Originally Posted by pjwky

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"Teak", there are several very good not so liberal reaons why the death penalty is not in the best interest of society:

1) Oaklahoma City Bombing still has unanswered questions, in time perhaps we could have extracted more information from McVeigh. If we could not have obtained more bomb information from him, then perhaps science could have learned more about his twisted thinking & possible hard-wired brain.

2) Each day neuro-science advances and demonstrates increasing genetic, structural hard-wiring, and biochemical distortions in the brain activity of individuals that comit unthinkable acts: we would learn more by study then execution.

3) Holding and studying these type convicts would be more reasonable and have a better cost benefit ration to society then holding lesser non-violent offenders for long periods of time.

4) The knowledge that one would be imprisoned and studied for life is more terrifying then the idea of death & execution, and as such would provide increased deturent.

5) If co-conspirators knew that we would hold & interrogate captured offenders for life, they would be more warry of becoming involved in a violent act.

6) There is no evidence that execution provides a sufficient deturant to many violent offenders: in fact there is evidence that some of them see this as a "claim to fame" and ticket to maryterdom.

The more we can learn from these distorted human beings, then the better chance we have to address & prevent some of these terrible acts. Just a thought...... pjwky

Originally Posted by CrankyYankee

Life terms would accomplish what you desire, more cheaply. The lawyers would get a smaller slice of the pie too. win win.

Killing never saved any life. By definition that is impossible.

Originally Posted by Realist1

And just how,pray tell,,,would keeping a murderer alive for Life be cheaper for Society? A bullet to the brain of such a creature as this, costs less than one dollar.

Originally Posted by Teak

None of which justifies a low life scum sucking murderer being turned lose, to kill again. If YOU want to support them for life, thats up to you. But it's a total waste of money. Apply the death penalty, swiftly, and often. Crime rates WILL drop, if for no other reason than removing the perpetrators from this earth.

Originally Posted by pjwky

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"Teak", my post said nothing about "turning lose" or "releasing" these violent offenders. If you read my post, you would see that I suggest that we "study & learn" more about what makes these terrible people so different from the rest of us, and so violent & ruthless toward society. If we don't intensively study and learn from these "subjects" we will never come to understand how they seem to "spontaneously" pop up in our society: and understanding what makes them tick is the first step toward prevention.

Keeping these people alive would also have the added advantage of keeping them available for increased interrogation as more sophisticated methods of brain-mind study develop. Such a prospect would also pose a much greater threat & deterent for prospective offenders & conspirators then oblivion by execution.

As for cost, we are already spending vast amounts on prisons which have become " institutions of higher learning" for criminals; we might re-think some of our sentence priorities and the cost benefit ratio to society of an increased understanding of violent criminal behavior. There are now over 300 million of us, and as that number increases it would be wise for us to better understand (with a view to prevention) this demented behavior.

I do not suggest turning any of these offenders loose again to threaten society: I do propose that we use them as study subjects to learn more about thus have a better chance of preventing some of this in the future...pjwky

Originally Posted by Teak

You want to keep scum suckers alive, YOU pay for it. But stop robbing my wallet to do it. You can also provide ALL the grant money for these studies YOU want done. Not to mention the additional prisons that would need to be built. FUCK THAT. FRY THE MURDERING SCUM. There is no constitutional requirement to allow unlimited appeals, give the bastards three, then PULL THE SWITCH.

Originally Posted by pjwky

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Well Teak, I mistakenly thought you invited and would respect reasonable comments & ideas. I sure did not mean to get your dander up; take a walk on the beach and enjoy. pjwky

Originally Posted by CrankyYankee

Sure, but if you like that kind of "law", Somalia is just the place for you. The Law (Death Penalty isn't being Enforced).

It IS cheaper because there aren't the decades of reviews and appeals.

That's another Problem we're having to deal with...Lawyers, and Judges that don't Enforce the Law Or the Judgement handed down by the Jury....

Keeping him in prison until he wasn't a threat would have accomplished the same.

Crankey,,,how many times do we have to read about the Trash getting out to kill again?

It is truly an appalling crime, no matter what one's view is on capital punishment.