3 ms·

I suspect the reason for that is the same flawed, non-probabilistic reasoning that most death penalty opponents are making - "if I'm alive there is always a cha

I suspect the reason for that is the same flawed, non-probabilistic reasoning that most death penalty opponents are making - "if I'm alive there is always a chance..." For the record, as a person who does understand probability, I'd much rather be wrongly convicted of a capital crime than a life imprisonment one. I also don't believe for a moment that left wing anger at wrongful executions by electric chair will transfer to false execution by old age.

tptacek 11y ago
To determine whether it's reasonable to call life imprisonment "false execution by old age", you could examine the relative life expectancies of people imprisoned for life versus the cohort of people most likely to receive life sentences. If a sentence extends someone's lifetime, and results in a cause of death universally shared by everyone, it's probably not reasonable to refer to it as a form of execution.