Life in prison vs. Death Penalty

mangochavez

So let's say you were arrested on a couple of real charges, like murder/home invasion/felony murder or something of the sort. And let's say this happened in a death-penalty state in America. And I know this wouldn't be likely to happen but let's just say you were given these two options:

*Taking a plea deal with life/no-parole sentence

*Not taking a plea deal and trying to get the death penalty for your crimes

Note: I know that there's all kinds of appeal processes and other things that you can undertake to try to get your sentence reduced or whatever, but let's just say that in this hypothetical situation your only two options are as I described above. So no appeals, no pardons from the governor, no letters to the President or your congressman. Life in prison or the needle.

My take on this: I personally think that taking the death penalty would be a much better alternative. Here's how I see this. Once you become condemned or placed on death row, not only do you get more respect in the criminal underworld, you also get separately housed and you're likely to get your own cell. Most condemned inmates spend 5-10 years on death row after which they execute you. The execution itself is quite painless. They sedate you and then administer 3 different toxins, so you pretty much just fall asleep and never wake up.

On the other hand, taking a life-no-parole sentence would mean spending the rest of your days incarcerated, regretting what you did and lusting after a normal civilian life. There'd be more stability for you in that you'd get a place to sleep and 3 meals a day. For good behaviour and staying on the administration's good side you could score some neat jobs in prison or maybe some rehabilitation and classes or what not. However, most lifers get placed in general population with all the other inmates and that's where all the difficulties and implications associated with prison emerge. On every yard there's gangs, politics, racial tensions and all kinds of pitfalls. Staying by yourself and not joining a gang would instantly get you preyed upon, while cliquing up with some faction could get you caught up in all kinds of bull****. To make your bones you would definitely have to do some dirt, possibly even kill or stab someone. Blood in, blood out.

What most people think on this: Oh no! Death penalty means they kill you! (D'uh)
You're crazy! Life is so precious! How can you pick death over life?
Life in jail wouldn't be too bad! Some joints have TV's, cigarettes, conjugal visits. etc. etc.

What do you guys think? Is life in prison worth living? Is a ****ty life worth living? Would you rather pick the death penalty over life in prison?

galwayrush

In which country?

mangochavez

galwayrush wrote: »

In which country?

Can't you read, dumb dumb?:

mangochavez wrote: »

So let's say you were arrested on a couple of real charges, like murder/home invasion/felony murder or something of the sort. And let's say this happened in a death-penalty state in America. And I know this wouldn't be likely to happen but let's just say you were given these two options:

Sir Osis of Liver.

I"ll give the lifetime of salad tossing option a miss.
Yeah ,its lethal injection all the way thanks warden.

mangochavez

Sir Osis of Liver. wrote: »

I"ll give the lifetime of salad tossing option a miss.
Yeah ,its lethal injection all the way thanks warden.

What's salad tossing?

Meritocracy Wins

Life in Prison until I am old, then execution. Gives me time to find God.

hfallada

If it was one of those prisons in America where everyone is in a gang and smoking meth. I would take the death penalty. You cant have a good life living in a cell 23 hours day with no human contact accept for a hour in an exercise cage.

mangochavez

Meritocracy Wins wrote: »

Life in Prison until I am old, then execution. Gives me time to find God.

Good luck. Humanity's taken 50,000+ years, and nada. What makes you think you could do it while practically locked in a cage?

antodeco

Meritocracy Wins wrote: »

Life in Prison until I am old, then execution. Gives me time to find God.

He was behind the couch.

Watching you.

Judging you.

Watching you masturbate.

Hownowcow

Instant death.

For some reason I don't like the idea of all them conjugal visits from my prison husbands.

donvito99

The prisons in Ireland are quite cushy by all accounts.

And life in Ireland is 14 years with good behaviour, innit.

Sir Osis of Liver.

mangochavez wrote: »

What's salad tossing?

Its nothing to do with working in the prison canteen.:D

Prodigious

mangochavez wrote: »

Can't you read, dumb dumb?:

No need to be a prick.

Meritocracy Wins

mangochavez wrote: »

Good luck. Humanity's taken 50,000+ years, and nada. What makes you think you could do it while practically locked in a cage?

The idea of death might focus the mind, 50K years isn't long in terms of infinity.
2k years a go a man walked among us, might have been him. He might visit.

antodeco wrote: »

He was behind the couch.

Watching you.

Judging you.

Watching you masturbate.

I always check first.

callaway92

mangochavez wrote: »

Good luck. Humanity's taken 50,000+ years, and nada. What makes you think you could do it while practically locked in a cage?

this post

IM0

death penalty. its a no brainer, in fact in some ways they should take it away as that punishment is too easy. some things are worse than death, and life in prison is one of them things

mangochavez

IM0 wrote: »

death penalty. its a no brainer, in fact in some ways they should take it away as that punishment is too easy. some things are worse than death, and life in prison is one of them things

We say that now, but I'm sure you'd adapt to life in prison over the years, and be satisfied with it. The only thing that should be illegal are religious delusions. I'm sure any Christian would choose death, thinking they'd go to heaven. Religious people should at least be officially considered mentally unsound.

kasper

hang them all let god judge them after that

mangochavez

kasper wrote: »

hang them all let god judge them after that

:rolleyes:

That is all.

