penalty does not allow an inmate to choose death over life in prison; this decision is forced upon them.

4 ms·

I don't find the fact that some people are found innocent to be a convincing reason to be against the death penalty. The replacement, which is life in prison, s

by rndmize 10y ago

brador 10y ago
What if it was you? What if you were framed for a crime? Would you prefer the death penalty then or only if it's someone else's head on the line? State murder is an ugly business that has no part in any modern society.
- rndmize 10y ago
  "What if it was me?" is exactly what I'm considering. Life doesn't have infinite value in and of itself. Consider - if you were in a coma or vegetative state, is that a life worth living, even if we have the technology to keep that person alive? If you had Alzheimer's and were gradually losing all mental faculties, would there be a point where you'd rather be dead? I'd consider being in long-term or life prison to be the next closest thing to those examples; a life without freedom, friends, family, with the potential for a wide variety of suffering beyond that - poor medical, poor food, guard abuse, fights, solitary, rape - what in this is worth living for? Prison is specifically meant to be a punishment, not a rehabilitation. And then maybe you get out a couple decades later, everything has changed, no one will hire you, everyone has moved on...
lukewink 10y ago
Most people do not feel the same way. Also, the death penalty does not allow an inmate to choose death over life in prison; this decision is forced upon them.