If I were convicted of murder, I’d prefer the death penalty over a life sentence. If I had to spend the rest of my life imprisoned, I’d prefer that it would be as short as possible. Life is not worth living in prison. I’d refuse to eat and starve to death; I’d stab myself to death with my eating utensils; I’d refuse to chew my food and choke myself; I’d dive headfirst from the highest ledge; I’d concentrate harder and harder until spontaneously bursting into flames! There would no way to force me to live without freedom, without love, and without hope. How can anyone face a prison sentence of 50 years or more? I certainly couldn’t.
Don’t kill anyone.
Just a thought.
And at your first attempt, they’d through you in a solitary cell where you can’t kill yourself, or force feed you through an IV, etc.
Yeah, probably put you in a straight jacket in a padded room. Then they’d force feed you vitamin-enhanced jello.
What brought on this train of thought anyway?
I was watching Forensic Files the other day. Some crackhead broke into his next door neighbor’s house and killed a guy. He pled guilty and got a life sentence to avoid the death penalty. 20 years on death row or the rest of your life in prison? It seemed to be pointless and stupid to choose a longer prison sentence, but then he was a crackhead.
Don’t smoke crack.
Maybe this should be in IMHO, asking if you had to choose would you want to get the death sentence or serve a life sentence? It isn’t a question of how to avoid such sentences.
Sorry, that is just MHO. 
Yeah, if you’re in for life, there’s always the off-chance that civilization could collapse, allowing you and your prison-mates to escape and start your own post-apocalyptic biker gang. Then you cruise around the blasted desert wasteland of 21st century America being all spiky and leather-clad and stuff.
Er, short summary: there’s always hope. Death is pretty final.
You’d prefer the quicker death sentence? Well, don’t fret. I’m sure you’re not the only juan.