jail and death penalty

[mewtini]

What do you guys think of jail and/or the death penalty?

See, look. I'm against the death penalty myself, and don't agree with how jail is used (at least in America.)

If there's an insane guy running around the country killing ten people every week, hell yes, incarcerate him. But I don't like that jail is kept as a place just to keep people away from the rest of the world; sure, whatever, they get out after 7 years. If anything, I don't actually think that jail helps, I think it makes things worse... it's a better idea to actually help the people. Get a psychiatrist for the crazed and insane people. I think that it could actually lower costs, too (you have to pay the therapists, but say, only 5 years instead of 30 years of caring for the person).

The death penalty seems like something that we shouldn't. be authorized to? Everyone paints it as "oh it's noble because we're getting rid of the person and it's great" but what the hell is different about killing a person by murder vs. via death penalty? You're killing someone either way, and it goes back around to just help the person. Just help them, seriously. I don't think that jail or the like is designed to help people, just punish them and lock them away. They're not permanently bad because they did something horrible. Sure, some don't repent (like that dude that killed John Lennon), but.

Anyway discuss.

 

[Zero Moment]

I'd rather that the American justice system focus on rehabilitation, not punishment.

 

[mewtini]

@ZM (who else): Yeah, exactly. That pretty much sums up my view on it.

The other thing is that when someone comes out of jail, their life is really ruined, honestly. I doubt that people want to employ someone who robbed a bank or something, but with rehab, I think that someone (i.e. THE GOVERNMENT) could help them get a job or something.

 

[kyeugh]

Death penalty is a definite no-no by me. You're not accomplishing anything by doing it, at all. It's not as if that person can go on a massmurdering spree while in jail for life.

Which brings me to the next thing. Jail isn't to per se punish someone-- it's to separate them from society, like you said, but only so the don't kill more people or rob more banks, et cetera et cetera. Not all criminals are dillusional-- I have no evidence to prove it, but I'd like to say very few are-- and sending them to "that's bad" lessons isn't really going to help unless they want it to.

 

[I liek Squirtles]

I think the death penalty should only be used in extreme cases.

Isn't a lifelong prison sentence a death penalty?