Death Penalty vs Life in Prison

[TruthOrConsequences]

So let's say you were arrested on a couple of real charges, like murder/home invasion/felony murder or something of the sort. And let's say this happened in a death-penalty state. And I know this wouldn't be likely to happen but let's just say you were given these two options:

*Taking a plea deal with life/no-parole sentence

*Not taking a plea deal and trying to get the death penalty for your crimes

Note: I know that there's all kinds of appeal processes and other things that you can undertake to try to get your sentence reduced or whatever, but let's just say that in this hypothetical situation your only two options are as I described above. So no appeals, no pardons from the governer, no letters to the President or your congressman. Life in prison or the needle.

My take on this: I personally think that taking the death penalty would be a much better alternative. Here's how I see this. Once you become condemned or placed on death row, not only do you get more respect in the criminal underworld, you also get separately housed and you're likely to get your own cell. Most condemned inmates spend 5-10 years on death row after which they execute you. The execution itself is quite painless. They sedate you and then administer 3 different toxins, so you pretty much just fall asleep and never wake up.


On the other hand, taking a life-no-parole sentence would mean spending the rest of your days incarcerated, regretting what you did and lusting after a normal ass civilian life. There'd be more stability for you in that you'd get a place to sleep and 3 meals a day. For good behavior and staying on the administration's good side you could score some neat jobs in prison or maybe some rehabilitation and classes or what not. However, most lifers get placed in general population with all the other inmates and that's where all the difficulties and implications associated with prison emerge. On every yard there's gangs, politics, racial tensions and all kinds of pitfalls. Staying by yourself and not joining a gang would instantly get you preyed upon, while cliquing up with some faction could get you caught up in all kinds of bullshit. To make your bones you would definitely have to do some dirt, possibly even kill or stab someone. Blood in, blood out.

What most people think on this: Oh no! Death penalty means they kill you! (D'uh)
You're crazy! Life is so precious! How can you pick death over life?
Life in jail wouldn't be too bad! Some joints have TV's, cigarettes, conjugal visits. etc. etc.

What do you guys think? Is life in prison worth living? Is a shitty life worth living? Would you rather pick the death penalty over life in prison?

[FREEDOM1]

hey champ

i think you're on the wrong forum

we want to talk about being happy with foreign women

not about death and getting screwed in the ass

[Winston]

How about trying to escape? You should add that as a third option.

See the film "Shawshank Redemption" with Morgan Freeman. There are a lot of good life lessons in that film about the "prison of life".

[josephty1]

Deleted

[MrMan]

If you murdered someone you could take the death penalty because you deserve it. Otherwise, IMO, it would be wrong to let them kill you.

If you didn't do it, life in prison still offers the hope that something could change. You can't rule out a pardon from the governor. A revolution could change the prison system, also.

[Wolfeye]

The thing is, there's no mention of the ramifications for either.

[Teal Lantern]

The execution itself is quite painless. They sedate you and then administer 3 different toxins, so you pretty much just fall asleep and never wake up.

... at least according to those who promote it but don't actually experience it.
For all we know, it might hurt like a motherf***er, but your muscles are just too paralyzed for you to move or scream.

[Wolfeye]

Teal Lantern: Good point! Also, the pain of the execution isn't the only point- the "ceremony" of it is also one. Any of you ever watch Law Abiding Citizen? The scene where the guy was getting executed toward the beginning makes a good point- even though the guy deserved it, in my opinion.

[Teal Lantern]

Arkansas governor denies request for execution inquiry
Inmate convulsed during lethal injection Thursday.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas' governor said Friday that he sees no reason for anything beyond a routine review of the state's execution procedures after a condemned inmate convulsed 20 times during a lethal injection that involved a controversial sedative.

What!? Percy Wetmore got his job back?

Attorneys for Kenneth Williams called for a full investigation after Williams became the fourth convicted killer executed in Arkansas in eight days as the state sought to carry out as many lethal injections as possible before its supply of midazolam expires.

Arkansas had an identity crisis this month; seems they thought they were Texas.

http://www.startribune.com/arkansas-gov ... 420781653/

[Randolph]

Even a slow death would be better than life in prison in most ways.

[MrMan]

Opting for death if you did something worthy of death, like murdering someone in cold blood, might make sense. But there are people who get the death penalty when they weren't guilty or for doing something bad, but that shouldn't be a death penalty crime, like trying to sneak drugs into Singapore or Indonesia or something like that. I don't think it would be right to opt for the death penalty if you did not do something worthy of death.