Convicted Of Rape, Died In Prison, Then Cleared

[Aaron]

We went over this in the thread about the human feces who beat their daughter to death for not saying "please": hemp rope is cheap, reliable, reusable, and doesn't damage the organs.

You could always set it on a timer, if you can't find someone willing to personally end the life of a murdering scumbag.

You'd be amazed what will happen to people, I can easily see the guy who has to set the timer wind up wracked with guilt.

Any thoughts on the fMRI tech?

Likely it won't be admissable in court ala polygraph, looks interesting though. I heard about it a while back.

[Tsukiyumi]

...Likely it won't be admissable in court ala polygraph...

Then, I'd say it's time for a massive rethink of the entire concept of trials. Once it's been tested extensively, of course.

[IanKennedy]

fMRI does not tell you truth from fiction. It simply tells you what they think about a concept, not if they have ever acted upon it. I'm sorry the thought police will have to wait a while before they can rule the world.

Edit: To extend that. People who confess to such things are often convinced, because of mental problems, that they did it, how are you going to rule these people out?

[Tsukiyumi]

It said in the article that you could tell whether someone was lying when asked a question. If you ask a direct question ("Did you kill this person/those people"), and the person lies in their response, then you have your answer. If they're innocent, why would they lie at all?

[IanKennedy]

Yes, but if you ask and they don't seem to be lying and they say that the did it how can you be sure they aren't just confusing themselves? So you could get, say, five people who seem to be guilty. Which one is going to go to jail?

[Tsukiyumi]

Yes, but if you ask and they don't seem to be lying and they say that the did it how can you be sure they aren't just confusing themselves? So you could get, say, five people who seem to be guilty. Which one is going to go to jail?

Lather, rinse, repeat.

The odds of the test coming out inconclusive once may be high, but how about after five tests, or ten? All five suspects coming up as guilty after ten tests each? Time to go back over the evidence, and adjust your questioning to include the possibility of multiple people being involved. If they are all involved, the less involved will quickly turn on the others to avoid the noose.

At which point, another round of testing begins.

For me, it's not about saving the money, it's about the money not being spent to keep a true child murderer/serial killer alive in relative comfort. I'd much rather spend millions more making sure the right people are shown to the gallows than save money keeping people alive who really don't need to be.

[Aaron]

For me, it's not about saving the money, it's about the money not being spent to keep a true child murderer/serial killer alive in relative comfort. I'd much rather spend millions more making sure the right people are shown to the gallows than save money keeping people alive who really don't need to be.

In no way shape or form would I consider prison to be comfortable. An entire cell made of concrete, shit for food (a doco on San Quentin showed that they don't even get hot food), a 12 x 12 space and the constant threat of violence against my person. I would rather be executed personally.

Then there's just the fact that an MRI machine is insanely expensive and the few that get made are better employed for medical purposes.

[Tsukiyumi]

In no way shape or form would I consider prison to be comfortable. An entire cell made of concrete, s**t for food (a doco on San Quentin showed that they don't even get hot food), a 12 x 12 space and the constant threat of violence against my person. I would rather be executed personally.

"Relative comfort." Compared to those people in Alaska (who haven't committed any horrible crimes) that you mentioned in another thread, and the millions of people who live in run-down third world countries, I'd say getting three squares a day, cable tv, and having hot running water sounds quite comfortable.

[Aaron]

"Relative comfort." Compared to those people in Alaska (who haven't committed any horrible crimes) that you mentioned in another thread, and the millions of people who live in run-down third world countries, I'd say getting three squares a day, cable tv, and having hot running water sounds quite comfortable.

Indeed, however I bet that the avergae US prisoner has never been to either place and has no idea how better off he is.

[Tsukiyumi]

Indeed, however I bet that the avergae US prisoner has never been to either place and has no idea how better off he is.

True. Irrelevant, but true.

If prison for convicted violent criminals was set up like that, I daresay we'd see a lot less capital crimes. As you suggested, most people would rather die than be subjected to those conditions. Then, I'd certainly go along with an abolition of the death penalty. Considering that I don't really believe in a "hell", I'd say making them truly suffer here is much more appropriate than death.

[Aaron]

If prison for convicted violent criminals was set up like that, I daresay we'd see a lot less capital crimes. As you suggested, most people would rather die than be subjected to those conditions. Then, I'd certainly go along with an abolition of the death penalty. Considering that I don't really believe in a "hell", I'd say making them truly suffer here is much more appropriate than death.

Well I've mentioned beofre that I consider the present system to be more of a punishment then death. I'm really not sure that making it worse would even be legal, even the most debased criminal scum in the country still have certain rights.

[Tsukiyumi]

...even the most debased criminal scum in the country still have certain rights.

And, I say their rights and treatment should be exactly the same as the current world's lowest denominator. After all, those people haven't done anything wrong, so why should someone who's murdered children be treated better, or with more respect?

[Aaron]

And, I say their rights and treatment should be exactly the same as the current world's lowest denominator. After all, those people haven't done anything wrong, so why should someone who's murdered children be treated better, or with more respect?

Well, write your Rep and get them on changing the Constitution then.

[Tsukiyumi]

And, I say their rights and treatment should be exactly the same as the current world's lowest denominator. After all, those people haven't done anything wrong, so why should someone who's murdered children be treated better, or with more respect?

Well, write your Rep and get them on changing the Constitution then.

I'll get right on that.

[Graham Kennedy]

It's not the actual execution that costs so much. It's the special facility for holding them, specially trained guards to handle them, a decade or more worth of legal appeals and the cost of the judges, lawyers, clerks, etc etc etc that need to handle those. And so on. Of course you could change the system to reduce all those appeals and such... but then so much for only executing the "definitely guilty".

And hemp rope may be cheap, but a hangman with the required skill to hang a person correctly is a commodity in short supply these days.