Are Our Criminals Treated Better Than The Victims?

[Selah]

I was just on Trutv.com. I viewed some of the last meals of the criminals on death row. It was pretty ridiculous. Some of these guys had anything ranging from 2 chocolate shakes and a bucket of kfc chicken...some ranging to food made for a family of 6!

Are you kidding me? This bothered me. These people, convicted felons and murderers are being catered to simply because it's their last day? Really? It just seems all topsy turvy, and it bugged me.

Why are these people allowed to indulge and fatten themselves up just because their being put to death that night? People like that, Ted Bundys and BTK's need to be secluded in solitary confinemant with a bowl of beef stew, not catered 2 buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken and 3 bottles of coke!

So yeah. That's me.

Oh, and here's the link:

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/photogallery/last-meals.html

[Selah]

No. You can't just vote. You need to explain yourself. Why you disagree with me or agree.

Why you think it's perfectly fine for someone like the OK bomber, who ruined lives and killed innocent children, some infants, to receive something like "lethal injection".

/end rant

Edited June 23, 2010 by Selah

[CatherineM]

Those are just the guys who got caught. The guy who slit my brother Dail's throat never spent a day in jail for that crime. His lawyer was good with continuances. Same for the guy who hit my brother Jimmy in the face with a tire iron. He was a minor. The guy who hurt me never even got arrested. I got the life sentence though.

[Selah]

Our legal system is messed up

[Winchester]

I voted and I ain't splaining nothing.

[Selah]

[quote]I voted and I ain't splaining nothing. [/quote]

[Semper Catholic]

No they are not.

Not to take the side of criminals but they are not.

It's their last meal for goodness sakes.

[ardillacid]

[quote name='Semper Catholic' date='24 June 2010 - 01:27 AM' timestamp='1277357229' post='2133541']
No they are not.

Not to take the side of criminals but they are not.

It's their last meal for goodness sakes.
[/quote]
I agree. Their lives are over, and we are going to begrudge them some KFC?

[ardillacid]

[quote name='Selah' date='23 June 2010 - 07:04 PM' timestamp='1277334269' post='2133390']


Why you think it's perfectly fine for someone like the OK bomber, who ruined lives and killed innocent children, some infants, to receive something like "lethal injection".

/end rant
[/quote]
What do you want him to receive? Burn him alive? Is it not enough that we are executing him?

[TeresaBenedicta]

Our judicial system isn't perfect.

But, I don't think it's unreasonable to give a choice meal for someone's last meal. Is it necessary? No. But it doesn't bother me much.

[Laudate_Dominum]

concurrence.

[-L-]

Considering prison is the worst place in america, I don't think criminals are treated better than the victims of crimes. I mean there's tons of violence in prisons, gang related, racially related, etc. People get raped and beaten on a daily basis, sometimes people are stabbed, and killed.

[ardillacid]

[quote name='Laudate_Dominum' date='24 June 2010 - 01:57 AM' timestamp='1277359055' post='2133558']
concurrence.
[/quote]
I am now reconsidering my position

[zunshynn]

[quote name='Semper Catholic' date='23 June 2010 - 11:27 PM' timestamp='1277357229' post='2133541']
No they are not.

Not to take the side of criminals but they are not.

It's their last meal for goodness sakes.
[/quote]

I am absolutely not an advocate for an "eye-for-an-eye" way of treating criminals (and am, in most situations, not even an advocate of the death penalty at all), but seriously... the man who rapes and brutally murders a 6 year old girl probably didn't ask her what the last meal of her dreams was... and I really don't think that he deserves or should get a T-bone steak, filet mignon and a bucket of KFC and milkshakes just because it's his last meal. (Which, keep in mind, is paid for by taxpayers).

[BibleReader]

I don't think its really relevant. If you are on death row, why does it matter what we do. I mean there's nothing else on earth that we can do after this for them. Even so, the eye of justice is supposed to be blind. Once time served, then you are once again penalty paid, clear with the law. All the little details are indifferent, and to be honest I don't think ex-cons and such should be persecuted. What would happen if God treated us that way? Now whether or not the justice system is [i]perfect[/i] is a whole different story.

[MithLuin]

I'm pretty sure the reason we are executing the criminal in the first place is because we don't approve of their actions. [i]Becoming[/i] them doesn't bring justice to the family, either. So, while it is true that they showed no considerations to the victim, that doesn't mean we should be just like that. Now, as for their last meal - really? KFC is too nice? It's just fast food chicken, hardly gourmet. You'd begrudge someone a milkshake? It's not like they haven't spent the last 10 years eating prison fare. This is [i]one[/i] meal - the rest were not 'catered' to their tastes.

