Of all the people on my AIM list, there are only a handful that I talk to on a regular basis. One of them is DvF-M, who is one of my roommates this year (hurray for move-in tomorrow, or now today, since it's past midnight). We have such interesting conversations, always late at night. He's rather conservative whereas I'm more liberal than perhaps I'd like to admit.
Anyway, here's a brief snippet of an AIM conversation we had on the death penalty, which we are both against for different reasons.
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DvF-M: but how can a serial killer pay the community back
DvF-M: and of course what you suggest is "cruel and unusual" under the constitution
. . .
Me: i think the death penalty kinda falls under cruel and unusual though
. . .
DvF-M: the worst offenders you couldn't ever let out of prison, if they escape the public will be after your head
Me: they could knit for homeless people inside the prisons!
Me: there
Me: there's your solution
DvF-M: I'm good with that one
Me: we will teach all prisoners how to knit
Me: and basically run a gov-subsidized sweatshop
Me: and produce very very cheap/free goods
Me: it benefits everyone
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Okay, so the whole point of this is, prisoners just sit in prison doing nothing and are a drain on society. So they should repay their debt to society somehow. They could build parks, build clinics, plant trees, clean oil spills, knit stuff for the homeless, etc, SOMETHING. I mean, I just read an article in TIME Magazine about people wanting a national service system like military service, AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, Teach for America, etc. Well, why not "force" prisoners to the more manual public works? And here's my friend's suggestion later in the AIM conversation:
DvF-M: no i mean they can participate in prison public works projects, donate organs, knit for the homeless or anything else thats reasonable
DvF-M: you just have to have some stuff like hour ratings, say knitting is worth an hour per blanket, certain projects are worth 1 hour/hour, harder and more complex ones are worth more, kidneys etc are worth several hundred
DvF-M: and then the judge sentances you in hours, and you stay behind bars until you have done your share
Anyway, here's a brief snippet of an AIM conversation we had on the death penalty, which we are both against for different reasons.
-----
DvF-M: but how can a serial killer pay the community back
DvF-M: and of course what you suggest is "cruel and unusual" under the constitution
. . .
Me: i think the death penalty kinda falls under cruel and unusual though
. . .
DvF-M: the worst offenders you couldn't ever let out of prison, if they escape the public will be after your head
Me: they could knit for homeless people inside the prisons!
Me: there
Me: there's your solution
DvF-M: I'm good with that one
Me: we will teach all prisoners how to knit
Me: and basically run a gov-subsidized sweatshop
Me: and produce very very cheap/free goods
Me: it benefits everyone
-----
Okay, so the whole point of this is, prisoners just sit in prison doing nothing and are a drain on society. So they should repay their debt to society somehow. They could build parks, build clinics, plant trees, clean oil spills, knit stuff for the homeless, etc, SOMETHING. I mean, I just read an article in TIME Magazine about people wanting a national service system like military service, AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, Teach for America, etc. Well, why not "force" prisoners to the more manual public works? And here's my friend's suggestion later in the AIM conversation:
DvF-M: no i mean they can participate in prison public works projects, donate organs, knit for the homeless or anything else thats reasonable
DvF-M: you just have to have some stuff like hour ratings, say knitting is worth an hour per blanket, certain projects are worth 1 hour/hour, harder and more complex ones are worth more, kidneys etc are worth several hundred
DvF-M: and then the judge sentances you in hours, and you stay behind bars until you have done your share
1 comment:
I'm not one on the morals bandwagon when it comes to the death penalty, but the concept is very expensive to the court system and the taxpayers when you break down the trial, housing, and the actual execution. But, I do believe some deserve to die with no dignity, so take 'em out Ol' Yeller style!
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