[Drabdr]

Originally Posted by Mulderator

The whole thing was a nightmare as you might expect (so sad and so much pain involved with a double homicide with a young girl and a relatively young mother), but I thought it was a beautiful ceremony. There are also are some other issues going on that I really can't talk about complicating things. Now unfortunately there is a trial to go through with this scumbag. Hopefully it will happen sooner rather than later.

You continue to have my thoughts and prayers.

[LANMaster]

Thanks, Mulder.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

[WendyM]

Chris, I'm incredibly sorry to hear about this. My thoughts are with your whole family, especially your brother and surviving niece who must be going through absolute hell. I hope that if there's a trial it happens sooner than later so they can begin to heal, to the extent that's ever going to be possible.

[trekguy]

Mulder, what an awful thing to happen to your family... I don't even know what to say.

[linskyjack]

Mulder--sorry to hear the news---I'm not around here much these days. In principle, I have no issue with the death penalty----But once the government is involved, I can't be assured that the ALWAYS get the right guy. One mistake is one mistake to many. Thats the permanency of death.

[LANMaster]

Hi Linsky. Nice to see you.
This is one issue on which I think we can see eye to eye.

[Couriant]

Originally Posted by buffoon

Of the 53 African Union member states 14 have abolished DP, 21 still have it but no longer use it and another 18 still retain it. Of the latter only a handful actually apply it and they're often enough a mixture of Islamic and totalitarian
(no the two are not necessarily the same). Notably Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, and some "black" African countries like Congo.

There are no reliable statistics available.

Maybe of interest that over two thirds of the world's countries have abolished DP.

OK, back on topic.

Originally Posted by LANMaster

Thanks Buffoon, I must admit that you are a wealth of information, and you should sign up to appear on Jeopardy real soon.

thanks!

[steppenwolf]

terrible!

im sorry your relatives were killed mulderator

[steppenwolf]

i think ill vote republican because they are harsher on crime or so i think, but i dont think the death penalty is too good because inncoent peple could be killed and prison seems like a better deterent

even if there is a death penalty corrupt attorneys or judges or juries can get them off anyway so in this world there isnt perfect justice


i think in kennesaw georgia by law they have to own a gun in home and they have less crime

[poochee]

Posted on Tue, Oct. 20, 2009
From a budget standpoint, is death row worth it?
In most states, capital cases are costly and executions are rare
BY RON SYLVESTER
The Wichita Eagle

States could save hundreds of millions of dollars by eliminating the death penalty, according to a report released today. The report, which includes a national survey of police chiefs, was compiled by the Death Penalty Information Center, a nonprofit group that researches capital punishment.

The study says that as government budgets wane, many states spend money on seeking the death penalty, while few actually carry out executions.

A poll of 500 police chiefs, selected at random, found they preferred putting resources into hiring more officers and spending money on drug and alcohol abuse as better ways to reduce violent crime.

Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams said he wasn’t surprised by the findings.

But Williams also said that cost analysis of the death penalty concerns him.

“What price do you put on a human life?” he said. “That’s also something you have to look at, especially in getting justice for the families of victims.”

Excerpts from: http://www.kansas.com/news/featured/story/1018965.html

[Blackmirror]

Still thinking of you M xxx

[LANMaster]

Thanks Poochee.

[Mulderator]

Originally Posted by poochee

Posted on Tue, Oct. 20, 2009
From a budget standpoint, is death row worth it?
In most states, capital cases are costly and executions are rare
BY RON SYLVESTER
The Wichita Eagle

States could save hundreds of millions of dollars by eliminating the death penalty, according to a report released today. The report, which includes a national survey of police chiefs, was compiled by the Death Penalty Information Center, a nonprofit group that researches capital punishment.

The study says that as government budgets wane, many states spend money on seeking the death penalty, while few actually carry out executions.

A poll of 500 police chiefs, selected at random, found they preferred putting resources into hiring more officers and spending money on drug and alcohol abuse as better ways to reduce violent crime.

Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams said he wasn’t surprised by the findings.

But Williams also said that cost analysis of the death penalty concerns him.

“What price do you put on a human life?” he said. “That’s also something you have to look at, especially in getting justice for the families of victims.”

Excerpts from: http://www.kansas.com/news/featured/story/1018965.html

The problem is they aren't considering the cost of all the extra trials--if that cost were considered, it would be more than what they are saving. That's the point of the thread--the cost-savings analysis of elimination of the death penalty has left out the affect of plea-bargaining to life in prison to save an accused's life.

[Mulderator]

Thanks again for all the prayers and well-wishes--its all appreciated very much!

[LANMaster]

How is your brother holding up, Chris?