Euthanasia for prisoners

[dutchfire]

Our society has a tendency to sentence people to long sentences in prison every now and then. Now, keeping people in prison is expensive and a drain on society, and it sucks for the people who actually have to be in prison. Now, the way our society is structured, former convicts are in some cases especially unlikely to ever integrate successfully into society again, making the rest of their live hardly worth living and often they fall back into criminality. Should we offer these people an opt-out? Instead of the long prison sentence, they can chose for euthanasia instead. This'll save the government money, will prevent them to be criminal after their sentence and protects the convicted from prison. (To prevent ridiculous situations, suppose that this option is only granted for sentences > 5 years and that checks are in place to make sure that the prisoners are not forced to take this decision. Also, there is enough time for them to reconsider.)

Thoughts?

 

[luiz]

Well, forms of euthanasia are available to most people (Ie, pain killer overdose). But few people take them, no matter how crappy their life. I'm pretty sure the proportion of prisoners who would take this choice would be similar to the proportion of suicidals in society.

 

[Borachio]

I don't mean to seem dismissive, but this idea stinks. Where did you get the idea?

The suicide rate in prison is hugely greater than that outside. ~70 per 100,000 as opposed to ~10 per 100,000 outside. (UK figures)

 

[dutchfire]

I don't mean to seem dismissive, but this idea stinks. Where did you get the idea?

The suicide rate in prison is hugely greater than that outside. ~70 per 100,000 as opposed to ~10 per 100,000 outside. (UK figures)

Which suggests that there is a market for this idea.
Also, euthanasia is a lot cleaner than having a prison guard find a guy who hanged himself with the bed linnen.

 

[dutchfire]

Well, forms of euthanasia are available to most people (Ie, pain killer overdose). But few people take them, no matter how crappy their life. I'm pretty sure the proportion of prisoners who would take this choice would be similar to the proportion of suicidals in society.

Pain killer overdose is not really an option for prisoners though, since they can't go to the drug store.

 

[Borachio]

Sorry. The idea still stinks on so many levels that I strongly suspect you're not serious.

 

[dutchfire]

I appreciate that it is unconventional, and I'm not sure that I'd support it, but what is actually wrong with it? We seem intent to remove certain people from our society, isn't it cruel to just keep them alive but not free until they die?

 

[Borachio]

Stone walls do not a prison make,/ nor iron bars a cage.

Who said that? I forget. I'll go look.

Richard Lovelace. Him the guy.

Minds innocent and quiet take /That for an hermitage

 

[warpus]

If someone who is in jail doesn't wish to be rehabilitated and participate honestly with the rest of society, I would support an option for a humane form of euthenasia.

Hey, it would save money.

Jail should be a form of rehabilitation. If someone isn't going to get rehabilitated and they want to die. .. why keep them around?

 

[Borachio]

Because euthanasia is indefensible under all circumstances. Just my own view. Take no notice. Carry on, please.

 

[BvBPL]

ONow, the way our society is structured, former convicts are in some cases especially unlikely to ever integrate successfully into society again, making the rest of their live hardly worth living and often they fall back into criminality. Should we offer these people an opt-out? Instead of the long prison sentence, they can chose for euthanasia instead.

I think you are approaching the issue of collateral consequences of criminal sentencing from the wrong angle. It is certainly true that ex-cons have difficulty integrating into society for a variety of reasons. I do not think it necessarily follows that the solution to this problem is have ex-cons exist from society, and life, altogether. Instead, I would recommend that society instead focus on reducing the collateral consequences of a criminal sentence and provide support to ex-cons who are facing difficulties.

I believe this euthanasia idea would be unconstitutional in the US.

 

[warpus]

Because euthanasia is indefensible under all circumstances. Just my own view. Take no notice. Carry on, please.

Everyone dies. The freedom to choose that it's your time to go should not be taken from you by anyone - assuming that you are of a sound mind when you make the decision.

 

[timtofly]

Are there any people opting for death row?

 

[squadbroken]

Now, the way our society is structured, former convicts are in some cases especially unlikely to ever integrate successfully into society again, making the rest of their live hardly worth living and often they fall back into criminality. Should we offer these people an opt-out? Instead of the long prison sentence, they can chose for euthanasia instead.
...
Thoughts?

How about fixing the bolded first instead of encouraging people to kill themselves in order to save the society that condemned them a few bucks.

This idea is even more perverse than paying the poor to have themselves sterilized.

 

[Quintillus]

I believe this euthanasia idea would be unconstitutional in the US.

Isn't it constitutional in Oregon? Or is it just practiced there and not actually legal?

(note that I'm fairly certain this would be a state constitution issue, assuming it isn't punishment, since even murder isn't illegal at the federal level, unless the victim is a federal employee)

But yes, I agree with several of the replies that the bigger problem is the societal structure that tends to cause this situation. In short, the mindset of prison being primarily about punishment, rather than rehabilitation. We'll probably never be able to rehabilitate all criminals, but I'm pretty sure we aren't even trying to do a good job now.

(also, aren't you in Germany? I think it's even worse in the U.S.)

 

[El_Machinae]

I think that if jails are driving people to commit suicide, then we're doing something wrong. That said, I can see why there's an idea that sometimes euthanasia might be appropriate.

 

[BvBPL]

Isn't it constitutional in Oregon? Or is it just practiced there and not actually legal?

So far as I know, I think that medically assisted suicide for terminally ill patients may be legal in Oregon, but that's nowhere near the same as permitting a health individual to kill himself because he's facing some non-medical problems.

 

[Goodfella]

The reason I'm against the death penalty is because the risk of an innocent person being executed is too great. This applies to the op's proposed system as well. If an innocent gets life in prison he might opt for euthanasia rather than endure years of painful prison life for a crime he didn't commit. It would be too late to correct the mistake if he's already been killed.

 

[warpus]

The reason I'm against the death penalty is because the risk of an innocent person being executed is too great. This applies to the op's proposed system as well. If an innocent gets life in prison he might opt for euthanasia rather than endure years of painful prison life for a crime he didn't commit. It would be too late to correct the mistake if he's already been killed.

.. That's something I did not consider.

I am going to have to change my position, in that we shouldn't allow euthanasia for prisoners, unless they are on death row

 

[Ajidica]

I would not be opposed to giving prisoners the option for euthanasia. Obviously they would have to go through psych evals and other steps to ensure this is actualy what they want and aren't just temporarily depressed.