‘Justice is death’ for alleged shooter in Batman rampage...

[Metahive]

It takes even more money to execute them. That's the price for attempting to make sure you don't kill an innocent person.

EDIT:
Crap, ninja'd.

[Captain Seafort]

That's the price for attempting to make sure you don't kill an innocent person.

The only way to do that is to abolish the death penalty.

[Simon_Jester]

He did say "attempt."

[ZGundam]

That's the price for attempting to make sure you don't kill an innocent person.

The only way to do that is to abolish the death penalty.

So we are to give mercy to those that did not give mercy to their victims.

Seems twisted.

[Flagg]

That's the price for attempting to make sure you don't kill an innocent person.

The only way to do that is to abolish the death penalty.

So we are to give mercy to those that did not give mercy to their victims.

Seems twisted.

Not wanting to create more innocent victims is twisted to you?

[ZGundam]

That's the price for attempting to make sure you don't kill an innocent person.

The only way to do that is to abolish the death penalty.[/quote]

So we are to give mercy to those that did not give mercy to their victims.

Seems twisted.[/quote]
Not wanting to create more innocent victims is twisted to you?[/quote]

Killers are not innocent victims.

[Flagg]

Killers are not innocent victims.

Wrongly executed people are, genius. I guess my point flew over your thick skull.

[Grumman]

It takes even more money to execute them. That's the price for attempting to make sure you don't kill an innocent person.

It's the price of the US sucking at the death penalty. Every time the appeals process gets someone off death row, it is evidence that the judge who passed the death sentence was negligent.

[Simon_Jester]

Wouldn't a death penalty case be appealed as hard as possible, and thus still run up major costs, even if there was ultimately no serious flaw in the lower court's case?

After all, it's not as if the defendant has anything to lose by failing an appeal.

[Granted a higher court may simply refuse to hear the appeal, but this still involves a substantial time and cost to the state]

[Elfdart]

I can see it now: Holmes gets the death sentence, America feels that justice was served and we move on and continue not to have a serious societal discussion about mental health. In a few years some other distrubed person flips out and guns down a room full of strangers. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Who gives a goat's greasy dick whether he's crazy or not? He was caught in the act of murdering a bunch of innocent people. It's like worrying whether the dog that mauls a toddler is rabid. Who cares? Put the animal down and be done with it!

Oh wait, we need to keep a vicious dog alive to study rabies or something.

<Snip>

What would you call a good definition of justice?

You just asked a career troll to define "justice"?

[Formless]

You also have facilities to run, special prisons with security needs to house the inmates while they are appealing, staff that need paid, doctors who oversee the process and ensure the prisoners are healthy so nature can't be the executioner, special equipment that needs to be maintained, and so forth. Hell, there is one story of a death row inmate who asked to be hung as a last act of defiance-- it was still on the books as an official method of execution, but the state didn't keep the necessary equipment on hand to do it properly. In the end constructing the platform alone cost more money than life in prison would have, but that's what they did.

Execution isn't as simple as it was back in the 1790's.

[Rogue 9]

In the end constructing the platform alone cost more money than life in prison would have, but that's what they did.

What the hell did they build it out of, gold bricks?

[Formless]

Hey, Elfdart, has it never occurred to you that this whole "mental illness = RABIES RAWR" mentality is exactly the reason why your average Joe knows fuck all about mental illness and tends to assume that crazy and dangerous are synonyms? I mean, its like in order to discuss mental health the first thing you must do is discourage negative stigmas and stereotypes about people who are already suffering or something.

I mean, we really could be learning how to better treat mental illnesses. If you ever read mental health literature sometime you will notice that something like half the major disorders still have speculative mechanisms at best. Schizophrenia? Still unknown what truly causes it. And personality disorders? No one has any clue what the best therapy option is. I am dead serious. Get your head out of your ass, man. Your statements are absolutely disgusting to read.

What the hell did they build it out of, gold bricks?

IIRC, it had been so long since hanging was used that no one around had ever done a hanging. So they had to research the proper dimensions, then they had to find a suitable area to build it in (the biggest single construction cost in the whole affair), deal with contractors, etc. There is a humane way to do a hanging, and then there's a bunch of methods and mistakes that leave the victim wishing they had been crucified instead.

Of course, this is an anecdote. I could very easily have the details of the story wrong.

[Broomstick]

No, you have it correct. They had to do research on how to do a "clean" hang then pay someone to design the apparatus, then hire people to build it properly. Bill Bailey in Delaware, in 1996.

[Dr. Trainwreck]

Who gives a goat's greasy dick whether he's crazy or not? He was caught in the act of murdering a bunch of innocent people. It's like worrying whether the dog that mauls a toddler is rabid. Who cares? Put the animal down and be done with it!

And then say the same when another psycho kills another dozen people! Mental illness need not be treated and never causes you to do horrific things! The American dream tells me to not give a shit anyway unless I'm being affected! RAWR!

Jesus, Legolas.

