Compassionate Release

[BlaqueKatt]

I don't really see the point of keeping them in prison, wasting limited penal resources, when a hospital would provide better care, more efficiently.

True especially when on considers most US prisons DO NOT have any sort of medical staff-they pay a high per diem if they have a sick inmate-so it would more than likely be cheaper for the extremely cash strapped state of california to move her to a nursing home.

[Flyndaran]

Prison should not be tortuous or used only to cause suffering.
Mercy is what separates us from barbarians. Eye for an eye is a near bestial simplicity.
The fact that by throwing her onto her own medical support isn't the issue in my book. It's simply the fact that nearly all prison medical systems are grossly incompetent. Forcing someone with a terminal illness to suffer just to suffer is cruel and unusual to use an american term.
You can't fix a wrong with more wrongs.

[DesignFox]

True especially when on considers most US prisons DO NOT have any sort of medical staff-they pay a high per diem if they have a sick inmate-so it would more than likely be cheaper for the extremely cash strapped state of california to move her to a nursing home.

That is one argument I could agree with. If it's cheaper, then it may be better to move the prisoner to a nursing home. At least they are still technically not "free," they are still getting the care they need, and it alleviates the strain on prison resources.

[BlaqueKatt]

That is one argument I could agree with. If it's cheaper, then it may be better to move the prisoner to a nursing home. At least they are still technically not "free,"

she's had her leg amutated and can't get out of bed you thing they'd let her take a stroll around the block?

most candidates for compassionate release are in end stage terminal cancer-which usually means either nursing home or hospice, as stage 4 cancer means it has metastasized. End stage cancer is not pretty-your body is so weak from either fighting it or chemo/radiation, or in so much pain, you aren't going anywhere for any reason.

I watched my uncle die from stomach cancer, and a close friend from lung cancer-both were bedridden for the final 3-4 months. The one with lung cancer-was paralyzed from the metastasized tumors in his brain and spine.

[telecom_goddess]

Now I"m not saying that only people who murder celebrities should serve their lives away in jail...anyone who murders and gets a life sentence should serve their life out in jail, and none of this parole after 10 years crap either. What the hell is the point is laying down a sentence if no one has to live up to it? Oh life sentence...you'll get out in 10 years anyway so it doesn't matter. That's just bs.

There are people who have been executed as part of their sentence that I celebrated...and these were people that ended up killing average every day people and kids.

One person I feel some compasssion for is Aileen Wornos (spelling?) ...she was executed a while back for killing a number of men while out hooking. Admittedly she had a really rough life and became a hooker to survive.....but she really didn't need to kill all those guys to live, and while I do feel sorry for her she still deserved to be executed in my book. She made the mistake and needed to pay for it.

I kind of like the nursing home idea though....only because it would be a cheaper resource for the taxpayer, not because it makes her life any easier.

[DesignFox]

I watched my own mother die of cancer when I was 13. I know what it does to you. (Morphine induced craziness is not nice to witness)

My mother died in the peace of her own home surrounded by loved ones.

I don't think a murderer deserves to go home. I think putting the prisoner into a nursing home or hospice is a good compromise. It puts home the fact that they are finishing out their sentencing AND allows them to be cared for off the prison property. Hence, I agree with the argument.

I know for a fact that someone terminally ill isn't going to be up and creating more victims any time soon. But I don't think they should get to go home, either. Life in prison = life in prison.

[BroomJockey]

Oh life sentence...you'll get out in 10 years anyway so it doesn't matter. That's just bs.

In Canada, at the least, a life sentence is defined as 25 years. So, legally, someone serving 25 years IS serving a life sentence. Further, since the whole point of prison is supposed to be deterrent and rehabilitation, can you honestly tell me either of those ends are served by slavishly adhering to mandated sentencing, with no parole or time off for good behaviour-type conditions? You're turning it in to vengeance, which is not justice. If you want vengeance, you're not helping society at all.

[Gravekeeper]

In Canada, at the least, a life sentence is defined as 25 years. So, legally, someone serving 25 years IS serving a life sentence. Further, since the whole point of prison is supposed to be deterrent and rehabilitation

Well, honestly, we're much bigger on rehabilitation here as that's more the point of prison in Canada. The US justice system is very......hardcore. Its not about rehabilitation its about punishment and almost sort of vengeance. Hence the US has the highest rate of incarceration in the world, the highest percentage of its citizens in jail in the world and the largest documented prison population in the world.

Beyond even China.

America is forever trying to get "tough on crime" or step up the "war on <insert felony here>". You can see the polarized split in attitudes even in this thread. Between rehabilitation/compassion and punishment/vengeance. There isn't much middle ground in opinions.

