• state_electrician@discuss.tchncs.de
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    11 months ago

    This is so American. From the availability of firearms, to their immediate use upon a perceived threat, to the economic situation that would have him evicted, to the insane sentence of 100 years for a 66 year old who needs an oxygen tank. Just sad all around.

    • Madison420@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      I don’t think 100 years is insane, it’s life without parol without actually saying it. He shot two people tried to shoot another and actually killed the youngest.

      • state_electrician@discuss.tchncs.de
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        11 months ago

        Other countries don’t follow the punitive approach to criminal law, but rather a reformative. With the facts we are presented with it actually seems more like a failure of society instead of just one man. The sentence is absolutely ridiculous.

        • TheGreenGolem@lemm.ee
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          11 months ago

          There are cases to reform somebody, and I fully agree that we must try that. In some cases. Which this is absolutely not.

          • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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            11 months ago

            Well an arguement could be made that he’s not going to do it again.

            Think about the distinction between a contract killer and somebody who committed a crime of passion. Are both of those people equally likely to reoffend?

            If the objective is to either reform someone or simply remove a threat from society then both cases require different approaches.

            • abraxas@sh.itjust.works
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              11 months ago

              I’ve never thought anything over 10 years was appropriate to a once-in-a-lifetime type of crime of passion. It’s enough time for a decent remediation process to prevent a repeat offense OR prove a certainty that the person cannot be trusted free due to mental issues and put them in a permanent non-punitive form of imprisonment.

              In his case, if he didn’t have access to firearms, he wouldn’t be able to kill anyone. Sounds like he needs specialized assisted living, like the old guy who held himself hostage with a shotgun the next town over from me

              Nobody can mistake that the 100 years isn’t for the good of society, but to punish him for taking a life.

            • Instigate@aussie.zone
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              11 months ago

              An argument could be made, sure, but I don’t think it would be effective. If a person has the capacity to willingly murder their family members over an issue of eviction, then I don’t know how much capacity for reform they have. They pose an imminent and ongoing danger to anyone near them; an unacceptable level of risk in a tolerant society.

              Beyond that concept, there’s very little (if any) benefit to society to reforming and releasing this man. Any work that would need to be done to ensure this man could never kill again would take a considerable amount of time. He’s already 66 - let’s say it only takes four years (somehow), then he’ll be released when he’s 70. He already has health complications which likely put his life expectancy well below average, meaning his death is probably impending in the next decade - probably sooner based on substandard penal medical care.

              Trying to reform this man is like trying to keep a 21 year old dog alive - sure you can do it, and you’ll probably feel better about yourself if you do, but there’s no real benefit to the dog or society at large. He should have just been handed life without parole instead of 100 years - that seems like a sentence that could be appealed due to the silly nature of how long it is.

              • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
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                11 months ago

                Just want to point out that in Canada the stats are extremely clear, murderers are the convicts that are the least likely to commit the same crime that got them convicted again if they get released. Obviously there’s a panel to decide if they’re ready to come out and some of them never will, it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be given the tools to reform themselves.

        • teichflamme@lemm.ee
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          11 months ago

          I think most countries actually do both.

          It can be both punitive and reformative.

            • jimbo@lemmy.world
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              11 months ago

              It’s also impossible for him to murder anyone else before he kicks the bucket himself. I’d call that a win.

              • TheGalacticVoid@lemm.ee
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                11 months ago

                So, should the goal for prison be to serve as punishment or to literally torture people? Either way, they’re separated from everyone else.

              • CharlesMangione@lemmy.world
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                11 months ago

                impossible for him to murder anyone else

                Is this your first time ever hearing of the american prison system, or do you just not consider prisoners to be people?

              • Soulg@lemmy.world
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                11 months ago

                I didn’t know you were a psychiatrist specialized in reformation. Good thing we have you to know who can and can’t be reformed.

        • Madison420@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          I’m not saying I agree I’m saying with the system we have it seems fairly reasonable.

          We can talk about why and how the prison system is fucked beyond belief but that won’t change the fact that he needs somewhere to go at the moment.

        • jimbo@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          You know, I’m all for rehabilitation, but some people just don’t merit having that effort wasted on them.

        • deegeese@sopuli.xyz
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          11 months ago

          A 66 year old man who wants to kill his girlfriend and his son is not worth wasting the effort of any decent person to try and rehabilitate.

          Let’s spend scarce resources on people who might actually be helped.

        • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
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          11 months ago

          reformative

          Europe has lower crime rates because of fewer guns, not because of some enlightened prison system. Crime is created by need and opportunity. Punishment barely does anything and rehabilitation doesn’t solve the root cause of crime.

    • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
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      11 months ago

      who needs an oxygen tank.

      My first thought upon seeing that mugshot was that a lawyer might be playing up health issues for sympathy. That’s how American this is. Source: American. Sorry, USA. The rest of the continents do not deserve our shit reputation, problems aside.

        • Ann Archy@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          As well as being extremely irresponsible and a complete piece of shit, and, and this is pure conjecture, openly bigot and hard core Trump voter.