18946, RE: some people deserve to die Posted by standard deviant, Mon Feb-05-01 09:08 AM
actually, the crime rate runs generally opposite the death penalty...meaning it has little to no deterrant effect. But independant of that, do you really want to find yourself arguing from a utilitarian standpoint? I mean, there would be NO crime if we were all in prison...so obviously the gubmint should just convict us all, right? Aww, hell, since the poorer segments of the population are most likely to commit "crime" (quotes to indicate that rich commit just as heinous offences, but since it is behind a corporate guise, they don't get sent to jail...just slapped on the wrist), why don't we just kill anyone that doesn't meet a certain income requirement?
Check out "The Rich Get Richer And The Poor Get Prison" (I don't recall the author...some professor from Georgetown). It is basically a marxist kritik, but it is good.
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