So I was driving home after voting this morning and I heard
some morning talk show DJ’s talking about what they would request as a last
meal if they were convicted murders.
They were joking about how simple some would be; one girl said chips and
queso would be enough for her. A couple
other guys were talking about how an ice-cold beer would be in their request.
It got me thinking.
Not about what I would want for a last meal but why our criminal justice
system provides this service. I see it
two ways. One, the murderer doesn’t
deserve it and two, they didn’t provide that same service.
We see murder as the most vile of all crimes and make it
punishable by death in some states. At
the least we lock them away so long, by the time they get out, if they get out,
they only have a few years left before they die. So why do we provide a service that gives
them a choice about their last
meal? They are murderers and took the
life of someone who did not deserve to die.
Why do we give them the choice? I
say we just force them to skip their last meal, save the money, and put the
murderer to death on an empty stomach.
Or, if that is too inhumane, then we ask the family of the victim to
select the last meal. That way those who
have compassion for the murderer can sleep at night.
The other reason I do not agree with the last meal idea is
because the victim didn’t get a choice.
They did wake up that morning knowing when they were going to die. They didn’t have adequate time to plan for
their last meal. If a victim, who did
nothing wrong, doesn’t get to chose, why should a murderer?
We place way too much emphasis on giving rights to the wrong
people in this country. We are so afraid
to offend that we give in to these outrageous demands of criminals and those
that support the rights of felons. They
are murderers. They do not deserve
rights. They gave up their rights when
they killed another human being in cold blood.
We need to stop pampering these people and start making
prison a place that no one wants to go.
Not a place that provides 3 square meals and a place to sleep. Our prison system should focus on making
prison a punishment not an attempt to rehabilitate. I wish it did provide rehabilitation for
those who break the law, but it doesn’t.
Seems it is time to make prison a punishment.
No more cable tv.
They can read a book.
No more A/C. They can
use a fan.
No more family visits.
They can write a letter.
No more mattresses. They
can have a cot.
No more last meals.
They don’t deserve one.
Do you have any suggestions on how to make prison a place of
punishment and not a rite of passage?
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