What think youz on the surge of federal executions?
Seems that if one dared hope that Trump couldn't get any worse on the way out they'd be wrong.
I'm against the death penalty out of principle, so naturally I am against this.
My sister has really gotten involved in groups that try to prevent people from being executed. Especially people who are wrongfully accused. So many people get executed who aren't even guilty of the crime they are locked up for. It's horrible.
I've been aware of them, as I live in Terre Haute, and drive by the Federal Prison complex frequently on the way into town. The Terre Haute Prison complex contains the federal execution facility.
I was perusing the New York Times Corona Virus maps, and noticed that the last set of maps/data they presented recently ( or I just recently noticed ) is the number of Covid 19 cases in detention facilities all across the USA - municipal and county jails, state prisons, and federal prisons.
Avenal State Prison in California is currently in the lead with 3,358 cases.
The Terre Haute Federal Prison Complex, which includes the federal execution facility, currently has "only" 575 cases out of 3000 inmates.
Unfortunately, the total number of cases for each institution is the only statistic in the article, nowhere can I find cases/number of inmates, or cases/100,000 or some such number unless I search the web for each institution, and there are hundreds on the list.
I have seen suggestions that prison populations should be vaccinated early because of their increased risk. Fewer inmate cases might even save states and the federal government significant money since there should be lots fewer cases of severe Covid 19 requiring treatment in their populations.
There will undoubtedly be some portion of voters who do not feel prisoners should get priority over their mothers and fathers, or grandmothers, or their family members with major illness risk factors for severe Covid disease. But it is an idea worth seriously considering.
This pandemic is requiring each one of us, to reflect on our values in many ways. The death sentence is one of many social decisions being reflected upon, as well as vaccinating prisoners as a priority, I submit.
You have to scroll down the page in my link below, quite a bite, as the case per prison data is at the bottom, and is only displayed by the actual number of cases, so your have to spend some time to find a specific instituition.
Below is an article in the New York TImes about the first female prisoner to be executed in over 70 years. She was scheduled for execution today Dec 8. for crime a kidnapping and homicide committed in 2008.
A brief search reveals there are about 3000 inmates in the Terre Haute Prison complex, so 575/3000 is about 19+% of the inmate population.
I know a very determined, local, Catholic nun, who works at the same school where my wife teaches, whom we lunch socially with, from time to time. I am certain, she was protesting today, outside the facility.
I've never understood how the land of the free could lead the world in incarcerations when our mantras are no socialism, defend our rights. But we jail 2.3 million people, keep them from being employed, pay for their health care, food, lodging, and education. Isn't that...socialism?
Democratic socialism is not the evil many Americans think it is.
If someone has no income and few prospects of employment, they still have to feed, cloth and house their family, for the desperate there is no alternative than to turn to crime.
A form of social help, as a payment stops many from turning to crime just to provide the basics of life.
There will always be criminals and the need to incarcerate some members of society no matter how generous the system.
The way it looks from the outside, is that the USA has become so selfish that many in the community can bring themselves to help the most vulnerable.
I know folks who have lost jobs and struggled to find employment and have survived on welfare payments while finding a new job, all would rather have a job and the dignity that comes from being employed.
A small increase to the top tax bracket and a small cut in defence spending and the USA would easily fund a good welfare and health system, and massive science programs. And before you know it the USA would be great again.
This article shows just how out of whack things are:
There is a thread on AdvRider entitled "Is Mexico safe?" As you'd expect, there are many pages of differing answers. Comparing the rates of incarceration reported above, it would appear that the US harbors far more dangerous villians than Mexico or indeed any other country. Which must be why we cling to the 2nd Ammendment so we can be armed to the teeth as we stand our ground in our bunkers . . .
If only assult weapons were effective against Covid we really would be "tired of winning".
There is a thread on AdvRider entitled "Is Mexico safe?"
That thread had a crazy guy in it for awhile who stalked me on various accounts and threatened to sue.
Wikipedia lists the US as being pretty good for intentional homicides:
Yes, those US numbers aren't bad. But look at our northern neighbors; those Canadians seem to get along better than most anybody. Is it the long winters???
Then why are the numbers in St Pierre Miquelon almost 8 times higher than Canada?
And what is it about Central America?As I look at that table, maybe there was only one murder in St Pierre Miquelon in 2009, but in the small population of the islands, the ratio of murders per population creates a ratio that seems high, but is not really a pertinenet ratio like with much larger nation populations. The columns are not labled, but I assume the blue column is murders/100,000 people or a similar ratio since it is 3 or 4 significant figures, while the second column is entirely composed of whole numbers, not fractional numbers, hence actual number of murders, maybe??
And in the USA row, 4.96 is the number of murders per 100,000. And the US population is roughly 326,895,160. So, divide the US population 326,895,160 / 100,000 = 3268.9516 groups of 100,000 with a rate of 4.96/100,000 so 4.96 x 3268.9516 = ~ 16214 as seen in the chart above.
So I found the original page on Wikipedia, and the blue column is indeed the number of murders per 100,000 inhabitants - but I bet St Pierre Miquelon does not have 100,000 people - indeed, it only has 5872 souls as of today Dec 9, 2020
The article on Wikipedia about national homicide rates around the world is quite informative, and helps me understand why some of my European friends are afraid of coming to the USA.
