|
cadenas -> RE: Death Penalty (2/21/2007 3:58:26 PM)
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: SDFemDom4cuck
I couldn't have said it better. I was at one time a staunch opponent of the death penalty. Even throughout most of the trial of a man who killed 3 members of my family over $7.26 I was speaking against the death penalty being part of the possible sentencing. I felt that as a human he had to have some redeeming quality and that his being imprisoned for life would be enough of a punishment.
The detective and prosecuter sat down with me one day and asked how I would feel if this young man were to eventually get out of prison and commit this same crime to another family. They explained the meaning of a Life sentence in that state. The chances of his actually serving "life" in prison were very slim and he would have gotten out eventually at still a relatively young age. Rather than a clue by four I would compare that moment of comprehension to being hit by a Mack Truck. His death wouldn't bring back my family members, but it would most definitely ensure that no other human would have to endure the heartache we did and still do.
There is quite a bit of evidence that it doesn't actually work that way.
I used to live in Germany for many years. Germany does not have the death penalty. Germany does not even have a life sentence. The maximum penalty for *anything* is 15-years to life. If you commit several crimes, sentences are always served concurrently, so there is no such thing as 400-years-to-life, either, although if you serve several concurrent sentences, of course you may not get probation right after 15 years. The Germans are just in the process of releasing Brigitte Mohnhaupt, a terrorist roughly as bad as Timothy McVeigh or the Unabomber and with a string of terrorist attacks, after (I believe) 17 years in prison.
Guess in which country you are more likely to get killed? The USA has ten times the murder rate of Germany per capita. By the way, it is *only* murder. If you look at any other type of crime, whether fraud, robbery, theft, rape, kidnapping, Germany's crime rate is consistently the same or slightly higher than the USA.
It seems that at best, the death penalty does not actually prevent other families from suffering the same fate.
Another point: the death penalty may actually allow murderers to get off scot free. Most countries in the world condemn the death penalty, and refuse to extradite candidates. Effectively, the US insistence on the death penalty makes most of the world a safe haven for murderers. Just look at what it took to get Ira Einhorn back: 20+ years and a promise to not seek the death penalty.
Had the man you had to deal with been smart enough, he would have gone to Tijuana - and probably would not have served any time at all. Mexico is one of the 100+ countries that doesn't extradite when there is the threat of the death penalty.
Plus, I'm cynical. The prosecutor may well have had political ambitions and needed to up his death penalty count to get elected to some other office later.
Now with that, I don't want to argue on the intensely personal situation you experienced, or even imply that I would have done anything different. I just think there is solid evidence for another point of view.
|
|
|
|
