Prison VS Execution?

[Steezie]

Why is it considered more humane to lock someone away for life than execute them?

One idea I've heard is to lock people away in solitary confinement rather than use capital punishment. Why is that considered so much more humane, to lock someone away in a concrete box and let them go insane from loneliness and isolation?

 

[traversinginfinity]

Why is it considered more humane to lock someone away for life than execute them?

One idea I've heard is to lock people away in solitary confinement rather than use capital punishment. Why is that considered so much more humane, to lock someone away in a concrete box and let them go insane from loneliness and isolation?

I wouldn't suggest solitary confinement.

The U.S. Constitution defines our inalienable rights as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If the person is a danger to society, then it is necessary for him to be confined for the saftety of others, but it is still unconstitutional to take his life against his will. He may still be able to pursue happiness in prison. He'll still have some human interaction, books to read, etc. He'll still be alive.

 

[Patzak]

Should be life imprisonment with option of suicide. That way the prisoners can decide for themselves which option is the more humane one.

 

[ExistencePrecedesEssence]

Murderers and rapists should be tortured.

 

[Lynden1000]

Personally I consider solitary confinement to be less humane than the death penalty. My vengeful side kind of likes the idea; but I'd rather not have to pay for it.

 

[jayem]

I don't think lifetime incarceration is necessarily considered more humane than execution. I think the rationale in those jurisdictions where there is no death penalty is that capital punishment is simply a greater moral wrong. And, unlike execution, incarceration can be reversed should an innocent person be convicted.

 

[theeyesoftammyfaye]

Personally I consider solitary confinement to be less humane than the death penalty. My vengeful side kind of likes the idea; but I'd rather not have to pay for it.

while i definitely think the death penalty constitutes "cruel and unusual punishment," i also definitely think life in solitary confinement also constitutes "cruel and unususal punishment." i'm decidedly against both.

and i don't have a 'vengeful' side, and i honestly wonder about those who get (apparently) gleeful at the use of both the death penalty and solitary confinement.

 

[Blackguard_]

The U.S. Constitution defines our inalienable rights as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If the person is a danger to society, then it is necessary for him to be confined for the saftety of others, but it is still unconstitutional to take his life against his will. He may still be able to pursue happiness in prison. He'll still have some human interaction, books to read, etc. He'll still be alive.

That's from the declaration of independence. And the Constituation even mentions capital crimes. The DP is Constitutional.

 

[MoonlessNight]

Lifetime Prison Sentence over the Death Penalty should be about hope for the convict, I think. It could be made into an elaborate torture, but it shouldn't be that way. Sure there is the chance that the convict is innocent, but what I think we also forget is the chance that during their lifetime they will be able to change as a person. Not necessarily that they should ever be released since it is very hard to know for sure and the people who end up serving a lifetime sentence are ideally very dangerous people, so it would be very bad to make a mistake about whether they are truly rehabilitated. But even if they cannot rejoin society, that does not mean that we should give up all hope for them.

 

[SoldToGod]

Prison. I don't think anyone has the right to end another's life.. remember when in the bible they were going to stone the adulterous woman, but Jesus saved her because none of the men were without sin themselves? Innocent men are often put in jail, how much worse would it be if they were put to death for a crime they did not commit?

 

[flicka]

Murderers and rapists should be tortured.

Nobody should be tortured. And frankly I wouldn't want to even KNOW someone who could stomach doing the torturing, regardless of the crime committed. I would be hard pressed to tell the difference between the two.

 

[ExistencePrecedesEssence]

Nobody should be tortured. And frankly I wouldn't want to even KNOW someone who could stomach doing the torturing, regardless of the crime committed. I would be hard pressed to tell the difference between the two.

Nah.

 

[flicka]

Nah.

Uh-Huh!!!

 

[yasic]

I personally oppose the death penalty as well as the soitary for life (or any lenghty period of time... say over 6 months)

I do think that anyone who is given life, or over 35 years should be given the option of recieving the death penalty, however they would be required to get 'theropy' to fully understand what they are doing, and they must confirm their decision 3 times with a month between each time while in a normal state of mind.



If it were a perfect world, I would like to make some seperate colonies that a man can choose to join which is independant of prison which is a seperation from society. (Literally, they will be left to their own needs there with little ineterviening which would be limited to help in terms of plauge or other serious health issue, famine, natural disasters, genocide, and any attempt to escape into mainstream society). Naturally we will need to have them seperated with degrees of allowence into them. (So someine in for life for multiple tax evasion will not end up in the same society as the murders, or the pedophiles)
Obviously this is but a dream.

 

[quatona]

Why is it considered more humane to lock someone away for life than execute them?

One idea I've heard is to lock people away in solitary confinement rather than use capital punishment. Why is that considered so much more humane, to lock someone away in a concrete box and let them go insane from loneliness and isolation?

I don´t consider this version of prison significantly more humane. Prisons don´t have to be like that.
Where I live, people aren´t locked away for life, btw.

 

[Robinsegg]

Prison. I don't think anyone has the right to end another's life.. remember when in the bible they were going to stone the adulterous woman, but Jesus saved her because none of the men were without sin themselves? Innocent men are often put in jail, how much worse would it be if they were put to death for a crime they did not commit?

Actually, that situation was quite interesting, as both parties involved were to be stoned, and they brought only the woman. It was a clear case of hypocrisy and Jesus made sure they realized He knew it.
Rachel

 

[Robinsegg]

I personally oppose the death penalty as well as the soitary for life (or any lenghty period of time... say over 6 months)

I do think that anyone who is given life, or over 35 years should be given the option of recieving the death penalty, however they would be required to get 'theropy' to fully understand what they are doing, and they must confirm their decision 3 times with a month between each time while in a normal state of mind.



If it were a perfect world, I would like to make some seperate colonies that a man can choose to join which is independant of prison which is a seperation from society. (Literally, they will be left to their own needs there with little ineterviening which would be limited to help in terms of plauge or other serious health issue, famine, natural disasters, genocide, and any attempt to escape into mainstream society). Naturally we will need to have them seperated with degrees of allowence into them. (So someine in for life for multiple tax evasion will not end up in the same society as the murders, or the pedophiles)
Obviously this is but a dream.

Ah, I like the idea of putting all prisoners in the "general population", too. I don't know why we should keep "special prisoners" to themselves . . . let them all fend for themselves. Just like the prison colonies of Australia 300 years ago, eh?

Rachel

 

[yasic]

Ah, I like the idea of putting all prisoners in the "general population", too. I don't know why we should keep "special prisoners" to themselves . . . let them all fend for themselves. Just like the prison colonies of Australia 300 years ago, eh?

Rachel

Thats exactly right.

The point of prision is to seperate somebody from our society, and we claim they have inaliable rights. Why not do both? Obviously we are not forcing anything upon them if we give it to them as a choice.

 

[Lynden1000]

Nobody should be tortured. And frankly I wouldn't want to even KNOW someone who could stomach doing the torturing, regardless of the crime committed. I would be hard pressed to tell the difference between the two.

I could easily do it if the person who was murdered was a member of my family. But, of course, if a member of my family was murdered, I probably wouldn't be behaving rationally.

 

[Lynden1000]

and i don't have a 'vengeful' side, and i honestly wonder about those who get (apparently) gleeful at the use of both the death penalty and solitary confinement.

The Jamie Bulger case is what did it for me. I was never the same after that story hit the media.