Interesting point, but I'm not wholly convinced. I think part of the reason people fight CP is because they are going to be killed, and this is more frightening than incarceration (at least it would be for me). Also, it is a more controversial subject. Few people object to incarceration, while lots of people view the death penalty as immoral. You can argue the death penalty is too severe a punishment for your crime, or that it is inhumane, etc. And you have some reason to expect a good result (i.e., no execution), even if you admit your guilt or have little hope of being acquitted. This isn't true of LI.
Brett
I'll just state for the record that I'm totally opposed to CP. Aside from revenge, there is no justification for it. Society is not served, or made safer, and it does nothing to redress the wrong which was perpetrated. In many cases it simply adds to the suffering (the executed person may have family/friends). As Bill says, it is simply the murder of a defenseless human being, something we should be ashamed of.
>> 2) It's bloody expensive (~3x more than simple incarceration)
>
>As I understand it, the reason CP is so expensive is the lengthy judicial
>review process that it involves. It is the maximum penalty, and people go all
>out to fight it.
>
>If so, lifetime incarceration would appear "cheap" because many accept it
>without a fight to avoid the maximum penalty, CP. A repeal of CP would
make LI
>the maximum penalty, and all (or substantially all) the judicial expenses
>associated with CP would apply to LI, plus the expense of lifetime
>incarceration.
>
>--
>Enrique Diaz-Alvarez Office # (607) 255 5034
>Electrical Engineering Home # (607) 272 4808
>112 Phillips Hall Fax # (607) 255 4565
>Cornell University mailto:enrique at ee.cornell.edu
>Ithaca, NY 14853 http://peta.ee.cornell.edu/~enrique