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[palsch]

My understanding is that only a jury is capable of sentencing someone to death, not a judge. In death penalty cases, first the jury determines guilt, and if found guilty if they should be executed. Both decisions have to be unanimous. Unfortunately, the law requires that all jurors in death penalty cases legally affirm a willingness to sentence someone to death before they are allowed onto the jury, so getting that unanimous vote isn't very hard.

Crap, yeah, was still operating under the basis that the judge is in charge of sentencing.

I'd guess that the jury should have been informed of the mitigating factors only after the initial guilty/innocent decision was made to prevent that information prejudicing the initial decision, but I'm also contaminated by the British system that has a far more protective view of the jury and what they can and can't know, so may be bringing some of that into this. Either way they should have known before sentencing. Still seems like a hard thing to correct on appeal though.

[Mrhappyface]

That's one of the prime reasons that the death penalty is almost certainly on its way out in the US. The courts have tried their hardest to balance and objectify it since it was re-instated, and have failed miserably. Quantifiers and stipulations have been piled onto the death penalty so much that it is an entirely different kind of trial from every other criminal trial now, and it still doesn't get enforced well. I'm sure Truean could tell us much more on that, though I don't think she's ever mentioned defending in a death penalty case. Eventually the courts are just going to start ruling that the system had its chance and demonstrated that it cannot handle the death penalty in a constitutional manner at all.

Jesus Christ I hope not, Europe doesn't have Mexico.

[scriver]

First of all, we have Belgium, which is like thirteen Mexicos, and secondly, what? Are you saying that if you don't have death penalties, then... Mexicans?

[kaijyuu]

No death penalty = MEXICANS EVERYWHERE

[Mrhappyface]

First of all, we have Belgium, which is like thirteen Mexicos, and secondly, what? Are you saying that if you don't have death penalties, then... Mexicans?

Wait, what? Belgium has giant drug cartels that kidnap people and perform bodily flaying and chainsaw decapitations? I just support the death penalty because there are some people which are lost causes and have to be put down.

[kaijyuu]

It's cheaper (and arguably more humane) to imprison the "lost causes" for life rather than killing them. Plus it avoids the whole hypocrisy thing.

And honestly there aren't that many Hannibal Lecters in the world. Certainly not as many as we kill.

[Mrhappyface]

It's cheaper (and arguably more humane) to imprison the "lost causes" for life rather than killing them. Plus it avoids the whole hypocrisy thing.

And honestly there aren't that many Hannibal Lecters in the world. Certainly not as many as we kill.

Huh. China just kills their citizens and bills the family for the bullet. Considering their western provinces and their eagerness to remove kebab, I can see why.

[scriver]

First of all, we have Belgium, which is like thirteen Mexicos, and secondly, what? Are you saying that if you don't have death penalties, then... Mexicans?

Wait, what? Belgium has giant drug cartels that kidnap people and perform bodily flaying and chainsaw decapitations? I just support the death penalty because there are some people which are lost causes and have to be put down.

Ask Darvi. He doesn't live there.

Also. What does insanely twisted Mexican criminals have to do with US punishments? You think a lot of those murders happen on US soil?

It's cheaper (and arguably more humane) to imprison the "lost causes" for life rather than killing them. Plus it avoids the whole hypocrisy thing.

And honestly there aren't that many Hannibal Lecters in the world. Certainly not as many as we kill.

Huh. China just kills their citizens and bills the family for the bullet. Considering their western provinces and their eagerness to remove kebab, I can see why.

Once again, how is this related?

[Leafsnail]

Once again, how is this related?

Italy is the non sequitur capital of the world.

[Darvi]

Ask Darvi. He doesn't live there.

Even if I did, I don't pay attention to the news anyway, so I wouldn't know :V

[da_nang]

In a way, most of this is old news, but still: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/sep/15/data-whistleblower-constitutional-rights

[Mrhappyface]

First of all, we have Belgium, which is like thirteen Mexicos, and secondly, what? Are you saying that if you don't have death penalties, then... Mexicans?

Wait, what? Belgium has giant drug cartels that kidnap people and perform bodily flaying and chainsaw decapitations? I just support the death penalty because there are some people which are lost causes and have to be put down.

Ask Darvi. He doesn't live there.

Also. What does insanely twisted Mexican criminals have to do with US punishments? You think a lot of those murders happen on US soil?

It's cheaper (and arguably more humane) to imprison the "lost causes" for life rather than killing them. Plus it avoids the whole hypocrisy thing.

And honestly there aren't that many Hannibal Lecters in the world. Certainly not as many as we kill.

Huh. China just kills their citizens and bills the family for the bullet. Considering their western provinces and their eagerness to remove kebab, I can see why.

Once again, how is this related?

It leaks over.

[kaijyuu]

The vast majority of crime "leaking over" from latin america to the US can be blamed on the drug war. If you're concerned about that, then the death penalty is one of the last things you should be advocating to fix it.

[Leafsnail]

Guys, I don't think you've understood his argument.  I'll lay it out for you.

- Europe doesn't have Mexico.
- China kills their citizens and bills the family for the bullet due to the behaviour of their western provinces.
- Mexico leaks over.

Therefore death penalty.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Well, I'm glad we got that sorted out.