Death Penalty to Save Tax Dollars

[ShyGuyInChicago]

When I read about heinous crimes on news websites, there are always comments saying the perpetrators should get death penalty because they do not have any worth to society, and therefore taxpayers should not have to pay to keep them alive. I hear this all of the time, and it annoys me that people seem to be so greedy, but it is understandable because no one wants to pay taxes, and people at least hope that their tax dollars go to something useful.

1. Should the death penalty be used (more often) to save tax dollars?
2. Should everyone who commits a heinous crime be sentenced to death to save tax dollars?
3. Should private prisons be established so that people who commit serious crimes can be incarcerated, but not at the taxpayers' expense?
4. Should people in prison be forced to work to pay for their clothing, food, and other expenses necessary to pay for their incarceration?

Please explain your answers.

[The Dark Lord]

I might be wrong, but isn't killing a prisoner more expensive than imprisoning him. I agree with the expenses point. These people are criminals and shouldn't be pampered.

[Amnesiac]

The real way to save tax dollars would be stopping the imprisonment of hundreds of thousands of minor drug offenders and other "criminals" on technicalities. The United States locks up too many people for all sorts of weird things, that's why our prison system is a mess.

[The Dark Lord]

The real way to save tax dollars would be stopping the imprisonment of hundreds of thousands of minor drug offenders and other "criminals" on technicalities. The United States locks up too many people for all sorts of weird things, that's why our prison system is a mess.

Agreed, you should try Britain's, last week the gov't announced plans for prison parties. How fucked up is that?

[nick]

When I read about heinous crimes on news websites, there are always comments saying the perpetrators should get death penalty because they do not have any worth to society, and therefore taxpayers should not have to pay to keep them alive. I hear this all of the time, and it annoys me that people seem to be so greedy, but it is understandable because no one wants to pay taxes, and people at least hope that their tax dollars go to something useful.

1. Should the death penalty be used (more often) to save tax dollars?
2. Should everyone who commits a heinous crime be sentenced to death to save tax dollars?
3. Should private prisons be established so that people who commit serious crimes can be incarcerated, but not at the taxpayers' expense?
4. Should people in prison be forced to work to pay for their clothing, food, and other expenses necessary to pay for their incarceration?

Please explain your answers.
This way of thinking is obscene to me.

Whether to execute someone or keep them alive should not come down to a consideration of finances. Its a moral argument, not a cost argument.

For me its morally obscene, incomprehensible, stupid. Vengance is not the same thing as justice.

[Amnesiac]

Agreed, you should try Britain's, last week the gov't announced plans for prison parties. How fucked up is that?

What do you mean by parties?

[ShyGuyInChicago]

This way of thinking is obscene to me.

Whether to execute someone or keep them alive should not come down to a consideration of finances. Its a moral argument, not a cost argument.

For me its morally obscene, incomprehensible, stupid. Vengance is not the same thing as justice.

I agree with you. Money should not be a consideration.

[Church]

Execution does actually cost more money but still I think we should keep it.

A better way to decrease money spent is like someone before said stop imprisonment for minor drug charges like weed based crimes.

[enzenzz]

How can executions cost more than life imprisonment? If you keep a person in jail for more than 5 years I would believe that the cost would be more. Besides, there are a lot of death options to choose from.

Of course the decision to execute should not come down to finances. But i think those who are sentences to multiple life sentences with no possibility of parole should just be executed.

[Rutherford The Brave]

So basically, the death of someone is a way of helping the economy, when we are too lazy to do it ourselves? Thats disgusting and idiotic. Why not tax ciggs more, beer? Legalize pot and tax it? Tax the war, Tax gun owners, and such. But nooo lets just kill people.

[Amnesiac]

How can executions cost more than life imprisonment? If you keep a person in jail for more than 5 years I would believe that the cost would be more. Besides, there are a lot of death options to choose from.

Of course the decision to execute should not come down to finances. But i think those who are sentences to multiple life sentences with no possibility of parole should just be executed.

Most people stay on death row for decades anyway, and many sentenced to be executed appeal as much as they can, further racking up costs. If we stopped treating prison as somewhere to dump every person who commits every tiny crime and actually reserved it for the more hardcore criminals, we would save millions of dollars. Some teenager who did weed once doesn't pose any threat to society, nor does some gay guy who had anal sex with another consenting gay guy.

