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Not knowing if today will be the day your life will end is not a question over niceties. It's a form of torture. The critiques from human rights associations an

by pell 5y ago

Not knowing if today will be the day your life will end is not a question over niceties. It's a form of torture. The critiques from human rights associations and the U.N. committee against Torture here aren't exactly new.

imgabe 5y ago
Knowing exactly the day your life will be over and being left to stew over it could also be a form of torture. Maybe the kindest option would be to tell them they’re only getting life in prison, then kill them quickly and unexpectedly without them ever realizing it. Or, you know, just don’t execute people.
- ARandomerDude 5y ago
  Maybe the death-row inmates should have thought of that before murdering someone. These aren't people plucked at random. They've cruelly and unjustly deprived someone of their lives, and a family of a loved one.
  - tharkun__ 5y ago
    For consideration on the absoluteness of your statement: https://stories.avvo.com/crime/murder/8-people-who-were-executed-and-later-found-innocent.html https://stories.avvo.com/crime/murder/8-people-who-were-exec...
  - davidjytang 5y ago
    Yes. That's why they are to be executed. But they are not contending the part of being execute itself, are they?
- pseudo0 5y ago
  Isn't another school of thought that life imprisonment is also a form of torture? Being confined for up to 60-70 years with no hope of release is also a quite bleak future.
ekianjo 5y ago
> Not knowing if today will be the day your life will end is not a question over niceties. It's a form of torture. So... just like everyone else?
arp242 5y ago
> Not knowing if today will be the day your life will end is not a question over niceties. It's a form of torture. If I were on death row then this is what I'd prefer: some random day a guard comes and says "Martin, your time's now, let's go". At this point maybe I'll arrange some last affairs or send out a letter I have previously prepared, and that's it I would consider "Martin, your time will be in a month's time" considerably more torturous. That month will be horrible. Other people may want to prefer that month's notice; fair enough. Both methods have their own upsides and downsides, but to call one "torture" seems to be going a bit too far. Ideally, prisoners should be allowed to choose. This seems like a small effort on the part of the prison system/government.
adolph 5y ago
For the purpose of this Convention, the term "torture" means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him, or a third person, information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in, or incidental to, lawful sanctions. It seems like non-announcement of a scheduling info could fall under the last sentence given the knowledge at hand. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Convention_against_Torture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Convention_agai...

by pell 5y ago

imgabe 5y ago

Knowing exactly the day your life will be over and being left to stew over it could also be a form of torture. Maybe the kindest option would be to tell them they’re only getting life in prison, then kill them quickly and unexpectedly without them ever realizing it. Or, you know, just don’t execute people.

ARandomerDude 5y ago
Maybe the death-row inmates should have thought of that before murdering someone. These aren't people plucked at random. They've cruelly and unjustly deprived someone of their lives, and a family of a loved one.
- tharkun__ 5y ago
  For consideration on the absoluteness of your statement: https://stories.avvo.com/crime/murder/8-people-who-were-executed-and-later-found-innocent.html https://stories.avvo.com/crime/murder/8-people-who-were-exec...
- davidjytang 5y ago
  Yes. That's why they are to be executed. But they are not contending the part of being execute itself, are they?
pseudo0 5y ago
Isn't another school of thought that life imprisonment is also a form of torture? Being confined for up to 60-70 years with no hope of release is also a quite bleak future.

ekianjo 5y ago

> Not knowing if today will be the day your life will end is not a question over niceties. It's a form of torture. So... just like everyone else?

arp242 5y ago

> Not knowing if today will be the day your life will end is not a question over niceties. It's a form of torture. If I were on death row then this is what I'd prefer: some random day a guard comes and says "Martin, your time's now, let's go". At this point maybe I'll arrange some last affairs or send out a letter I have previously prepared, and that's it I would consider "Martin, your time will be in a month's time" considerably more torturous. That month will be horrible. Other people may want to prefer that month's notice; fair enough. Both methods have their own upsides and downsides, but to call one "torture" seems to be going a bit too far. Ideally, prisoners should be allowed to choose. This seems like a small effort on the part of the prison system/government.

adolph 5y ago

For the purpose of this Convention, the term "torture" means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him, or a third person, information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in, or incidental to, lawful sanctions. It seems like non-announcement of a scheduling info could fall under the last sentence given the knowledge at hand. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Convention_against_Torture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Convention_agai...