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Re:A living death: Sentenced to die behind bars for what? by thaumasiotes on Saturday November 16, 2013 @01:17AM (#6743890)
> There's a reason we don't let victims decide criminal penalties.

True, but the process for determining what criminal penalties should be is heavily based on "imagine you're the victim".

Re:A living death: Sentenced to die behind bars for what? by tluyben2 on Saturday November 16, 2013 @04:56AM (#6744309)
No it should not; then most sentences would be torture and/or murder at which point the system stops working. If someone breaks into my house and steals something while making a mess/destroying stuff etc I want to break his/her legs. A lot of people would want to shoot him (on the spot) and even do so. I'm happy though that's not the actual punishment they get as there is a lot more behind the story than this and most criminals can be rehabilitated. There are exceptions with (some sex crimes), but even there are different methods (like chemical castration which doesn't hurt) than these over the top measures that come from 'imagine you're the victim'.
Re:A living death: Sentenced to die behind bars for what? by mikeash on Saturday November 16, 2013 @11:18AM (#6745229)
That's the kind of thinking that gets you amputations as punishment for theft, torture as punishment for murder, and mob justice on innocents who really really seem guilty.