Death Penatly and Mental Illness (Page 4)

I have a blanket policy against amending the Constitution to deprive people of rights.  At least I think I do.

Totally agree on the petty drug crimes.

The point is he wasn't mentally ill when he committed the crime and got sentenced to death. What difference does it make now that he is?

Those that are willing to live a life of crime, or even psychopaths already do not connect action with consequence. It never was, or ever will be a deterrence. There are those that feel the death penalty is a fitting sentence for some crimes and right now that is just the way it is.

Personally, the subject has always tripped me out. I could not imagine sitting in a cell for a few years or decades watching a clock tick. Knowing that eventually it will get to my expiration date where I will be put to death. Honestly, I find that to be a cruel and unusual punishment.

Just a few ways...

1. Judges should have term limits.  In our state they have a job until people "unelect" them.  On the ballot it states "Should judge X be appointed for another X year term".  99.9% of voters have NO idea who this judge is or what their record is.

2. Stop clogging our courts with petty drug charges.  If we stopped spending time and money on the kids selling pot we'd have more time and money to spend on the important cases.

3.  As stated before, get rid of mandatory sentences.

4.  Don't treat first time offenders the same as hardened criminals.  Don't let them mix. 

5.  Repeat offenders need to be locked up for life. There are people who have been in and out of jails their whole lives.  They are not deterred by jail.  So keep them there forever.  It'll be cheaper in the long run.

6.  When there is 100% conclusive evidence that a person committed a crime that person is sentenced w/o a jury trial.  (e.g. video evidence of crime being committed, admission of guilt etc..)

7.  As the Bard once said.,. "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers"...

Let's face it......the biggest drug problem in this country is prescription drugs...and we spend too much time fighting the "war on drugs".......a joke.  It's a "war" about money.....on both sides.  Take the money out of it and the "war" is over.

I agree.. to an extent.  I'm not too keen on making ALL drugs legal.  Heroin, for example, is one that I'd prefer to keep a but more regulated. However it makes up a small percentage of the "drug" problem.

Legalize pot and most of the issues would go away.  As well as a good number of the murders