Prodigious

Life in prison cos YOLO

kingcobra

hfallada wrote: »

If it was one of those prisons in America where everyone is in a gang and smoking meth. I would take the death penalty. You cant have a good life living in a cell 23 hours day with no human contact accept for a hour in an exercise cage.

But sure you'll be living the good life in jail if you're smoking meth all the time :cool:

Skylinehead

mangochavez wrote: »

Can't you read, dumb dumb?:

America isn't a country, dumb dumb.

Meritocracy Wins

callaway92 wrote: »

this post

Why?

Seachmall

If you pick the death penalty do you get the option of confession?

Don't want to be executed with making good with the big man.

mangochavez

mangochavez wrote: »

Most condemned inmates spend 5-10 years on death row after which they execute you.

Only because their appeals take that long to process, an eventuality you have already discounted.

Killer Wench

You would have the opportunity to consult with a spiritual adviser and you could have an opportunity to talk to loved ones (or those you harmed) before you were put to death.

This may be interesting to some of you:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=90935&page=2#.UbScs0DVDgd

thefasteriwalk

Skylinehead wrote: »

America isn't a country, dumb dumb.

The United States of America - commonly known as America - is a country.

BrokenArrows

id take life in prison.

You never know you might actually like it.

On the other hand after a few years of being locked up and you wanted out you could always pick a few ill advised fights and get killed.

Meritocracy Wins

Skylinehead wrote: »

America isn't a country, dumb dumb.

I always thought it was.

elfy4eva

I'd take a life sentence.

I'd try be productive in the little that
I could do. Such as write an account of my life
and where I felt I went wrong just as a way of
leaving my mark however small.

If it didnt suit me after some time had passed I could
always go down the other route.
(Though admittidly not as cushily)

Seachmall

Meritocracy Wins wrote: »

I always thought it was.

Technically America is the North and South American continents (i.e. The Americas).

The country is the United States of America.

mangochavez

Seachmall wrote: »

Technically America is the North and South American continents (i.e. The Americas).

The country is the United States of America.

Toss my salad.

Who goes around saying "Did ya see the latest shooting there in the United States of America?". Only morons, if even that.

Seachmall

mangochavez wrote: »

Toss my salad.

Who goes around saying "Did ya see the latest shooting there in the United States of America?". Only morons, if even that.

You seem a tad touchy.


Too much sun? Or not enough?

mattjack

Seachmall wrote: »

You seem a tad touchy.


Too much sun? Or not enough?

I think its cause the OP's not getting the responses he wanted for his fun and entertaining thread .

mangochavez

mangochavez wrote: »

Toss my salad.

Who goes around saying "Did ya see the latest shooting there in the United States of America?". Only morons, if even that.

Did you hear about the latest shootings in the States?

mangochavez

Seachmall wrote: »

You seem a tad touchy.


Too much sun? Or not enough?

Tossing my salad would be an honour. I'm only touchy when you're a hot girl and I've paid you.

Killer Wench

Most Americans that I know refer to it as the US, it wasn't until I started posting on this board and when I lived in Ireland that I heard it frequently referred to as America. We have patriotic songs referencing America, but I think it really is an older generational thing. We call ourselves Americans, but that has more to do with being the first American colony to liberate ourselves from our colonial rulers and we needed to identify ourselves as an independent group, distinct from the British, Spanish, French, etc.

WilyCoyote

I'd dye my hair blonde highlights and preach salvation to the macho prisoners then do my term. After all, you leave in a coffin one way or the other. Peace!

pawspaws

donvito99 wrote: »

The prisons in Ireland are quite cushy by all accounts.

And life in Ireland is 14 years with good behaviour, innit.

Eh , no!

looking_around

I voted before reading. I don't think the death penalty should exist at all.
If they did the crime, what kind of punishment is it really? ..and if they didn't do the crime(which has happened too often) than you've forced an innocent person to death..at least with life..they'll have something left once found innocent..

____
but after reading your OP. yes, I would choose death.

UCDVet

Seachmall wrote: »

Technically America is the North and South American continents (i.e. The Americas).

The country is the United States of America.

According to Wikipedia, you're wrong.

America usually refers to either:

The Americas, a landmass comprising North and South America

The United States of America, a country in North America

Technically 'The Americas' refers to a landmass comprising North and South America, while 'The United States of America' is a particular country in North America and the word 'America' is commonly used to refer to either (and in some cases, other things entirely - like the city of America, or things named 'America'...)

Google seems to agree:

a·mer·i·ca
/əˈmerikə/
A landmass in the western hemisphere that consists of the continents of

North and South America joined by the Isthmus of Panama.

Used as a name for the United States.

Seachmall

UCDVet wrote: »

According to Wikipedia, you're wrong.



Technically 'The Americas' refers to a landmass comprising North and South America, while 'The United States of America' is a particular country in North America and the word 'America' is commonly used to refer to either (and in some cases, other things entirely - like the city of America, or things named 'America'...)

