Does anyone else feel that our tax money is going to waste on prisoners who have a life term?
135372
HUGE waste of money. if someone did something horrible enough to be sentenced to life, then they should have their life taken in the literal sense.
630511
So do the "not yet born" have nothing in store for them if they should be born? What else should we do with those who would risk the "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" of the rest of us? We have a right to be free to try those things, don't we? I surely don't want someone infringing upon those rights. Do you? Prison isn't the only "solution" to crime. Sometimes the death penalty can be a deterrent.....but only *if* it's used. How the hell can someone be on Death Row for 15-20 years and waste our tax dollars so? If we utilize our court system to determine someone's guilt, isn't it just as wrong to put an "innocent" person in jail for a long time as it seems it is (to you) to execute them? We're still "playing God" by determining another human being's fate for the length of the sentence.\n\nAnd why is it some don't mind killing fetuses (who have wronged NO ONE) but want criminals (who have wronged SOMEONE) kept alive? That's a$$-backwards, isn't it?\n\n\n\n>>Do only those not yet breathing have the right to live?<<\n\nHow would you or any of us be here if the answer to that were "yes"?
70982
I believe there should be a factory, manufacturing plant or a field connected to every prison. I think they should get paid minimum wage. (it would be hard to call that "unreasonable punishment since its what lawful people are expected to work for) With every prison sentence against a person place or thing there should be a debt to pay. When the prisoner gets paid he can pay his rent, (water, electric, gas and ground keeping services included) after he has paid his rent his child support will be taken out. After child support he can pay off his debits to the person place or thing he committed the crime against.
342399
I dont believe in the death penalty because I dont believe a government should decide when to end a life especially when more often than not, the accused doesnt have enough money to afford any decent defense.  Besides even people who are obviously guilty have the right to life only God may take it when he feels the time is right.  Life in jail is the only solution.  Remember just like in the Animal Kingdom, the strong prey on the weak so someone who leads a criminal life will ultimately offend a bigger fish.
451141
My opinion hasn't changed.. I still believe they were responsible for 9-11 and they lied to get us into this war, but I don't believe in the death penalty and I don't believe in revenge.. A nice prison cell to protect society from anyone who kills is fine with me, and if it's someone lies to one person or a whole nation, causing them to kill someone, they should get life in prison just like any other murderer.
360539
Male 48\n\nWhen you commit certain crimes, you need to be punished. At a certain point, you have forfeited your right to live in society. Some crimes are bad enough that the perpetrator deseves to lose their life.\n\nThere is no reason to keep such criminals alive. Why should we have to pay for them to stay in jail?
288777
I disagree. There are a couple of guarantees. \n1. we guaranteed to pay taxes, one way or an other\n2. we are ALL guaranteed to die one day.
353232
I agree it is a bit frustrating for prisoners to receive a free college education, but we really need these people to come out of prison with a better outlook on life.  If they make their curriculum requirements having a lot of ethics and humanities classes, it would help as well.  I also can say it frustrating for people in society to not be able to afford health care while it also is available free to prisoners.  I do think the government has a lot to do with medical policies to Americans.  Their are some families, that even on low incomes still are told they make too much for assistance.  It is ridiculous.  The big dogs in Washington just need to get with it.
223314
I agree wholeheartedly, and think it is a shame.\n\nTo make matters worse, prisoners come out worse than they went in--due to being labeled--and due to being made to live among worse criminals.
288459
state some facts like the amount of innocent people put to death. the biases that the courts have in handing out death sentences(race, etc...)Playing god. morality of it\nI feel its done to save money. ...easier to kill someone than to pay to keep them in jail the rest of their lives.
