[Breaking News] mass shooting at black church in Charleston, SC

I'm normally opposed to the death penalty, but in this case it's so clear...let him burn.

 

Screw that. Why give him a solitary cell on death row when you can just give him life without parole, throw his ass in gen pop and let the situation resolve itself? It'd probably be quicker and cheaper.

 

I don't support the death penalty. Life in prison will teach him much more than death.

 

What do you imagine it will teach him?

 

Good question. Maybe it will just reinforce his hatred but I would hope he could develop some empathy for the profound effect he's had on the families of the victims and the people in that community.

 

A couple of bullets are cheaper than feeding this guy for years.

DD

 

Well, if they put him in General Population, I'd imagine he'll learn quite a bit.

 

I feel no obligation to spend tons of money and teach this person anything.

 

I don't either but in this case it clear that he committed this crime so yeah fry his *ss.

 

Set him on fire

 

Giving this guy death would be giving him exactly what he wants. Rehabilitate his ass so that he knows exactly what he did and then let him rot in prison thinking about it for the rest of his life.

 

Certainly sounds like he's shooting for the death penalty. Whatever the jury decides I'll be cool with. I'm not worried about 'giving him what he wants' or what would maximize his suffering. Just do the process. However, if they don't give him the federal death penalty, the state will come back with another trial to get a state death penalty, whereas they'll probably not go through with a prosecution if the federal court gives him death. So, we'll end up with the likely expense of a death row inmate either way, plus the expense of another trial, plus all the trauma for witnesses and family members all over again.

 

if he's in prison for life - this is not about rehabilitation or learning. It's about punishment for an act. Let's call it what it is.

In this aspect, the punishment is much harsher to keep him alive and make him pay on a daily basis, live with the burden on his conscious - deal with the prison population and heavy amount of minorities he'll have to face.

 

Can we change the title? Thought for a second there was another one.

 

I would be concerned that he would become a lightning rod for race violence in prison. White gangs will protect him as some sort of heroic totem, and black gangs will view killing him as their duty. It seems like he would be the kind of guy that would get shoved in "ad seg" for the rest of his life which would turn him into an even more twisted POS than he already is.

When you have a rabid dog, you don't punish it because punishment needs to be instructive to be something beyond sadism or revenge, and a rabid dog is incapable of learning. Vengance on a rabid dog is like trying to get revenge on the clouds for raining on you. The only person that is hurt by that kind of revenge is the person seeking vengance as they run the risk of their rage twisting them up inside.

All you'll do is turn a person who is probably beyond redemption into a person who is very clearly beyond redemption. You'll harden him and make him meaner for no reason at all. If you aren't hoping he'll learn the error of his ways, it is more moral, IMO, to just end him.

 

What about life in solitary? Is this an option? Let his brain turn to mush.

 

The 21st Century version of this guy

Rocket River

 

You're spending three to four times the money to execute a prisoner. Your comment makes no sense.

American prisons are modern day dungeons and our society feels those effects. They don't work.

 

The more I think about it, the more I prefer the death penalty here. Roof has tailored his case to maximize his suitability to capital punishment. Multiple murders, premeditated, in cold blood, motivated by racial hatred, and expressly denies any feelings of remorse and asks no forgiveness. If anyone qualifies for the death penalty, it's him. Given that, imagine the frustration the families, that town, that church (though they may want to forgive), that community, and honestly black people all over the country are going to feel if the jury of peers does not come to bat for them and apply for them the punishment Roof has earned. Even if the death penalty isn't as tough or is more expensive than life without parole they will feel (perhaps rightly) that full justice was withheld -- because they're black or Christian or Southern or whatever lens they see it through. And we'd do this why? To get cute with the dimensions of his punishment; to optimize costs; for an ideology that says the state should never kill its citizens? Let's have those arguments on the borderline cases; this is a slam dunk for capital punishment. It's a big middle finger to everyone who feels an association with the victims of this particular crime to withhold it. It's worth doing just to tell them we've got their backs.

 

That's a good distinction I had not considered. I'm usually against the death penalty because of the frequency with which it's handed out in questionable cases. But, you are correct: this is not questionable and should be the definition of a death penalty case given the defendant's crimes and subsequent lack of remorse.