Capital Crimes/ Death Penalty VS Life in Prison

dcorrigano said:

I voted DP for one reason only Susan Smith.
She not only is getting her education in prison,she has a personal ad posted looking for a man, and she contracted a STD in prison by having sex with a guard. She has adjusted well to prison: I will have to go POSTAL if I see this 10 years after KC's sentence.

During my spare time, I enjoy reading, working puzzles, and writing.
"I love rainbows, Mickey Mouse, the beach, the mountains, and waterfalls.
"My favorite color is navy blue and my favorite flower is the daisy.
"I am a Christian and I enjoy attending church.
"I consider myself to be sensitive, caring, and kind-hearted.
"I'm currently serving a life sentence on the charge of murder. I have grown and matured a lot since my incarceration, but I will always hurt for the pain I´ve caused so many, especially my children.
"I hope to receive letters from those who are not judgmental and who are sincere.
"I look forward to hearing from new people and, hopefully, finding new friends.
"May God bless each one of you!
"Please Write Me At:

Susan Smith, Prisoner #221487
Leath Correctional Institution
2809 Airport Rd.
Greenwood SC 29649

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sweetmop said:

I used to be dead set against the dp ( in my younger days ). If ever there was a crime that justified the DP, this is it! She searched neck breaking, chloraform, and more! I think before this is over, we'll hear even more diabolical deeds that were done, none of which will be easy for us to tolerate either!
I vote for the DP. Casey Anthony should be double bagged with chloraform rags in the bags, mouth duct taped and thrown off a bridge into a river!

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lin said:

Such a great post, I hate to be picky... but... um... you forgot the heart sticker on the duct tape. That should be part of it, imo. May be quite a long line of those willing to apply it.

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tasylshari said:

spamelope said:

I believe someone here wrote that it takes about 13 years. To those that think Casey will ever be in general population, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that will never happen. Hers is a very high profile case, and the prison is responsible for her well being until she's released or deceased.


Protection From Assault

The Eighth Amendment requires prison officials to protect prisoners from violence at the hands of other prisoners. Farmer v. Brennan, 511 U.S. 825, 833 (1994). "Being violently assaulted in prison is simply not part of the penalty that criminal offenders pay for their offenses against society." Id. at 834.

respectfully snipped and BOLD by me....

Gee, it's too bad that there wasn't a ninth amendment that states that "A Mother Is Not Allowed To Kill Her Baby"

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That's why I voted for the DP.

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sweetmop said:

OMG! That's sick! She believes herself to be 'sensitive, caring, and kind hearted'!? WTH? She's another truely evil witch!

Have you written to her?

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Pollywog said:

I vote no DP. The reason being if she gets the DP, she gets to sit in a private cell for 20+ years while she goes thru the appeals. I want her in the GP so she has to mix with other inmates and NOT have a cell to herself.

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dcorrigano said:

Oh no,I havent written her. Susan Smith was very specific in that she only wants to hear from NonJudgmental people.

Ill write a nonjudgmental letter to SS the same day I put money in KC's commissary account.

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Disguiseduser0308 said:

I vote no DP solely based on religious beliefs. No further comment.

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I want to preface this by stating that I have no ethical, moral, or religious objections to the death penalty per se.

I do have considerable reservations about its use.

I think it is of note that most of the discussion in this thread relates to the appropriateness of the death penalty as regards the heinous nature of the crime, i.e. the death of an innocent child. It naturally leads to the topic of punishment as retribution vs. punishment as dissuasion, vs. incarceration to protect society, and is an excellent one to pursue.

But that isn't what I want to address.

I believe that it is better for some guilty to go unpunished, or at least less punished than for the innocent to be punished. This is the core reasoning behind the concept of "reasonable doubt".

In the case of the death penalty this idea needs to be taken even further. Reasonable doubt does not suffice. The problem is that once executed the judgement cannot be taken back. There is no "Whoopsy, sorry about that!"

I feel that the death penalty requires ... no, demands absolute, 100% certainty. Not 'beyond reasonable doubt". The problem here is the difficulty of determining that certainty. No amount of circumstantial evidence can provide it. No number of "eyewitnesses" can provide it. Even confessions have been shown, often, to be in error.

I ask anyone who supports the death penalty to answer one simple question.

How many innocent people is it okay for our legal system to put to death?

If your personal answer is a non-zero one then please follow with the percentage of erroneous executions that you do believe to be acceptable. Is one innocent death out of a thousand guilty all right? How about one out of a hundred?

We can pursue discussion on that basis. Perhaps it is O/T here. Perhaps not.

If your answer is zero then please consider in that light opinions you may have posted here.

I would enjoy conversation on the topic of achieving that 100% certainty. Again, perhaps O/T, perhaps not.

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fortytwo said:

I am repeating the following post of mine which I placed in the other Capital punishment thread yesterday because this is an issue that I feel very strongly about.

(link:http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72446&highlight=capital+punishment)

I would also like to add that I personally feel that the death penalty in her case would not provide sufficient retribution, no matter how creatively applied.

I relish the thought of her impotent rage and frustration reinforced on a daily basis for years and decades. I have no illusions that she will ever repent her actions or regret them other than as a mistake which cost her personally, but regret them she will.

I also enjoy the thought of her in general population, but as others have pointed out this is sadly unlikely.

Perhaps these feelings do not reflect well on me as a person, but they are there nonetheless.

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fuzzykpd said:

I agree but also have the thought that bringing the DP to the plate might just endanger the case for prosecutors since some jurors, no matter what they say during the jury selection process, might have difficulty finding guilt knowing the DP was the possible outcome.

In many jurors minds, she would too young to put to death. In other jurors minds it might be proved she was guilty of the death but without manner of death, they would be reluctant to convict also with the DP on the table. I believe any other sentence possibility improves the proscecutor's chance of convicting.

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badmotorvision said:

Question, If DP is on the table can't the jurors choose a lesser punishment?
IE LWP

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Tracey276 said:

I also voted NO DP, only because I think she should live out the rest of her loooong life, (remember she's only 22 and has a long life to live, yeah) in solitaire confinement. I can't imagine her ever being able to be put into GP. If she could be accepted in GP, and not be harassed every day of her life, then I'd vote yes for DP, because then she would be in solitaire, I believe.
So, in short, only LWOP if in solitaire, otherwise, yes, death!

Oh, and one more reason I say no, I don't want any juror having a heavy heart and not being able to convict her if she could get death. DP makes it a much harder case for prosecution.

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LeLe1953 said:

I don't disagree with you but I would hope the jurors would look at how young she is & think about her dropping more babies to kill. I would hope they would see if she could kill her child, she could kill anyone. :furious:

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