Posted on 08/10/2002 10:36:11 PM PDT by chance33_98
Edited on 05/07/2004 7:27:42 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
I watched a program on TV last night where a billionaire heiress up here in Virginia hunt country shot her live in Argentenian, polo playing, lover to death. She ambushed him while he was eating breakfast and reading a magazine. The jury found her guilty of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced her to 60 days in jail. She still lives in the area. As I said, justice and "the system" have little in common.
Indeed. Most rehabilitation programs emphasize the importance of catharsis, where you finally let go of what's bothering you, and discuss what you might do differently in the future. In this case, he's clearly troubled by the fact that he failed to kill his daughter, and therefore shared those feelings with others, along with his plans to rectify that failure when he is released.
I suppose dighton, Mr. Cruel and Unusual himself, would just have him bottle up those feelings inside, rather than express them, and be given a chance to act on them...
I agree with your objectives but in the real world it would be: 1) Cheaper to build more jails and incarcerate murderers for life than executing them. (It costs a lot more money to go through the lengthy appeals process for death penalty cases.) 2)The death penalty doesn't deter murderers. I wish it did.
BTW, I am not against the death penalty except on a practical basis.
Who can relate to the crime and the punishment over that time span?
When the evidence is overwhelming, ie. DNA, etc., one review of the trial to make sure his/her rights were upheld and then lights out. Make a public spectacle out of it.
I want to see smoke and fire. :)
We don't have enough prison space for several reasons, cost which is driven by politics. liberal judges and the aclu, the minority consitutents holler loudly when you lock up to many of their feral youth, and then you don't get re-elected.
If it's 'clear and convincing,' fry 'em fast!
"On January 21, 1958, [Charlie] Starkweather got into an argument with Caril's [Fugate's] parents and killed them both. In a display of extraordinary brutality, Starkweather hit Mrs. Bartlett with the butt of his rifle when she attempted to reach for her 2-year-old daughter, and then killed the little girl himself.
"While his girlfriend's reaction to seeing her family's murder remains unclear, the young couple did live in the house for a week among the rotting corpses, buying food on credit. A few days later, when the local authorities became suspicious, Starkweather and Fugate left to continue their killing spree
"In the end, they killed 11 people and turned on each other when they were caught [January 28, 1958]. [Trial began May 5, 1958.] Starkweather was put to death in June 1959, and Fugate was sentenced to life because she was only 14 at the time of the murders. She was paroled in 1976."
Granted Starkweather was a mass murderer and there was lots of evidence, but the part pertinent to your comment is that he was captured on 1/28/58, his trial begun on 5/5/78, and his soul sent to eternity in June 1959, just 1-1/2 years from start to finish. 'Course that was back in the days when folks still believed that "justice delayed is justice denied."
Like not dragging this kind of stuff out forever.
Carol got 'life' and was out in '76 -- too bad; wonder what she's been up to since.
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