Death Row Inmates

dogs4thewin · Feb 12, 2013

Should death row inmates be permitted to have contact visits with family?

Passionate Chicken · Feb 12, 2013

Yes. Treating them like animals because they're scheduled to die isn't a reflection on their crimes. It's a reflection on our morality. Especially when some of those inmates could be innocent.

dogs4thewin · Feb 12, 2013

Passionate Chicken said:
Yes. Treating them like animals because they're scheduled to die isn't a reflection on their crimes. It's a reflection on our morality. Especially when some of those inmates could be innocent.

While I agree that we should not treat them as animals, I should have mentioned this in my first post I was asking too about the family. In other words, even if one feels that the inmates themselves have lost that right ( which I do NOT.) Is the practice fair to the family members who did NOT commit the crime?

Passionate Chicken · Feb 12, 2013

I'll presume your asking about the DR inmate family members.
I'd think it's fair. They can choose to visit their loved one or not.
We all die but for the death row inmate they're assured that unless something happens with their case on appeal, it's without a doubt going to happen in any number of years time frame.

If you're referring to the inmates victim families, I think they got their pound of flesh when the accused was sentenced to death for the crime of taking their loved one away.
I don't think they have a right to insist that inmate be treated like an animal until the date of execution, when they're going to get to take his life for having taken the life of their loved one in the name of justice.
So ultimately an inmate getting to hug his mother for instance while serving on death row isn't going to impact the victims families who are getting his or her life served up as the ultimate punishment for his or her crimes in the end.

dogs4thewin · Feb 12, 2013

I do refer to the inmate's family in this thread. I am NOT asking if they should be allowed to visit. I am asking if when they do they should be able to touch the inmate in ANY way ( or should they be forced to visit with some sort of barrier between them?)

Max S Cherry · Feb 12, 2013

ALLorNOTHINGatall4CHRIST said:
I do refer to the inmate's family in this thread. I am NOT asking if they should be allowed to visit. I am asking if when they do they should be able to touch the inmate in ANY way ( or should they be forced to visit with some sort of barrier between them?)

With your clarification in mind, I think that decision should be made on a case by case basis. If a particular inmate is excessively dangerous and/or unstable, touching may not be advisable. In all cases, monitoring should probably be close and continuous.

dgiharris · Feb 16, 2013

Passionate Chicken said:
Yes. Treating them like animals because they're scheduled to die isn't a reflection on their crimes. It's a reflection on our morality. Especially when some of those inmates could be innocent.

This.

The inmate on death row should be allowed visits and if it is "safe" he should be allowed contact private visits with his family to even include conjugal visits between the inmate and his or her significant other or spouse.

They will be facing the ultimate punishment via death. So I don't understand why some feel compelled to heap on more punishment.

Ultimately, the treatment of that prisoner is a reflection of our morality and our humanity.

quatona · Feb 16, 2013

ALLorNOTHINGatall4CHRIST said:
Should death row inmates be permitted to have contact visits with family?

They shouldn´t be on death row, to begin with.
Apart from that, I fail to see how depriving anyone from expressing and experiencing positive inclination to their fellow beings could possibly be the cure for anything.

michaelG1949 · Feb 17, 2013

that family visit may be what leads them to the Lord. we may have the right to take their lives, but we have no right to take their soul. as for wether the gov has the right to the desth sentence, Jesus never said they didn't when they crucified him. he suitted to the authorities, the same as paul, peter, stephen, james. don't remember any of them saying the gov didn't have the right. not saying they liked it, but they submitted to the lawful authorities.

dogs4thewin · Feb 17, 2013

quatona said:
They shouldn´t be on death row, to begin with.
Apart from that, I fail to see how depriving anyone from expressing and experiencing positive inclination to their fellow beings could possibly be the cure for anything.

I agree they should not be on death row. I also feel that if for no other reason than for the family's sack contact visits should be allowed.

football5680 · Feb 17, 2013

If they are sentenced to death they should have to either accept the sentence or appeal immediately. I don't like how these people eat away our tax dollars when they are going to die anyway. They have the right to appeal so I would give it to them but after that they should be killed without waiting too long. They should have the right to see their family for a final time if they choose and then they should be put to death.

ebia · Feb 18, 2013

football5680 said:
If they are sentenced to death they should have to either accept the sentence or appeal immediately. I don't like how these people eat away our tax dollars when they are going to die anyway. They have the right to appeal so I would give it to them but after that they should be killed without waiting too long. They should have the right to see their family for a final time if they choose and then they should be put to death.

