What is hacking you off today?

[The Original Tribal Chief]

Please don't take this the wrong way as I'm genuinely interested, but how do you square that with being pro the death penalty (as I believe you are)? How do you rehabilitate someone who is dead? Because, let's be fair, there are people who would argue your friend should have been given the death penalty.

I'm absolutely opposed to the death penalty. He was offered life without parole as a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.

 

[londonblue]

I'm absolutely opposed to the death penalty. He was offered life without parole as a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.

I didn't realise. Interesting.

 

[The Original Tribal Chief]

I didn't realise. Interesting.

I think there are crimes worthy of the ultimate punishment, but I do not trust any legal system with that power. I watched some old episodes of 'Rough Justice' on YouTube recently, and it hammered home how deficient our system has been since at least the 70s and probably always.

 

[Napster]

I think there are crimes worthy of the ultimate punishment, but I do not trust any legal system with that power. I watched some old episodes of 'Rough Justice' on YouTube recently, and it hammered home how deficient our system has been since at least the 70s and probably always.

I see South Carolina is due to execute someone soon

 

[The Original Tribal Chief]

I see South Carolina is due to execute someone soon

Are they going with the new and improved asphyxiation method? That is nasty.

 

[Mad Cyril]

I am certainly not an advocate for 'throwing away the key'. I volunteered in the local state prison here in Oregon and the sentencing of some of the men is just ridiculous. One of the inmates, who I'm now privileged to call my friend, had a childhood that just beggared belief. Baby P levels of abuse, but he survived. Sent out to steal and assault by a drug addicted mother. He killed a man during an attempt to rob him. He doesn't deny it, doesn't make any excuses, although he did admit to me that he doesn't even remember the event because he was on a 72 hour meth binge. He doesn't deny that he belonged in prison. But he was sentenced to life without parole - to me, that is beyond excessive. I want rehabilitation, not punishment. But most of all, I want consistency and I want fairness.

I completely agree which is why I made my original point. The system should be there to ensure consistency.

To pick a well examined example look at the way Ted Kennedy was treated