On 02-17-98 Andrew Cummins wrote to Day Brown... 
 AC> Minimize loss of innocent life?  Easy.  Exicute all first degree 
 AC> murderers within a year of conviction.  Execute all three-time 
 AC> violent felons.  And, disallow excuses like "battered wife 
 AC> syndrome."  Do these things and you would find the murder rate 
 AC> drop like a rock.  And, not only is this punishment effective, 
 AC> it is *moral*. 
It may be moral, but it will not decrease the number of innocent 
victims of murder.  Many of the victims are store clerks shot by 
some hood all cranked up on one drug or another.  Since the hood 
is not *rational*, the threat of execution is irrelevant. 
 
The other vast pool of victims were parts of a love triangle, and 
here too, the passions are so enflamed, that rationality does not 
enter in. 
 
Then too, we might include the drug dealers killed in the line of 
duty, and in this case, we might consider the murderer doing the 
public a service by acting as executioner.  Inasmuch as the crank 
dealers cause so much of the aforementioned irrationality, I can 
consider classing them as murderers in absentia. 
 
Now of the three classes above, only the first is likely to be a 
threat to guards and non-violent prisoners.  The habit of assault 
acquired by a mugger or robber makes him incurably dangerous, and 
a prompt execution would be best for the saftety of prison guards 
and others at the facility. 
 
To test whether execution is a deterrent, spoze we announce that 
we will compute the risk of death a store clerk runs, and that as 
part of the punishment for armed robbery, we will, in addition to 
the prison term, *randomly* execute robbers.  And, that further, 
if we see the rate of death for store clerks go down, that we, in 
the subsequent cases, will likewise, decrease the risk of death 
by execution to convicted robbers.  And, if store clerks are no 
longer shot at all, we will stop executing robbers. 
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 * OFFLINE 1.58 * Sounds as good as a Reggai band from Tulsa. 
--- Maximus 3.01
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