187388
I agree with DBK.  Prisons should be a punishment for what the criminals did.  How is it really punishing them to give them free food, free clothing, free cable, free Internet, a free gym, free medical and dental care, etc?  And to not require them to work?  How are they punished when they spend their days lounging around, or playing football in the yard, working out in the gym, or kicking back watching movies?  Sounds more like a vacation to me.\n\nBut back to the question.  Criminals are able to do this because liberal in society have set it up so they can. They set it up so that people can claim they are not responsible for their own actions. As for the poor excuse about criminals being abused, my mother's father was abusive to her, and to her brothers and sisters, and not one of them became criminals.  I was physically, mentally and emotionally abused in catholic school and did not turn out to be a criminal.  So that is just another lame excuse.
198754
Texas has the highest number of death row inmates and kill more criminals per year than any other state yet they have a higher than average crime rate.  So does it work no, not really. On the other hand do I believe in it.. yes I do 100%. If you kill some one your life is no longer yours. Plus it is so much cheaper for the taxpayers. They just need to hurry up the process and let criminals have less apeals, and quit bogging down the court system on deadmen walking. Kill them already. If they were innocent they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
339554
No, they should work whilst in prison and it should be some form of work that actually makes a profit so that they can pay back their debt to society in hard cash.\n\nIf for example they stole a car and the car was recovered they should owe the cost of repairs, compensation to the owner for inconvenience and other ancillery expenses, the cost of bed and board at prison, the cost of magistrates, police and other staff in the justice system.  If they were sentenced to one year and it would take two years to pay their debts then they should serve two years unless they can find a job on the outside that pays more.\n\nThey should be given every help regarding training and education.\n\nIf they kill a man they should owe the man's children what he would have earnt had he survived until the children are earning themselves.\n\nIf someone sets fire to a building causing say £100,000 worth of damage then they should owe and pay that amount plus court/police/prison costs etc.  \n\nThe only excuse for not paying what they owe should be if they die first.\n\nIf the politically correct morons would allow this to happen, then ninety per cent of crime would cease to exist overnight.
77519
Without any shadow of a doubt I would impose a custodial sentence and all but the most minor of criminals.  For a second offence I would give them 10 times the sentence, the thrid offence 100 times the sentence etc.  \n\nLoss of liberty is the tried and tested method that has been used for thousands of years in just about every country in the world.\n\nIn recent times we've seen a softly softly appraoch and lo and behlold a massive rise in the number of offences and repeat offenders.\n\nI'd also ensure that during their custodial sentence there was no interaction with other criminals and the only materials available to them were educational ones.\n\nIf they wanted any luxuries such as chocolates, cigarettes etc they'd have to buy them and to buy them they'd have to earn wages by doing work inside the prison that would benefit the community as a whole.\n\nOh, and I'd keep themn under lock and key 24 hours a day.\n\nThat should cut down on the enormous costs incurred - here in the UK it costs an average £8500 a week ($15,000) to have an offender on probation.  That money should be spent on more deserving causes such as the elderly, schools, hospitals etc.
350172
I can't justify it..\nDon't think they can truly justify it either...\n\nand they will put up smoke and mirrors just like congress does..\n\ntime these people go to prison...
638565
The question is who granted the govenrment the right to waste millions of my and your tax dollars in senseless appeal process and keeping convicted murderers alive for decades? I feel sorry for myself for the that Scott Peterson is kept alive with my money -he deserves death penalty.\n\nThe logic is that once the crime is proven beyond reasonable doubt, the offender should suffer just as much as the victim. You get what you give to others.\n\nThe problem is that the American court system is not interested in finding out the truth -just going through motions.
381288
As evil as it makes me sound...I agree with you.  I really think we should take any and all repeat offenders and put them on an island and let them kill eachother.  It'd be cheaper and less labor intensive than rehabilitation or the death penalty.  No matter what, I don't think these individuals shoud be allowed to live, it's just a waste of money and a threat to society.\nAs far as the mentally handicapped, I agree.  I think it's really a part of natural selection and evolution.  These people are the weaker links, and you're right, in nature they would be picked off, so why do we waste so much money and resources trying to let them live when most of them don't have the mental capacity to recognize what we're doing.  \nSo, I agree that it would be logical to put these people down.  However, ethically I think most people would have a problem with what esentially boils down to murder... if only everyone else bothered to think like us