...and this is depressing even to read about

[volksdragon]

I wonder how people justify this as being somehow more humane than a death-sentence.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060504/ts_nm/security_moussaoui_cell_dc

Comments

[stemware.livejournal.com]

In my opinion, Moussaoui was taunting the judge and jury trying to get a death sentence because he did not want to spend the rest of his life in solitary. Also in my opinion, the judge and jury decided that the life sentence would also be a more harsh punishment and did not want to give him the pleasure of making him a martyr. And finally, if he were on death row he would have spent the rest of his life appealing and making political statements while in relative comfort.

[halleyscomet.livejournal.com]

I was listening to a report on some of his courtroom antics. Apparently, the prosecution was on the verge of dropping the death penalty idea until Moussaoui stepped up to the bat and started giving them what they wanted.

The commentators were perplexed and couldn't explain why the defendant would do so much to help the prosecution.

Moussaoui wanted the death penalty. He wanted to be a martyr, and being killed in prison would have accomplished that.

The life sentence is so the state doesn't execute him, and the solitary is so other prisoners don't do him in.

None of this is about anything as abstract as "justice." Regardless of his involvement in 9-11, he's set himself up to be a scapegoat, and he wanted to be put to death for it to become a martyr.

This verdict him his martyrdom, and allows the government to pretend they got someone who was responsible.

It is more humane...

[etherial.livejournal.com]

to his victims.

[en-ki.livejournal.com]

Dude, the guy made no contribution whatsoever to the murders. He wanted to help, and that's reason enough to lock him away from other human beings forever, but he doesn't have any goddamn victims.

[nemomori.livejournal.com]

Allow me to give you a hypothetical:

I know, for a fact, that 10 students are going to enter my school and gun down innocent teachers and students. I do nothing about this, it happens. The prosecution finds proof that I knew about this going to happen. If I am not held morally and criminaly responsible for my clear indifference to life by withholding this information then the system fails.

[en-ki.livejournal.com]

Sure. Hence my agreement that he isn't to be trusted around other people and should be locked up indefinitely: he knew murders were going to happen, and he wanted them to happen, so he didn't take reasonable action to stop them. Treat him like any other SOB who has demonstrated criminal contempt for the lives and rights of others and put him away.

Still, equating his actions with actually carrying out the murders is not right, and to do so trivializes the actual act. While it's a tempting urge when the murderers are all dead, the genuine conspirators have been allowed to slip away, and the people who bear primary responsibility for failing to stop the murders are government officials the government doesn't see fit to prosecute, ritual punishment of scapegoats is not a worthy purpose for our justice system.

[ex-prunesnp.livejournal.com]

I wasn't aware that anyone did. The guy wanted a death sentence, so it's a good reason not to give it to him.

[marmota.livejournal.com]

It's not the slightest bit humane. It is however politically astute to not make a martyr out of him.

[nemomori.livejournal.com]

Frankly I'm glad that he will rot away in a cell in misery with little to no human contact. It is times like this that I am glad punishments can not be cruel and unusual but they can be either cruel OR unusual.