If you, as a society, nail people to the fucking wall for everything regardless of how minor. If/when they do get out, what sort of person are they going to be? Would you rather they have a chance at being a law abiding, contributing member of society again or would you rather they be so fucked up they knife someone in an alley within a month of being released? -.-

[telecom_goddess]

In Canada, at the least, a life sentence is defined as 25 years. So, legally, someone serving 25 years IS serving a life sentence. Further, since the whole point of prison is supposed to be deterrent and rehabilitation, can you honestly tell me either of those ends are served by slavishly adhering to mandated sentencing, with no parole or time off for good behaviour-type conditions? You're turning it in to vengeance, which is not justice. If you want vengeance, you're not helping society at all.

That's why we have different length sentences for different offenses etc. If you get 15 years, serve 15. If you get life, serve till you die. I think we should abolish the parole system, or the sentences handed down have no meaning.

And 25 years counts as life? Then they shouldn't call it life they should call it a 25 year sentence, that's more accurate.

To me prison is punishment, not a vacation. You're there to PAY for what you did. If you need rahabilitation afterwards great then you should have it.

[BroomJockey]

As GK's so kindly pointed out to me, the US system apparently has a much higher focus on punishment, so I'm simply going to say this in response, Telcom:

I absolutely cannot understand your position. To me, putting someone in jail is like putting a 5 year-old in time out in the corner. It's not a real punishment, it's a wasting of their time. That's the only punishment. An arbitrary restriction on their movements for a length of time. The only difference is, adults know time-out is bullshit, so you need to have a way to keep them in that corner for whatever time you've declared.

In my mind, the purpose of prison is to take people out of the society and culture that caused them to do the crime, and to take them out long enough to hopefully change their behaviour patterns, and probably teach them something on the inside, so that on the outside, they don't have to go back to what they were doing before.

Your version of jail is just sending junior up to his room because he broke his sister's favourite doll, and then once he's out, then maybe you can take the opportunity to explain why breaking dolls is wrong, and something else he can do for fun instead. But by that point, he's already back in his environment. Why would he bother to listen to you. The only thing time-out taught him was not to get caught next time. He didn't learn that breaking dolls was wrong, he didn't learn about climbing trees, or making a fort out of cushions. He still just knows about breaking dolls, because you didn't take the time while you had his undivided attention.

The only real exception I have to this is when it's habitual offenders, or criminally insane types who are proven constant dangers to others.

This is how I see it from my side and yours, and I don't think there's any hope for a bridge across.

[BlaqueKatt]

anyone who murders and gets a life sentence should serve their life out in jail, and none of this parole after 10 years crap either. What the hell is the point is laying down a sentence if no one has to live up to it? Oh life sentence...you'll get out in 10 years anyway so it doesn't matter.

which leads to the severe prison overcrowding we currently have.

Fact: one out of every 100 adults is currently incarcerated
Fact:Based on current projections, by 2011 the U.S. prison population will increase by 13% – which is triple the growth of the entire population as a whole – to more than 1.7 million

Fact:Each year, over 600,000 people are admitted to state and federal prisons, and over 10 million are incarcerated in local jails

Fact:Adding prison, jail, and probation populations together, the U.S. corrections population exceeds 7 million people – or 1 in every 32 U.S. adults


But by all means don't let the facts get in the way of-"parole is BS-teach them a lesson" opinion......

Get them help, get them rehabilitated, and get them (back to) being a productive member of society.

[telecom_goddess]

You have a point, and with the way prisons are going now yeah it's like time out in a room. With cable tv, free room and board, and pretty good accomadations, where's the deterrent. The point of prison is to make it a place that is unpleasant to be, for a long time. So that the person getting out doesn't want to go back there, and hopefully can accomplish that by not repeating the behavior.

The whole system is kind of a mess anyway it's not accomplishing much no matter how you look at it.

As GK's so kindly pointed out to me, the US system apparently has a much higher focus on punishment, so I'm simply going to say this in response, Telcom:

I absolutely cannot understand your position. To me, putting someone in jail is like putting a 5 year-old in time out in the corner. It's not a real punishment, it's a wasting of their time. That's the only punishment. An arbitrary restriction on their movements for a length of time. The only difference is, adults know time-out is bullshit, so you need to have a way to keep them in that corner for whatever time you've declared.

In my mind, the purpose of prison is to take people out of the society and culture that caused them to do the crime, and to take them out long enough to hopefully change their behaviour patterns, and probably teach them something on the inside, so that on the outside, they don't have to go back to what they were doing before.

Your version of jail is just sending junior up to his room because he broke his sister's favourite doll, and then once he's out, then maybe you can take the opportunity to explain why breaking dolls is wrong, and something else he can do for fun instead. But by that point, he's already back in his environment. Why would he bother to listen to you. The only thing time-out taught him was not to get caught next time. He didn't learn that breaking dolls was wrong, he didn't learn about climbing trees, or making a fort out of cushions. He still just knows about breaking dolls, because you didn't take the time while you had his undivided attention.

The only real exception I have to this is when it's habitual offenders, or criminally insane types who are proven constant dangers to others.

This is how I see it from my side and yours, and I don't think there's any hope for a bridge across.