You know, there is already such a thing as a life sentence with the possibility of parole. It's essentially what Zed said. It exists already but I think they just don't use it as much. I mean, murder carries a sentence of 25-life, not just life. So there's already something in place to work with, but it'll take a lot to convince a judge to give life with parole to a serial killer/rapist or mass murderer or someone of that sort.

Quote from Zed

Not necessarily. Removal of evil people from society is an objective, and one which is best served by the life sentance.

Not really, you can't make up principles and purposes of punishments which are prescribed by law. I forgot to point that out.

Quote from Ash

And yet you aren't actually offering an alternative. If a person goes through life in prison without being rehabilitated, what do we do to him to prevent him from having to spend his WHOLE life there?

That's why I said the prisons need to be reorganised completely to reach the goal of rehabilitation. That's actually the alternative.

The only thing left is to keep him there, and that might mean keeping him until he dies.

Wow, okay.
Do you even realise who gets sentenced to such a punishment? The profile of the "lifers" is way more complex than you think.

1. As I've said, the policies in USA are getting way harsher, and thus the population of those kind of prisoners are completely different. One of the main reasons is the "three strikes and you're out" principle in California and most other states. I'm sure you can vaguely visualise what this is about. So there we have some people who deal with drug trafficking a several times and don't impose a big threat, by that I mean that they're not violent by nature, and then they end up sentenced for life.

2. There is also the issue of the judicial system, since it seems to have a bad distincion in the serious crime-offenders and those for whom a lesser punisment would be more appropriate.

3. Don't forget the question of actual culpability. A person gets sentenced for life without chance of parole, dies in the prison. After that they discover he was not actually guilty. How are you going to bring that back? This sentence isn't really retractable after you die. I mean, if a person is declared innocent after he gets released, he gets a compensation, some amount of money or something. What can you give a deceased person? Or his relatives?

Quote from Real

You know, there is already such a thing as a life sentence with the possibility of parole. It's essentially what Zed said. It exists already but I think they just don't use it as much.

I've done some research on USA now and the policies are getting harsher. Whoever gets sentenced to spending their whole life in jail, the percentage of them getting a parole is significantly small. So there's no use in saying that there is a chance, though they never use it.

I mean, murder carries a sentence of 25-life, not just life. So there's already something in place to work with, but it'll take a lot to convince a judge to give life with parole to a serial killer/rapist or mass murderer or someone of that sort.

See my replies above.


I understand that there's bigger crimes in the United States than where I live(for Slovenia, the life-long prison sentence is completely inappropriate), though the policies there force the legislature to prescribe harsh and inappropriate punishments.


Sorry for not replying to this debate for a while, but I haven't forgotten about it. I reply when I'm in the mood or after I've done some research on the subject.