Google seems to agree:

"America" to refer to the US is a colloquialism.

As far as I'm aware there is no official reference to the US as "America" in any US or international documents.

I could be wrong, but I've never seen it officially referred to as "America" before.

Minderbinder

I honestly don't think people are considering the idea of having to count the torturous weeks, days and hours before being put to death. Knowing things like it's your last night alive in the world, eating a last meal that's never going to taste good, the terrifying walk to your execution, and I don't think anyone can really assume being injected with toxins is painless.

At least if you go to prison there is always at least a tiny amount of hope that you can get out. With that hope and the fact that humans can pretty much adapt to any situation or environment I would choose to serve the time.

I guarantee every one of you who chose the death penalty would regret it more and more the closer the time came to your execution.

looking_around

Minderbinder wrote: »

I guarantee every one of you who chose the death penalty would regret it more and more the closer the time came to your execution.

You can't guarantuee that. It wouldn't be torturous for everyone. Many people look to death as a way out. Know the when would actually hold some peace. No surprises, no pain(since most places with death penalty use lethal injection now) ..no aging. Just a simple, final end. And you get to know when.

dd972

Life meaning life for the nutjobs, ie; Dennis Nillsens, Mark Bridger's, Ian Brady's etc and no stupid tabloid celebritizing them either, they should be forgotten about and given zero publicity, who gives a ****e if they've got a PS2 in their cell?

People deemed rehabilitated should serve 15-20 years for murder and be released on licence and recalled at any time for the next 10 years.

Rape should get 10 to 15 years instead of the joke 3 to 5 year period it generally merits.

The state should have no right to end a human's life no matter how egregious their conduct, and people like Derek Bentley and Timothy Evans would have lived if justice hadn't fecked up.

Talib Fiasco

Definitely life in prison. If I committed a crime that resulted in a life sentence then you should do the time. No point chickening out of it....if you were brave enough to commit a terrible crime, you should be brave enough to serve your sentence. Plus how can anyone prepare for death in that short period? At least you'll have lots of time in prison to prepare for all that as well as reflecting and repenting. Also any form of life is better than no life at all. Just because you'd be in prison doesn't mean you're useless to the world. I'd definitely make the best of my time in there regardless of the dangers in prison. I don't understand how anyone could want to die just like that. Even the coldest criminals have been reported to have been in bits when faced with the death penalty. I bet the majority would rather live in poor conditions rather than die. I guess we could only see if we were faced with that position. But I definitely would rather live in absolute sh*t for decades than die a prematurely.

mangochavez

dd972 wrote: »

Rape should get 10 to 15 years instead of the joke 3 to 5 year period it generally merits.

Never understood this view. In my view, rape should be punished equally with aggravated assault, if even that. Is it REALLY so, so bad to be forcibly penetrated? I do agree the crime deserves jail time, but only a minimal sentence. False accusations of rape are obviously rampant, so if 10 to 15 years was given, the chance of innocent men serving that time is extremely high.

wendell borton

mangochavez wrote: »

Never understood this view. In my view, rape should be punished equally with aggravated assault, if even that. Is it REALLY so, so bad to be forcibly penetrated? I do agree the crime deserves jail time, but only a minimal sentence. False accusations of rape are obviously rampant, so if 10 to 15 years was given, the chance of innocent men serving that time is extremely high.

You have got to be trolling, it seems to me the system favours the perpetrator. Its not just the physical assault but also the emotional distress caused should be taken into account in sentencing.

The false accusation crap you speak of also feeds into the social stigma wrongfully attached to victims. Who in their right mind would go through the distress caused by a trial to make a false accusations against someone? If some does make a malicious accusation through they should get the same punishment as the crime.

elfy4eva

mangochavez wrote: »

Never understood this view. In my view, rape should be punished equally with aggravated assault, if even that. Is it REALLY so, so bad to be forcibly penetrated? I do agree the crime deserves jail time, but only a minimal sentence. False accusations of rape are obviously rampant, so if 10 to 15 years was given, the chance of innocent men serving that time is extremely high.

Are you actually serious?
A person who sexually assaults another
has no care for them, no empathy
and it is not a crime fuelled by rage.
It is the most despicable animalistic
pre-meditated criminal offence of them all.

Killer Wench

mangochavez wrote: »

Never understood this view. In my view, rape should be punished equally with aggravated assault, if even that. Is it REALLY so, so bad to be forcibly penetrated? I do agree the crime deserves jail time, but only a minimal sentence. False accusations of rape are obviously rampant, so if 10 to 15 years was given, the chance of innocent men serving that time is extremely high.

Yes, it is REALLY so so bad to be forcibly penetrated.

mangochavez

Killer Wench wrote: »

Yes, it is REALLY so so bad to be forcibly penetrated.

I respect your personal experience, but it cannot be argued logically. Therefore it shouldn't and cannot be taken serious in a court of law. Law's meant to be objective remember? 6 months to 3 years is perfect imo. I wanted to study law when I was younger, and have read much on the subject.