It can take time, sometimes a long time, to collect the evidence for an appeal

ebia · Feb 18, 2013

The death penalty is unnecessary in any developed country.

dogs4thewin · Feb 18, 2013

football5680 said:
If they are sentenced to death they should have to either accept the sentence or appeal immediately. I don't like how these people eat away our tax dollars when they are going to die anyway. They have the right to appeal so I would give it to them but after that they should be killed without waiting too long. They should have the right to see their family for a final time if they choose and then they should be put to death.

They do appeal. However in order to make as certain as they can that they are killing the correct person they can actually appeal all the way to the highest court in the land. Since each appeal can take months or years that is why it takes so long. For this reason it is actually cheaper to keep someone in prison for life without parole than the death penalty.

Miss Spaulding · Feb 18, 2013

Sure. I really don't have anything against that. ...Now, that doesn't mean the families would want to visit though...

Halfmaker · Feb 18, 2013

Well hm, why should those beasts be allowed to be human? It's not like the societal and personal pressures were taken into account when the hammer fell upon whichever inmate; we've already given up on reforming criminal responses in men and women to prevent the unwanted behavior in the first place. It seems a sham offering them humanity when it's already been denied much earlier.

This is cold and indeed an extreme opinion, one I am displaying for the sake of diversity and not my own personal belief, but the people on death row should be processed, contained, and destroyed in the same way we deal with garbage since that is clearly what they are; something worth keeping would not be condemned to destruction after all. And you can bet your savings that culture, media of any range, environmental stresses, and the dispassionate system of medical reform (doctors, therapist, etc.) are not the cause of the aberrant behavior.

(Please don't skewer me for being heartless, like I said, this is just the display of another point of view. I don't actually think this - it's barbaric. But hey, metaphorically speaking, we're in Rome).

quatona · Feb 18, 2013

Halfmaker said:
Well hm, why should those beasts be allowed to be human?

1. Because they are human.

2. The question in the OP is not about them but about us. I insist that we shouldn´t let our response be dictated by standards derived from their behaviour.

It's not like the societal and personal pressures were taken into account when the hammer fell upon whichever inmate; we've already given up on reforming criminal responses in men and women to prevent the unwanted behavior in the first place. It seems a sham offering them humanity when it's already been denied much earlier.

This is cold and indeed an extreme opinion, one I am displaying for the sake of diversity and not my own personal belief, but the people on death row should be processed, contained, and destroyed in the same way we deal with garbage since that is clearly what they are; something worth keeping would not be condemned to destruction after all. And you can bet your savings that culture, media of any range, environmental stresses, and the dispassionate system of medical reform (doctors, therapist, etc.) are not the cause of the aberrant behavior.

(Please don't skewer me for being heartless, like I said, this is just the display of another point of view. I don't actually think this - it's barbaric. But hey, metaphorically speaking, we're in Rome).

I´m not quite understanding your approach here. You are playing devil´s advocate, but you don´t want responses to the position you are taking. Is that about correct?

Halfmaker · Feb 18, 2013

quatona said:
1. Because they are human.

The disclaimer seems to apply to every line in my statement but that one eh? I do not think of death row inmates as nonhuman.

ALLorNOTHINGatall4CHRIST said:
Should death row inmates be permitted to have contact visits with family?

And the issue you raised with your second point, the question clearly asks whether or not the inmates should be allowed certain things. Indeed it is the subject of the question, and therefore should be the subject of this discussion, and I addressed it as such, rather than exploring the options of any other involved party.

Now, I could argue the negative position I presented but it was merely for show and to underpin a very important element to this whole issue. If we will not at least try using strong prevention strategies it is a waste of time dancing around the ethics, "we've agreed to not fix the cause so let's deal with symptoms as clinically as possible."

elephunky · Feb 18, 2013

We do not have death row here but if we did I would hope they would be allowed visits from their family.

dogs4thewin · Feb 18, 2013

They are allowed visits here, but in most states they may not touch their families at ALL not a hug not holding hands NOTHING. That is my question should they be able to touch their families in any way?

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