bout time

[SamBass]

http://news.yahoo.com/conn-legislature-approves-repeal-death-penalty-030 Government sponsored murder seems to be going the way of the horse and carriage. Our civilization advances

[Red_in_Blue_Land]

http://news.yahoo.com/conn-legislature-approves-repeal-death-penalty-030 Government sponsored murder seems to be going the way of the horse and carriage. Our civilization advances

Anti-death penalty?

[SamBass]

yes and I can't seem to get the link to work, my apologies

[Red_in_Blue_Land]

yes and I can't seem to get the link to work, my apologies

I kind of figured it from the text in your post, why are you anti-death penalty?

[ColoREDo]

I kind of figured it from the text in your post, why are you anti-death penalty?

While I am not anti-death penalty, I certainly understand the argument from those who are.

[Red_in_Blue_Land]

While I am not anti-death penalty, I certainly understand the argument from those who are.

I am not anti-death penalty either, but I am also not to concerned if death penalties are repealed. Michigan does not have a death penalty and there are groups fighting to get it here tooth and nail.

[Nishioka]

Almost like it's a formality. They have only executed one person since 1960.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...in_Connecticut

[Red_in_Blue_Land]

Almost like it's a formality. They have only executed one person since 1960.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...in_Connecticut

In Connecticut it is mostly a waste of space, here in Detroit, they would be very busy. You have any feelings on it?

[Nishioka]

In Connecticut it is mostly a waste of space, here in Detroit, they would be very busy. You have any feelings on it?

Not a huge fan of it. Sure, it's nice to have for people like Timothy McVeigh, but functionally I think it's a waste of time. We keep guys on death row literally for decades while they work their way through the appeals process and other various administrivia. Here in NE there's a bit of a brouhaha because the state purchased some sodium thiopental it was apparently not supposed to be able to have access to, and is now barred from using that drug to execute a guy who's pushing 30 years on death row. Maybe I'm just lazy, but at some point I would have said look, Michael Ryan is never seeing the outside of a jail cell ever again, let's just call it good and quit wasting time on him. Put him on bread and water, reduce medical care available to him, and throw away the key to his cell.

http://journalstar.com/news/local/cr...5d44569fb.html

[BasilLongfellow]

Put him on bread and water

Not illegal in Nebraska.

29-2208. Sentence to imprisonment in the county jail; hard labor; bread and water.
When any court or magistrate shall sentence any convict to imprisonment in the jail of the county as a punishment for the offense committed, the judgment and sentence shall require that the convict be imprisoned in the cell of the jail of the county, or that he be kept at hard labor in the jail; and when the imprisonment is to be without labor, the sentence may require the convict to be fed on bread and water only, the whole or any part of the term of imprisonment.

http://uniweb.legislature.ne.gov/law...tatute=29-2208

[BuffSurveyor]

Not illegal in Nebraska.

29-2208. Sentence to imprisonment in the county jail; hard labor; bread and water.
When any court or magistrate shall sentence any convict to imprisonment in the jail of the county as a punishment for the offense committed, the judgment and sentence shall require that the convict be imprisoned in the cell of the jail of the county, or that he be kept at hard labor in the jail; and when the imprisonment is to be without labor, the sentence may require the convict to be fed on bread and water only, the whole or any part of the term of imprisonment.

http://uniweb.legislature.ne.gov/law...tatute=29-2208

I'm for this. Why don't Judges in Nebraska impose this sentence? Prisoners here in Buffalo County, NE are treated great and eat food that is about like home cooking with our new detention facility.

Bread and water only meals would save the tax payers lots of money. I see nothing wrong with it. If the "bad guys" don't like the food at the Inn, then they can change their ways so they don't check in.

[Red_in_Blue_Land]

Not illegal in Nebraska.

29-2208. Sentence to imprisonment in the county jail; hard labor; bread and water.
When any court or magistrate shall sentence any convict to imprisonment in the jail of the county as a punishment for the offense committed, the judgment and sentence shall require that the convict be imprisoned in the cell of the jail of the county, or that he be kept at hard labor in the jail; and when the imprisonment is to be without labor, the sentence may require the convict to be fed on bread and water only, the whole or any part of the term of imprisonment.

http://uniweb.legislature.ne.gov/law...tatute=29-2208

I am all for making prisons a nasty nightmarish place so no one wants to go there, isn't that the whole reason we have them?

[SamBass]

My concerns are threefold. The challenge of executing an innocent human, the exponential cost of an execution and my concern for our evolving civilization and the lack of success execution has had at deterring capitol crimes.
(thanks for the link Nish)

[Red_in_Blue_Land]

My concerns are threefold. The challenge of executing an innocent human, the exponential cost of an execution and my concern for our evolving civilization and the lack of success execution has had at deterring capitol crimes.
(thanks for the link Nish)

The challenge of executing an innocent human?

[OmaHusker]

My concerns are threefold. The challenge of executing an innocent human, the exponential cost of an execution and my concern for our evolving civilization and the lack of success execution has had at deterring capitol crimes.
(thanks for the link Nish)

Seems there are four reasons here.
We've ruled out the first as a reason, since even if it never happened, you'd still be against the death penalty.
What is the cost of an execution compared to housing a prisoner for life?
We can rule out the 3rd if the purpose is to punish rather than deter.
I'm still wrapping my head about what you mean by "advancing civilization" because that's so ambiguous and subjective.

[tango]

My concerns are threefold. The challenge of executing an innocent human, the exponential cost of an execution and my concern for our evolving civilization and the lack of success execution has had at deterring capitol crimes.
(thanks for the link Nish)

I did a research paper several years ago regarding the pros and cons of the death penalty.

1. With all of the appeals and the many years it takes to eventually execute the person the chances are very very slim that an innocent person will be put to death. I understand the argument one person is too many. I also understand the statement "I've never met a guilty prisoner." With DNA available now I think there is a very, very slim chance an innocent would be put to death.

2. At the time I did the research, the cost of housing a criminal for life was a lot greater than the execution. I understand someone believes there is an argument that is not correct. It seems illogical that the cost of execution is greater than prison for life.

3. Because the death penalty is used so frequently and the process takes so long, it was determined the deterrence matter could not be realistically evaluated.

4. Evolving civilization--I'm not sure what that means. There are a lot of things that happen in this world that makes one wonder if civilization is evolving positively.

Accordingly I support the death penalty in the brutal murders.

[SamBass]

...cases where an individual is convicted of a capitol crime, executed and then proven innocent

[Red_in_Blue_Land]

...cases where an individual is convicted of a capitol crime, executed and then proven innocent

If they were able to perfect the criminal justice system so that could not happen how would you feel about the death penalty then?

[RedRum]

...cases where an individual is convicted of a capitol crime, executed and then proven innocent

Is locking an innocent person away for life alright then?

The problem seems to be convicting an innocent person, not the death penalty.

[RedBlack&Blue]

Is locking an innocent person away for life alright then?

The problem seems to be convicting an innocent person, not the death penalty.

That's wrong too, but it at least gives them a chance to prove their innocence.

Also, the death penalty is pretty stone age. There are better ways to deal with the problem of even an unrepentant killer.