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Califbill

wrote:
On Mon, 09 Feb 2015 08:22:59 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 2/9/2015 7:56 AM, wrote:
On Sunday, February 8, 2015 at 11:23:37 PM UTC-5, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 2/8/2015 11:11 PM, wrote:
On Sun, 08 Feb 2015 18:17:15 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

Seems like *everyone* is bipolar now-a-days.

There is a lot of money in mental illness so it does get diagnosed
more than it may actually exist.

So, you and Greg feel that a person who kills someone but is determined
to be insane should just automatically to to the chair ... or lethal
injection gurney?

It would depend on the depth of the "mental defect" (the legal term)
and the severity of the crime but if it was a capital case and
abhorrent enough to survive all of the mandatory appeals, why not
execute them just like you would anyone else?

I also see little difference between life in prison and life in a
correctional mental facility. It is just a prison with a prescription
drug plan. They keep the inmates drugged into submission. Is that a
life? (yes I have been in one in my job)

I have a tough time with the death penalty period. I don't think
any person, judge or jury has the moral right to determine
who lives and who dies. It's an ultimate and very final decision.

Usually, the person who is being subjected to that life or death
decision made that same decision for another human being. And they decided death.

So why is taking a life in return any less criminal or immoral?

I know it's a tough issue and in some cases I could probably be
convinced to change my mind. I think I'd favor more of a return
to hard labor and minimal, life enhancing privileges. Take away
the TV's, the basketball courts, visitation, etc. Let the convicted
murderer stew in thought for the rest of his/her life.

Why is life in prison any less cruel than simply killing someone?
At a certain point there are no privileges left to take and in a
maximum security facility there are not really that many to start
with. As for hard labor, that is considered a privileged to a maximum
security prisoner and it poses a security risk.
They are locked in a small cell 23 hours a day with a one hour
exercise period where they can walk around in a small compound,
usually by themselves. Not a lot of things you can take away from that
guy and he has very little to lose if he does get a chance to kill
again.

Most of the images you see of guys playing basketball and such are in
minimum security or medium security places. It is still far from a
safe environment. I saw a guy get killed at Charlotte. Scary stuff.

Maybe make a cyanide pill available if they decide life isn't worth
living anymore. Let *them* make the choice.

In California they get yard time, basketball, etc even in Maximum Security
lock ups.