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A living death: Sentenced to die behind bars for what?

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Re: A living death: Sentenced to die behind bars for what?

#31

Post by skyraider »

I think an effective way to frame this issue is:

Would you consider these people so dangerous that you would personally build a small concrete box and forcibly keep them inside for many hours a day for the rest of their lives? Or, is that how you would treat your children if they committed some minor, nonviolent, kinda-maybe-bad act?

No reasonable person would - the moral decision above is clear. Would you pay for someone else to do this?

We are brothers and sisters in humanity, and we elect people who write these laws and treat fellow people like this (and/or refuse to reform the US Sentencing Commission). We are to blame.

Re: A living death: Sentenced to die behind bars for what?

#32

Post by mrkmcknz »

The UK in comparison:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentencing_in_England_and_Wales

I understand that we don't have the kind of problem that a8da6b0c91d mentioned here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6743406 however I really don't understand the common sense of the US judicial system.

If I were to be caught breaking some computer misuse act against a UK company it's more than likely a slap on the wrist would be handed down to me. Abuse a US corporation and I would expect extradition and 10 years or more in one of your comfortable prison cells.

Also compare the US and UK prisons themselves.

UK: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=uk+prison+cell&espv=210&es...

US: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=uk+prison+cell&espv=210&es...

Re: A living death: Sentenced to die behind bars for what?

#33

Post by lostlogin »

spodek wrote: post #7

It's a crying shame. Normally that's an empty phrase, but it describes this. I can't imagine reading this and not feeling tears well up. No sense of what I would call humanity. From what perspective does this make the world a better place? What am I missing about being human that this fits into that I don't understand?

Failure to sign the Ottawa treaty (anti landmine) and the international criminal court agreements, execution of minors (and execution at all), assassination of opponents even if citizens (via drones), torture, war crimes, illegal invasions, use of phosphorus (probably comes under war crimes), continual killing of civilians in non declared wars, massive prison population, secret prisons, outsourcing torture, supporting some of the worst governments of earth etc. Who sees the US as a leader in human rights? No one I know.

Re: A living death: Sentenced to die behind bars for what?

#34

Post by sukuriant »

a8da6b0c91d wrote: post #26
pswenson wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you are defending this insanity? did you read the link?

I won't specifically defend life sentences for non-violent crimes, but I would defend very harsh sentences for repeat offenses. The profiled people demonstrate terribly poor self restraint and judgment. I strongly suspect they were ongoing severe burdens on their communities in many unmentioned ways.

> I strongly suspect they were ongoing severe burdens on their communities in many unmentioned ways.

You're painting a picture that's not connected at all with the information we've been provided and you're using it to support your personal stance.

Yes, the ACLU article is presenting their story in the opposite way; but just because they're painting these people in a positive light doesn't mean that they're hiding a series of continual, unrepentant actions of which these particular crimes are the ones they were caught for. In fact, in one of the cases, the article argues that the judge didn't want to give the sentence that he gave, but his hands were tied by standards.

Re: A living death: Sentenced to die behind bars for what?

#35

Post by protomyth »

anigbrowl wrote: post #4

This is poorly focused. I'm absolutely against 3 strikes sentencing laws and mandatory sentencing escalations that can put petty criminals in prison for life. On the other hand, I'm perfectly OK with some criminals dying behind bars, such as the recently sentenced Whitey Bulger, and so are most other people. By making the headline about the undesirability of custodial life sentences in general, they'er losing a large…

This 3 strikes law reeks of injustice. I too am fine with certain violent offenders spending life behind bars, but this is just plain stupid and frankly not cost effective[1].

Let's save the jail space for murders, pedophiles, rapists, and violent offenders then put money into programs to rehabilitate folks.

1) I still get mad when I hear other small government folks who are ok with this crap. I'm against the death penalty because it costs too much and I don't trust the government to be 100% right.

Re: A living death: Sentenced to die behind bars for what?

#36

Post by [deleted] »

a8da6b0c91d wrote: post #26
pswenson wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you are defending this insanity? did you read the link?

I won't specifically defend life sentences for non-violent crimes, but I would defend very harsh sentences for repeat offenses. The profiled people demonstrate terribly poor self restraint and judgment. I strongly suspect they were ongoing severe burdens on their communities in many unmentioned ways.

[deleted]

Re: A living death: Sentenced to die behind bars for what?

#38

Post by jrockway »

joshfraser wrote: post #27

There is so much injustice with our prison system right now. There are countless people being locked up for their entire lives over petty crimes -- the same crimes that relatively comfortable white boys like me could easily get away with because I can afford a decent lawyer. It's racism and wealth discrimination disguised as justice. The US is leading the world in incarceration and the privatization of prisons is a b…

I don't think the underlying problem is privatized prisons. The underlying problems are our unconscious biases, political pandering ("tough on crime!") and weaknesses in our educational and healthcare systems.

Re: A living death: Sentenced to die behind bars for what?

#39

Post by protomyth »

sillysaurus2 wrote: post #11
a8da6b0c91d wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can have cute little Norwegian jails with light sentences when the population is Norwegians. But America is not Norway. We have a large underclass of people capable of destroying whole communities. Have you seen those pictures of Detroit in ruins? Crime in the 1970s got out of control. Stuff like this played a role in turning it around.

Crime in the 1970s got out of control. Stuff like this played a role in turning it around. Does anyone have any data to back this claim up?

Check the CDC website, it has the stats. Violent crime has been in decline in the US since the 1970s.

(Down voted for pointing out where to get the stats - very funny - must be DOJ folks)

Re: A living death: Sentenced to die behind bars for what?

#40

Post by protomyth »

sillysaurus2 wrote: post #15
mschuster91 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, the decline in murder counts, for example.

http://i.imgur.com/S5QjFxC.png Does anyone know of any research showing that the decline in murder counts is primarily due to harsher penalties?

I'm sure there (check the prison union website) is but books like Freakanomics give different reasons (legalized abortions).
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