Suicide is always an unreasonable decision, unless you face something which is literally worse than death.

A lifetime in prison is not worse than death. At least you can still talk to your family. You can acquire new skills. There is the chance you get paroled early. Etc, etc.

I disagree. That's your opinion. Why is it that people can come to the conclusion of "I'd rather see him rot to death in a jail cell than the benefit of a quick death". This line of thinking views death as a lighter punishment when contrasted against a lifetime in prison.

Yet when the tables are turned suddenly suicide is viewed with such disdain?

I'm not advocating suicide or anything, I'm just arguing that when faced with an immensely harsh sentence, it's not a surprising decision to reach.

> A lifetime in prison is not worse than death.

The fuck it isn't. Or, more civilly, that is definitely a statement on which reasonable people may disagree.

I'm not particularly depressed, but if I were actually sentenced to life in prison, I would check out in a hot second. There's no point. My opportunities to create joy in the world and to experience unalloyed happiness are done. The rest of my life would be nothing but marking the days and the years until death. It's a waste of good consciousness. I'm opposed to capital punishment because it's irreversible, but I do believe that death is more merciful than life in prison.

That's false. You can do a wide variety of things in prison. You can read books. You can write a book. You can hone skills. You can try to improve the lives of your fellow inmates. Hell, you could write letters to important people advocating change you believe in. Just because you can't see the opportunities that exist in prison doesn't mean they don't exist.

Live free or die.