Re: DEATH PENALTY IS A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY

Bob Keeter (b_keeter@owens.ridgecrest.ca.us)
1 Sep 1996 04:26:31 GMT

Stephen Barnard <steve@megafauna.com> wrote:
>ScottCrull wrote:
>>
>> Quite frankly, EVERY crime should invoke the death penalty. This would
>> end overcrowding & make everyone accountable for their actions. With only
>> one penalty for every crime, then we may see a decrease in the amount of
>> crime, both in the US & worldwide. IF the populace knew that to commit a
>> crime would mean instant death (there should be no mitigating
>> circumstances or insanity defenses), then, just perhaps, this world could
>> settle down to work together on global issues.
>>
>> Unfortunately, this scenario will never take place because no person or
>> groups of people will ever have the guts to enact, enforce, or fight the
>> Courts for its legality!
>
>What about the many people wrongly convicted of crimes? Now, if they
>are lucky enough to be absolved of the crime, they are merely released
>after years in prison, with their lives in ruins. At least they're
>alive.
>

Grossly off subject for this forum, but I could not resist!

Lets see now, if I commit a heinous crime, repulsive to all of humanity, I
should be locked up, at the expense of society, for the rest of my life,
extended by whatever miracles modern medicine might devise, with the
proverbial "three hots and a cot"? Give me a free health club to build up
my body, first rate law libraries so that I can devise a couple of frivelous
legal motions each year, and "rebilitation" opportunities out the ying-yang!
Yep, thats punishment alright!

Let me get real radical, what if there were ONLY three punishments:

Restitution at some rate of capitalistically acceptable return on costs (i.e.
value X 2.5 or something), to be invoked for what we would now call misdemeanors.
For the crimes without a direct monetary value (drugs, etc), let the convict
pay for his prosecution at the rate of 2.5 X the cost. All funds in excess of
the costs would go into the public till for schools, roads, and other things
of benefit to all.

Public flogging would be the toll for basic felonies. Its cheap, its quick, it
doesnt cost society more than the crime did, and it doesnt "ruin" the life of
the criminal! I bet it would also stick in his/her mind for a long time as a
real deterrent. Along with the basic public punishment, the convict would have
to pay as above. Guess what, there would not be a class of criminals going to
"post-grad practical criminology" in the prisons and the law abiding public
would not be stuck paying $30k or whatever for each year some criminal is kept
locked up. Wrongly convicted innocents would still have the opportunity for
redress (just to be fully capitalistic, say at a 5X the original costs!)

For the "biggies", the crimes that flogging just doesnt fill the bill or for
those criminals who could simply not be released back into society, execution!

We could do away with prisons, a parole system that doesnt work, and save society
from the public insult of rewarding those who trash it!

If you think it a radical, right wing idea of the new '90s, check out "Starship
Trooper", by Robert Heinlein. He also had some way out ideas that the vote
belonged to those who had contributed to society via military or public service!
One might even have to think about that one for a while as well!

Is the death penalty the crime against humanity or is the burden of coddling our
criminals the crime! Think about that for a while!

Regards
bk