Dad Gets 25 Years for Microwaving Baby

[CptSternn]

Originally Posted by LaBelleDameSansMerci

For me, ideally if someone kills someone, they should sit and rot over what they've done and think about it until they're 85. On the other hand, there's no guarantee that they will. It's a really difficult thing.

I agree fully. See, killing someone is easy. Not just on society, but on the person who commits the crime as well. Its quick, semi-painless, and is over in a small amount of time.

Give the man years to think about what he did. Sooner or later he will understand why his actions were bad. He will then figure out the pain he caused others and their families. He will then feel remorse on a level we can only imagine.

Then, justice is truly reached. Once the person who committed such a crime sees it as we the public, or in this case the mother of the child affected sees it, only then can you achieve real justice.

[ThreeEyesOni]

Originally Posted by IsolatedReptile

As horribly as what he did was, what would we solve or demonstrate by doing to him as well? If my government can decide to kill people for crimes, why can't I shoot someone for crimes against me?

Secondly, a human being is not a dog. It's horrible to compare any human to a dog that seriously, and in that context.

For starters, it would solve the fact that it'll cost tens of thousands of dollars a year to house him for the next 25 years. I'm too tired to look up the exact figures again, but if you give an average of $50k/year, this asshat has just used up about a million dollars in taxpayer money. And that's assuming that there isn't an overcrowding issue, in which case you can raise that cost due to the need to build a larger facility.

As for comparing him to a dog: he microwaved his baby. That would be bad enough if it was "a baby", but this is "his baby". If I had a dog with a litter and it decided to eat the pups, I would seriously consider having the dog put down.

[Apathy's_Child]

Actually, it's been demonstrated that the death penalty is more costly than a life sentence.

To me, it's not necessarily about the fairness of individual cases - it's about the kind of society you want to live in. Is there any link between thwe fact that we're the only first-world country to execute our citizens, and also the most violent generally? I don't know for sure, but it wouldn't surprise me. If the death penalty is illogical (i.e. more costly), then there's no reasoning behind it which isn't based on simple bloodlust. That's understandable from an individual point of view, but when it's sanctioned by a government, it scares me.

[ThreeEyesOni]

Where are you getting the info that the death penalty costs more than a life sentence?

Here is just the quickest page I could find that wasn't at "prodeathsentance.crazy" or the like. $40,000/inmate/year to start, which bumps up to $69,000/inmate/year for geriatric care. If you figure that an inmate will enter in at age 30, reaches geriatric age at 55, and lives to a top of 65: $1,690,000. And again, that doesn't cover the likelyhood of having to build progressively larger holding facilities, or additional medical/legal expenses.

As for America and crime/violence, there's a pretty long list for that. Drugs, gangs, relatively loose firearm restrictions, size of country, diversity of country members, relative gap between upper and lower classes, corruption of public servants/politicians, mental disease (both real and over-medication cases), and let's not forget the average stupidity (aided with having a terribly poor education system).

And let's not forget that the death penalty is not handed out lightly, and it is also very easy to plea bargain; down to a life sentance. From an individual point of view (of a victimized party) they have every right to be baying for the criminal's death. From a governmental point of view every one of these convicts represents a better than 50/50 chance of further criminal activity leading to mpore suffering and more cost.

[CptSternn]

Does the cost of using the death penalty (monetary cost that is) really matter?

I mean, is anyone going to support or not support it merely based on how many tax payer dollars it costs?

Although it could be a good reason in a list of reasons to end the death penalty, this much discussion on it from a monetary standpoint really seems quite morbid.

Your arguing to save a life not based on the merits of life, but based on the few bob you might save in tax dollars.

Have no worries - whatever you save if you didn't execute a man would be pissed away by your government on killing someone in another country.

[Pye]

Originally Posted by ThreeEyesOni

If I had a dog with a litter and it decided to eat the pups, I would seriously consider having the dog put down.

Anthropomorphising again!

Animals are not humans, they don't share the same rules in society as we do. They are geared to survival, the best possible outcome. In their nature, eating pups is a reaction of fear. The act of eating them for the dog, saves the whole unit form being found and devoured by an enemy. A possible fate heightened by the wails of screaming pups. Nourishment gained from eaten young allows the bitch enough energy to move on and start a new family in a safer location. Not to mention (if you want to apply a human attribute to it) kinder to the pups than letting them perish and healthier for the mother with depleted resources due to having the litter in the first place.

Of course we wouldn't understand the dogs problem. It's likely she ate them in haste and was wrong about the situation but this is the wolfs evolved solution to that problem. This reaction is ingrained inside her, she feels compelled to do it when faced with this predicament. She doesn't know that its safe in the way you or I would.

Humans can react in a similar way, think of post natal depression where a mother harms her child.

Please note that this is not to be taken as an excuse for the main subject of this thread. He is a man, I'm not completely sure of his situation and I was talking about wolves and natural reactions to danger because I feel directly comparing humans and animals is dangerous.