Consider this - how much would you enjoy a special birthday dinner...if you knew you were going to die in a few hours? I think the execution hanging over their heads probably ruins the meal.

Final requests of dying men are given weight in our culture. Obviously, no one is going to stay the execution for them. But granting the request of the meal is a way of dodging the taboo of violating deathbed requests. I consider it quirky more than a tragedy that we offer death row convicts one final meal of their choice.

As [b]Catherine M[/b] pointed out, the real injustice is the people who get away with it - who never get caught or convicted for their crimes.

[Selah]

[quote]I'm pretty sure the reason we are executing the criminal in the first place is because we don't approve of their actions. Becoming them doesn't bring justice to the family, either. So, while it is true that they showed no considerations to the victim, that doesn't mean we should be just like that. Now, as for their last meal - really? KFC is too nice? It's just fast food chicken, hardly gourmet. You'd begrudge someone a milkshake? It's not like they haven't spent the last 10 years eating prison fare. This is one meal - the rest were not 'catered' to their tastes. [/quote]

I don't really care. I do have a problem when someone like Timothy Mcveigh, who stood in court and said that he was sorry people died and shrugged, "oh that's the nature of the beast" when there were children (an infant named Baylee) died-gets to eat shrinp and lobster tail, when someone who stabbed his entire family to death gets to eat a double meat burger with all the trimmings and french fries, onion rings, etc. Sorry. They don't deserve it.

So yes, you better believe I'll begrudge that milkshake.

[LouisvilleFan]

[quote name='Selah' date='23 June 2010 - 07:24 PM' timestamp='1277331857' post='2133365']
I was just on Trutv.com. I viewed some of the last meals of the criminals on death row. It was pretty ridiculous. Some of these guys had anything ranging from 2 chocolate shakes and a bucket of kfc chicken...some ranging to food made for a family of 6!

Are you kidding me? This bothered me. These people, convicted felons and murderers are being catered to simply because it's their last day? Really? It just seems all topsy turvy, and it bugged me.

Why are these people allowed to indulge and fatten themselves up just because their being put to death that night? People like that, Ted Bundys and BTK's need to be secluded in solitary confinemant with a bowl of beef stew, not catered 2 buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken and 3 bottles of coke!

So yeah. That's me.

Oh, and here's the link:

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/photogallery/last-meals.html
[/quote]

First, you really need to get yourself some Popeye's. Let your dog eat the KFC

I thought this was going to be about wealthy white collar criminals enjoying the luxury of premium prisons... stuff like that.

I believe there is no place for the systematic or intentional murder of human life in a civilized society, including the death penalty, abortion, and euthanasia. But given the situation where the death penalty is still exercised, giving a little bit of mercy to a person who has lived many years on death row is not unjust. It's not like fast-food is a nice meal anyway -- I hope someone's mother would make him a real meal!

Keep in mind too that the death penalty touches other issues, especially racism and classism. Countless innocent citizens have been murdered by our state governments because investigators and juries insist that somebody be indicted for a heinous crime -- that somebody is most likely poor and black.

That is a real injustice. Letting him enjoy one meal is simply being human.

[Selah]

[quote]First, you really need to get yourself some Popeye's. Let your dog eat the KFC [/quote]

I LOVE Popeye's. Oh my goodness...


[quote]That is a real injustice. Letting him enjoy one meal is simply being human. [/quote]

Well, yes, I suppose I could elaborated a bit. I do also have a problem with many other things, but this set me off. And hell, they can like their meal all they want...but really? 4 cheeseburgers? Really?

Oh, and since it was asked of me...Timothy Mcveigh got lethal injection. 169 people (an infant included, who was covered in blood and carried by a firefighter) were burned and crushed to death.

Seriously?

Edited June 24, 2010 by Selah

[XIX]

[quote name='Selah' date='24 June 2010 - 01:00 PM' timestamp='1277395239' post='2133626']
Oh, and since it was asked of me...Timothy Mcveigh got lethal injection. 169 people (an infant included, who was covered in blood and carried by a firefighter) were burned and crushed to death.

Seriously?
[/quote]
I'm just asking to clarify: are you suggesting that we should have tortured McVeigh to death because he tortured 169 others?