Things like this ALMOST make me believe in the death penalty-discusting beyond belief

[SlowwHand]

Poet, a killer uncaptured can try to vanish.
What can a killer locked up for life try to do?
What's his motive for becoming a "good guy" ?

Do some light reading on Officer Aubrey Hawkins, and the Texas 7.

[Asher]

Originally posted by FrustratedPoet
Isn't this what Australia is for?

Oh my God...I was going to post the exact same thing, word for word!

[Al B. Sure!]

yeah that **** is all over the news here in philly... more greatness from the city of brotherly love...

[SlowwHand]

The four teens -- after a group hug -- then robbed the victim, dividing up the $500 that Sweeney had earned at his construction job and went on a drug binge, police said.

Oh well. These people aren't so bad.

[Al B. Sure!]

and it also should be noted that these were all white people up in the fishtown section of the near north-east. the racist and partisan democrat mayor has largely left these white and puerto rican areas of the near north-east filled with crime. the fact that they had largely voted for a republican last mayoral election didn't help the fishtown section

[FrustratedPoet]

Sloww: What's the motive, or indeed opportunity, for an executed criminal to become a 'good guy'? There is none. At least a incarcerated criminal has the opportunity to rehabilitate. Admittedly, many of them would simply not be able to do so. That's fine with me, if they want to stay crazy and dangerous then they can rot in that cell for all I care.
I simply don't see an advantage to the death penalty that lifetime imprisonment (in a "life MEANS life" kind of way) doesn't also achieve. The benefit to the imprisonment is that the criminal has a) the potential, however slim, to rehabilitate and b) the chance to be acquited if their innocence is ever proven.
It seems like a no-brainer to me ... but I don't really see a need to argue over it. I doubt anybody is likely to change anyone else's mind.

Asher:

[TCO]

Hang em high.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Albert Speer
and it also should be noted that these were all white people up in the fishtown section of the near north-east. the racist and partisan democrat mayor has largely left these white and puerto rican areas of the near north-east filled with crime. the fact that they had largely voted for a republican last mayoral election didn't help the fishtown section

"Dominic Coia, 18, told detectives, according to a transcript of his June 3 confession.

Coia, his younger brother, Nicholas, 16"

Sounds like two of the culprits were Puerto Rican, not white. What difference does it make what their race was?

This was a blue-collar part of town. Should we point out the culprits were all blue-collar then?

[Al B. Sure!]

FrustratedPoet,

can a cold blood murderor be rehabilitated though? yeah you can rehabilitate a mugger or a drug dealer or a car jacker... but a murderor?

[Al B. Sure!]

my bad

[Al B. Sure!]

Boris:

you're missing my point... i was saying that this might never had happened had the mayor actually done anything to help this area in philly... not only was police coverage reduced in the near-northeast but this area did not benefit at all from the neighbourhood rehabilitation program that cleaned up urban blight and brought jobs to more solidly democrat areas of philly.

and by the way, the Coias may be rican but they don't look like it to me.

[optimus2861]

^ If you believe in free will, then you have to believe that anyone can choose to change, even a cold-blooded murderer.

I believe in free will, therefore I do not believe that we have the right to kill anyone, and thus forever deny them the possibility that they may, one day, even if it's not for 30 years, choose to change for the better. Life imprisonment will do.

[Whaleboy]

These people obviously have some kinda mental condition and need help, and if that fails, locking up for life.

I like Helter Skelter

[rah]

The problem with incarcerating hard core murderers for life, is that you don't have a lot of additional options to punish them. With no fear of punishment there is no deterent for the to kill a guard or another prisoner. Killings in prison are not a rare event. Fry them.

[SlowwHand]

Exactly, RAH. Thank you.