A quick one for you...

by LandersUK @ 2007-04-11 - 12:49:36

”Life on Death Row can be guaranteed to change a man. If we can assume that Caryl Chessman, despite his denials, really was the Red Light Bandit, he came into Death Row as a monster… and died 12 years later as a civilised, urbane human being.

This transformation has been echoed by many other long-term prisoners as the clock ticked their lives away. The character of the man sentenced to death and the character of the man who eventually dies are often light years apart. To the unbiased eye, they appear as two totally different people.”

Taken from “On Death Row” by Mike James.

Has rehabilitation worked? Do these people actually deserve to die if they have shown they really have learnt from their mistake?

Should there be some clemency? Should the sentence be transmuted to life imprisonment with or without the chance for parole?

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rowtheboat ^pro
http://rowtheboat.blog.co.uk/
2007-04-11 @ 13:30

Initial reaction: This bit's rather tricky, don't you think: "If we can assume that Caryl Chessman, despite his denials, really was the Red Light Bandit..."

But it comes down to why we lock people up in the first place - should it be because of the crime they've committed (i.e. punishment/ revenge), or because of the type of person they are (i.e. a danger to society)?

If you believe the former, then it shouldn't matter what kind of person they become, they should be facing the consequences of their actions.

If you believe the latter - which I tend to lean towards (although what gives me the right to decide what "type" of person should be locked up has it's own problems) - then you should take rehabilitation into account when deciding what to do with a prisoner. Which could also enable you to look at those who haven't been successfully rehabilitated, which might allow more paedophiles to be locked up for longer, for example.

I'd say there needs to be more of a balance between the two, and more alternatives to prison. But that's not how our - or the US - system is currently run.

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Old-Nick ^pro
2007-04-11 @ 13:47

If they could only have been the person they became before they killed, the person they killed may still be alive.

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lyndlj ^pro
2007-04-11 @ 18:10

I dont see the death penalty as a punishment, and I know that many dont agree. An eye for an eye and all that. And there are the families that say they want to see the killer get what he/she deserves.

To me, what he/she deserves is to live with what he/she has done, not free, they must be kept locked up. But they should have to live with that memory then if they truly do change, that is their punishment, to have to live every day with that knowledge

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