[EMAIL PROTECTED] (William J. Foristal) writes:
On Mon, 27 Apr 1998 15:22:33 -0500 Richard Soderstrom <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
writes:
>Richard Soderstrom <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>
>
>Bill wrote
>
>Hi Sody,
>
>I take no pleasure in nor do I get any satisfaction when anyone dies.
>But I DO see the value and necessity in making sure that certain
>people
>are locked away and never allowed to walk free in our society. And I
>DO
>see the need to have strong laws that are enforced in a strong and
>expedient manner.
>
>But there is no way that I could ever think that executing a child was
>justified and could certainly derive no satisfaction nor pleasure from
>knowing that it was done, here or anywhere else.
>
>And whether we think precedent is indicative of justice, it is a
>strong
>and effective tool for advocates in the presentation of legal
>arguments.
>
>Bill
>
>Bill :
> How can you justify putting anyone in a cell for twenty five years??
>I
>see no sense in our present system of criminal justice. Prisons if
>you
>must have them should be a sincere effort to reform the individual and
>getting him back as a productive member of society. If that is not
>possible than dispose of him so that he is no longer a burden on
>society.
>I can't imagine anything more horrible that sentencing a young person
>( or
>an old person either) to Life Without Parole, really Life Without
>Hope.. On
>one hand we talk of assisted suicide and euthanasia as a relief for
>such a
>life and on the other condemn people to that very thing in the justice
>system.
>Someone suggested twenty five years for a thirteen year old. In jail
>until
>thirty eight?? What kind of a person will he be and what kind of life
>will
>he be able to lead??
>I guess I am the Dr. Kevorkian of law and order.
>
>The dirty old Gandy Dancer
Hi Sody,
Oooh, you're really treading dangerous ground when you support executions
to eliminate "burdens of society". IMO, it's a lot easier to justify
locking someone up for 25 years than it is to justify killing them. In
Hitler's time the Jews were considered burdens of society and they were
systematically killed. I bet there are people in this country right now
who would argue that the old the sick and the lame are burdens to
society. I don't think a "burden to society" argument is very strong to
support a death penalty.
But I DO agree that the penal system must be structured to provide
medical treatment where required as well as rehabilitation, where
possible. Killing them all is simply not an option, IMO. And unless you
are going to kill them all you will simply have to find a way to justify
locking them up for whatever time periods are called for, including the
rest of their lives for some individuals.
IMO, the debate over the death penalty is quite separate from the debate
over how prisons should be operated and how prisoners should be treated.
Bill
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