[Ralin]

IIRC, it had been so long since hanging was used that no one around had ever done a hanging. So they had to research the proper dimensions, then they had to find a suitable area to build it in (the biggest single construction cost in the whole affair), deal with contractors, etc. There is a humane way to do a hanging, and then there's a bunch of methods and mistakes that leave the victim wishing they had been crucified instead.

Not that I'm saying they should have, but my first reaction was surprise that they didn't 'accidently' use one of the latter methods as payback for him being a prick about the whole thing.

Though I guess there would have been some sort of consequences for the authorities responsible that I just don't know off the top of my head.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Although Bailey had been sentenced to hang, because the method of execution in Delaware had been changed to lethal injection, he had the option of choosing that method.[2] Bailey refused to accept lethal injection, telling a visitor "I'm not going to let them put me to sleep."[4]

According to the article, it looks like it was the court that screwed up by passing a sentence of hanging in the first place.

Not that I'm saying they should have, but my first reaction was surprise that they didn't 'accidently' use one of the latter methods as payback for him being a prick about the whole thing.

Though I guess there would have been some sort of consequences for the authorities responsible that I just don't know off the top of my head.

I think they call that "Cruel and unusual punishment"

[Elfdart]

Who gives a goat's greasy dick whether he's crazy or not? He was caught in the act of murdering a bunch of innocent people. It's like worrying whether the dog that mauls a toddler is rabid. Who cares? Put the animal down and be done with it!

And then say the same when another psycho kills another dozen people! Mental illness need not be treated and never causes you to do horrific things! The American dream tells me to not give a shit anyway unless I'm being affected! RAWR!

Jesus, Legolas.

There are plenty of lunatics available for study already, and most aren't as dangerous as this particular fucktard. If the court finds him guilty and sentences him to death, good riddance.

[Alkaloid]

I think they call that "Cruel and unusual punishment"

I'd think murder, since they would have essentially up and illegally killed someone.

[Flagg]

Who gives a goat's greasy dick whether he's crazy or not? He was caught in the act of murdering a bunch of innocent people. It's like worrying whether the dog that mauls a toddler is rabid. Who cares? Put the animal down and be done with it!

And then say the same when another psycho kills another dozen people! Mental illness need not be treated and never causes you to do horrific things! The American dream tells me to not give a shit anyway unless I'm being affected! RAWR!

Jesus, Legolas.

There are plenty of lunatics available for study already, and most aren't as dangerous as this particular fucktard. If the court finds him guilty and sentences him to death, good riddance.

Your casual disregard of the mentally ill is both disgusting and tragic.

[Dr. Trainwreck]

There are plenty of lunatics available for study already, and most aren't as dangerous as this particular fucktard. If the court finds him guilty and sentences him to death, good riddance.

Yeah, beyond executing him, there's also the little point of trying to do something with your health system that will ensure people like him are properly medicated. You know, so they don't become mass murderers. But then people won't be as readily able to be toughguys on the Intrawebz who don't give a goat's greasy dick.

[Simon_Jester]

I think they call that "Cruel and unusual punishment"

I'd think murder, since they would have essentially up and illegally killed someone.

Hanging is legal, or was in that state at that time, or the guy wouldn't have been able to demand a hanging.

So, yes, cruel and unusual punishment. Probably with some charges of professional malfeasance to go with it.

[Broomstick]

Hanging is legal, or was in that state at that time, or the guy wouldn't have been able to demand a hanging.

As I recall, at the time the man was sentenced to death there were two officially sanctioned methods on the books: lethal injection and hanging. Hanging was still there basically because no one had bothered to remove it and no one had been hanged in decades. This guy was the first in ages to choose hanging over the alternative and I've always suspected he did it in part to fuck with the government. After he made his choice "hanging" was taken off the books as an execution method so he will be the last to be hung in Delaware as there are no longer any death row inmates who were sentenced when hanging was a choice.

[Channel72]

Your casual disregard of the mentally ill is both disgusting and tragic.

I agree with Elfdart. As neuroscience and medical technology improves, we may eventually come up with very effective strategies for helping people prone to violent or psychotic behavior. But the Batman shooter is clearly a very serious threat to society, and the foremost responsibility of the State is to protect the well-being of its citizens. Since there's no question of guilt here, I don't see the point in keeping this guy alive. He's a constant safety risk, and there's no known way to effectively treat him short of lobotomizing the man. There's also the question of justice, and how valuable you think it is to provide the victim's families with a cathartic sense that justice has been served.

[Flagg]

Your casual disregard of the mentally ill is both disgusting and tragic.

I agree with Elfdart. As neuroscience and medical technology improves, we may eventually come up with very effective strategies for helping people prone to violent or psychotic behavior. But the Batman shooter is clearly a very serious threat to society, and the foremost responsibility of the State is to protect the well-being of its citizens. Since there's no question of guilt here, I don't see the point in keeping this guy alive. He's a constant safety risk, and there's no known way to effectively treat him short of lobotomizing the man. There's also the question of justice, and how valuable you think it is to provide the victim's families with a cathartic sense that justice has been served.

He's in jail, please demonstrate how he is more dangerous than any other murderer. I'd also like to see evidence that whatever his illness may be, it cannot be treated.