[The Dark Lord]

What do you mean by parties?

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23859261-tory-minister-ends-labours-ban-on-prison-parties.do

the Prime Minister vetoed it, but it was still an idea.

[ShatteredWings]

How about we not give prisoners all these non-essential things?
They don't need TV
Or any of that other shit. I've heard (not sure if it's true) that they're getting better food than the average school lunch (and people call school a prison, maybe for good reason! lol)

if we're gonna spend this kind of dough, why don't we spent it towards rehabilitation rather than facilities?

And stop jailing the pothead ffs. just legalize it and tax the fuck out of it.

[enzenzz]

Most people stay on death row for decades anyway, and many sentenced to be executed appeal as much as they can, further racking up costs. If we stopped treating prison as somewhere to dump every person who commits every tiny crime and actually reserved it for the more hardcore criminals, we would save millions of dollars. Some teenager who did weed once doesn't pose any threat to society, nor does some gay guy who had anal sex with another consenting gay guy.

Yes, some can be in prison for longer but still better then for life. Also, the topic was about death penalty not the problem with the penal system. I agree that people there are jailed to frequently and with only minor offenses. Also, with they way you treat prisoners some people would prefer the comforts of prison than the harsh reality of freedom.

[CaptainObvious]

How can executions cost more than life imprisonment? If you keep a person in jail for more than 5 years I would believe that the cost would be more. Besides, there are a lot of death options to choose from.

Of course the decision to execute should not come down to finances. But i think those who are sentences to multiple life sentences with no possibility of parole should just be executed.

Yes, some can be in prison for longer but still better then for life. Also, the topic was about death penalty not the problem with the penal system. I agree that people there are jailed to frequently and with only minor offenses. Also, with they way you treat prisoners some people would prefer the comforts of prison than the harsh reality of freedom.

Whatever else, it is indeed actually the case that executing a person costs more, on average, than jailing them for life. Court cases are very expensive, and death row inmates get a number of appeals; between the cost of the trials and the length of time spent in prison (often decades even for inmates who are eventually executed) it costs more on average to execute.

[Amnesiac]

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23859261-tory-minister-ends-labours-ban-on-prison-parties.do

the Prime Minister vetoed it, but it was still an idea.

ha, wow, that's pretty insane

[Dorsum Oppel]

If you're sentenced to life in prison, then there's absolutely no fucking reason for you to sit in a little box for 40-odd years. You'd go batshit and be constantly miserable every single day. Death is actually a much more humane and inexpensive penalty. This coupled with taxing weed and other goods, cutting back on ridiculous shit like government banquets and such, we could do a bit for the economy.

[Stanpy]

I don't really agree with the death penalty. It seems very hypocritical and "old fashioned" to me, and it makes us no better than that murderer. However, I do have an exception to that, and that is serial killers and mass murderers/sadists/rapists who pose a massive threat to society if they escape or get released. It may not be humane, but the most effective, 100% way to stop such people re-offending is by 'removing' them from society. I do not advocate some painful public method, just a quick shot in the head.

I mean look what happened with American serial killer Ted Bundy. He escaped from prison twice, and killed even more people because of this. Simply keeping him in prison means there was a chance (even if it's a miniscule 1%) he'll escape and kill even more poeple.

[Amnesiac]

I don't really agree with the death penalty. It seems very hypocritical and "old fashioned" to me, and it makes us no better than that murderer. However, I do have an exception to that, and that is serial killers and mass murderers/sadists/rapists who pose a massive threat to society if they escape or get released. It may not be humane, but the most effective, 100% way to stop such people re-offending is by 'removing' them from society. I do not advocate some painful public method, just a quick shot in the head.

I mean look what happened with American serial killer Ted Bundy. He escaped from prison twice, and killed even more people because of this. Simply keeping him in prison means there was a chance (even if it's a miniscule 1%) he'll escape and kill even more poeple.

You do have a point, in the case of people such as Bundy we could put them in solitary confinement... or just execute them.

[Nexus]

There's very few instances that I ever agree capital punishment, economic consideration being one of them. The death penalty as we know it is so inconsistent.

Gary Ridgway, a convicted mass murderer can be plea-bargained out of death while an accomplice to an armed robbery that resulted in the shooting death of his cohort can be charged with felony murder and sentenced to death as a result. That's a blatant flaw in the system and the very fabric of my repulsion with capital punishment.