Kidnapped girl found 18 years later

[Flint]

I would like to hear the arguments FOR the death penalty.

Considering that we all damn well know that any human institution is prone to glitches and imperfections, what is the payoff that society receives in exchange for granting our government the power to take a human life? What are the benefits?

[classicman]

Originally Posted by Flint

I would like to hear the arguments FOR the death penalty.
what is the payoff that society receives in exchange for granting our government the power to take a human life? What are the benefits?

We get to save about $50,000 a year. Oh and it works really well as a deterrent. <dripping with sarcasm>

I would like to note that the number of federal death row inmates was infantecimally small. But as we all know, even one is too many.

To add to Redux's post. The problem with this is we cannot nor will we ever be able to legislate morality.

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by classicman

We get to save about $50,000 a year. ....

Cite?

The cost of a system which imposes a maximum penalty of lifetime incarceration instead of the death penalty would be $11.5 million per year.

The California example. More here.

[classicman]

Originally Posted by Spexxvet

Cite?

Originally Posted by classicman

We get to save about $50,000 a year. Oh and it works really well as a deterrent. <dripping with sarcasm>

[Shawnee123]

Originally Posted by classicman

We get to save about $50,000 a year. Oh and it works really well as a deterrent. <dripping with sarcasm>

I would like to note that the number of federal death row inmates was infantecimally small. But as we all know, even one is too many.

To add to Redux's post. The problem with this is we cannot nor will we ever be able to legislate morality.

We're killing small babies? Are they recidivists?

[Pooka]

Originally Posted by Flint

I would like to hear the arguments FOR the death penalty.

Considering that we all damn well know that any human institution is prone to glitches and imperfections, what is the payoff that society receives in exchange for granting our government the power to take a human life? What are the benefits?

We the tax payers don't have to pay for the care, food, accomidations and education of those prisoners. That is the pay off...

I personally don't want to pay for keeping ANY prisoner... solution: kill em or put them to work to support their own keep. Let them make the decision for themselves. Make sure you tax them yearly and charge them for the cost of the wasted realestate space that the prison is located on while you're at it... make the prsion 100% self sustaining. There is no reason they can't grow their own food, use old parts to build solar panels and turbines to supply power. Prisioner don't need gyms or TV... let them work the fields. Its healthier and cheeper. Strip away all the nicities... no vending machines... no basket ball courts or play yards. No cafeteria... they can eat in their cells. No education... donated books and a library only. No internet. In fact... now that I think about it ... what is wrong with letting them live like the Amish. Its a good clean healthy lifestyle that costs the rest of us nothing.

[dar512]

@Pooka

I like it. Why isn't it like that?

[classicman]

Originally Posted by Pooka

We the tax payers don't have to pay for the care, food, accomidations and education of those prisoners. That is the pay off...

I personally don't want to pay for keeping ANY prisoner... solution: kill em or put them to work to support their own keep. Let them make the decision for themselves. Make sure you tax them yearly and charge them for the cost of the wasted realestate space that the prison is located on while you're at it... make the prsion 100% self sustaining. There is no reason they can't grow their own food, use old parts to build solar panels and turbines to supply power. Prisioner don't need gyms or TV... let them work the fields. Its healthier and cheeper. Strip away all the nicities... no vending machines... no basket ball courts or play yards. No cafeteria... they can eat in their cells. No education... donated books and a library only. No internet. In fact... now that I think about it ... what is wrong with letting them live like the Amish. Its a good clean healthy lifestyle that costs the rest of us nothing.

You bitch - I love it!!!

[glatt]

Prisoners are paid far less than minimum wage, which creates an unfair playing field. Small business owners hate competing with prison labor. They consider it to be unfair competition. If you own a wood working shop and pay your employees $10/hr to make furniture, how are you going to compete with a prison shop that only pays its workers $0.25/hr? Your bar stool will cost $75 and you will have $5 profit, while the prison can sell its bar stool for $40 and have $30 profit. (Numbers pulled out of my ass to illustrate a point.)

[piercehawkeye45]

Originally Posted by Pooka

We the tax payers don't have to pay for the care, food, accomidations and education of those prisoners. That is the pay off...

I personally don't want to pay for keeping ANY prisoner... solution: kill em or put them to work to support their own keep. Let them make the decision for themselves. Make sure you tax them yearly and charge them for the cost of the wasted realestate space that the prison is located on while you're at it... make the prsion 100% self sustaining. There is no reason they can't grow their own food, use old parts to build solar panels and turbines to supply power. Prisioner don't need gyms or TV... let them work the fields. Its healthier and cheeper. Strip away all the nicities... no vending machines... no basket ball courts or play yards. No cafeteria... they can eat in their cells. No education... donated books and a library only. No internet. In fact... now that I think about it ... what is wrong with letting them live like the Amish. Its a good clean healthy lifestyle that costs the rest of us nothing.

No no no no no no no no no.

Ideally, this is a good solution and I used to fully support this but with this setup, it becomes profitable for the government to have more prisoners. If we had this setup, what social control would we have to prevent rampant classist laws from rounding up all the people that are doing nothing for our economy (unemployed, etc) and putting them in prison on bullshit charges?

Remember the story a while back where a large amount of teenagers were sent to a private juvenile detention facility on bullshit charges because the judge was paid off by the detention facility? The risk of this happening is too large for me to trust any prison system that works for profit, private or public. I don't care how much of social burden someone is, as long as they stay within the law, they should not have their freedom taken away.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Flint

I would like to hear the arguments FOR the death penalty.

Considering that we all damn well know that any human institution is prone to glitches and imperfections, what is the payoff that society receives in exchange for granting our government the power to take a human life? What are the benefits?

I believe that is why they call it Capital Punishment. It is used for punishment.

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

I believe that is why they call it Capital Punishment. It is used for punishment.

That didnt work out so well for Cameron Todd Willingham in Texas?

Why dont the capital punishment supporters want to address the fact that system is not fail-proof? And when it fails, it cant be corrected for at least one innocent person.

Is it acceptable that even one innocent person be executed or is it just a numbers game....a willingness to sacrifice one or a few to get rid of the worst permanently?

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Redux

Why dont the capital punishment supporters want to address the fact that system is not fail-proof?

I never said it wasn't.

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

I never said it wasn't.

So is it acceptable to you, assuming you are a capital punishment supporter, that even one innocent person be executed?

I'm not singling you out, the question is for all the capital punishment supporters.
______

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Redux

So is it acceptable to you, assuming you are a capital punishment supporter, that even one innocent person be executed?

No. But I still fully support it for those who are convicted and deserve it. It is certainly a moral delima for the legal system and society at large.