# Is the Death Penalty really worse than Life Without Parole? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 5, 2015, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279 "2015-03-05T15:52:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279/21 "2015-03-06T14:42:04Z")
The expert was a convict back about 25 years ago who had killed and was convicted in both NY and Ohio (IIRC). He had a life without parole sentence in NY and a death penalty in Ohio. He asked to to go Ohio to have the death penalty. Obviously, he thought life without parole was worse and he knew more about the issue than anyone here. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279/22 "2015-03-06T14:50:24Z")
The death penalty actually being carried out is preceded by years if not decades of prison, so maybe a lot of people adjust to some degree and still prefer to remain alive. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279/23 "2015-03-06T15:00:39Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Obviously, he thought life without parole was worse and he knew more about the issue than anyone here. [Timothy McVeigh felt the same way:](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_mcveigh#Incarceration_and_execution) > [@Wikipedia](#): > > McVeigh dropped his remaining appeals, saying that he would rather die than spend the rest of his life in prison. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279/24 "2015-03-06T15:01:46Z")
Death please. Along with the right to forgo appeals and have it carried out quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279/25 "2015-03-06T20:50:09Z")
Huge opponent of death penalty. I see wisdom in isolating certain people in such a manner that they cannot be a threat to polite society, but I have strong misgivings about LWOP. Both views are their own Oprahs. For this OP I will opine that yes, LWOP is worse than death. An expedited capital sentence conversion should be an option for the convicted–After serving 90 days, capital can be requested, 30 day window to ‘cool-down’ after requesting it (during which the request can be withdrawn), and after the 30 days, straight to the nitrogen chamber with no appeal. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279/26 "2015-03-06T21:16:42Z")
Death penalty means you live out your life on death row, segregated from everyone else. With life in prison you can hang out with the general population as long as you keep out of trouble. I’d rather have to adapt to life in prison society than a prolonged torture of virtual solitude with a forced execution at the end of it all. At least in the general population you can plan a breakout and have a remote chance of it happening. On death row you pretty much have to hope for some sort DNA evidence, crazy governor, natural disaster or complete social breakdown to get out. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279/27 "2015-03-06T21:59:30Z")
Imagine being Tommy Silverstein [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas\_Silverstein](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Silverstein) ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279/28 "2015-03-06T22:22:43Z")
Too late through the edit window, I realize that that’s not a very good reference about the conditions of Silverstein’s Supermax solitary confinement at Marion. Googling his name and the prison’s will get you a selection of resources. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279/29 "2015-03-06T22:25:09Z")
> [@tapu](#): > > Imagine being Tommy Silverstein > > [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas\_Silverstein](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Silverstein) Yeah, that would be worse than death right there, to be an Aryan Brotherhood member with such a Jewish-sounding name. I’m sure they picked on him. (Also the no-human-contact-for-years thing.) :eek: ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279/30 "2015-03-06T22:39:13Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > [QUOTE=AHunter3] > > • I think it is cruel to cage anyone long-term and not give them the option of suicide / receiving capital punishment instead of having to live in the people-cage. Just about everybody has the option of suicide. [/QUOTE] I did not realize that. I assumed that it would be rather difficult to commit suicide in a high security incarceration setting. I mean, if one wished to commit suicide one would probably prefer to do so without undue pain and at the same time without high risk of being interrupted and resuscitated. Is it actually that easy to get the supplies you’d need? Am I lacking in imagination here? ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279/31 "2015-03-06T22:46:42Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > I did not realize that. I assumed that it would be rather difficult to commit suicide in a high security incarceration setting. I mean, if one wished to commit suicide one would probably prefer to do so without undue pain and at the same time without high risk of being interrupted and resuscitated. Is it actually that easy to get the supplies you’d need? Am I lacking in imagination here? Well, there’s always banging your head against a brick wall or eating your wrists or eating nothing or eating feces or strangling yourself with your pants. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2015, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279/32 "2015-03-07T00:04:34Z")
> [@The Great Sun Jester](#): > > Well, there’s always banging your head against a brick wall or eating your wrists or eating nothing or eating feces or strangling yourself with your pants. Or tying your hands behind our back, and taking a header from the second floor catwalk into the rec room. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2015, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279/33 "2015-03-07T00:35:11Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > When you think about some of histories most evil prison camps like say “Devils Island” or North Korea’s prisons, you’d think more people would just off themselves to save them so much misery, but they don’t because their will to live is so strong. We know that because of the dearth of newspaper stories out of Devil’s Island and North Korea reporting suicides. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2015, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279/34 "2015-03-07T00:58:17Z")
I’m impressed how even the poll results are. Almost 50%-50%. Well done. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2015, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279/35 "2015-03-07T01:00:18Z")
> [@manila](#): > > There is nothing intrinsically sacred, special or thrilling about life. You get a few dozen years as a vital adult before you start to deteriorate and decay. Life is a struggle at best! > > And that is on the outside of prison. > > Inside? With a life sentence? I couldn’t imagine that torture. Off me now please So much this. (I see the poll is tied at 29 apiece. Intense!!) 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279/36 "2015-03-07T16:03:02Z")
How many “life without parole” prisoners are trying to get the death penalty? A lot less than vice versa! ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2015, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279/37 "2015-03-07T17:51:23Z")
That’s the most telling fact. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2015, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279/38 "2015-03-07T17:59:57Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I bitch and complain when the towels at an otherwise nice hotel are too rough. > > I’d prefer a quick end to life in prison. DItto. Give me liberty or give me death. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279/39 "2015-03-07T18:21:30Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > How many “life without parole” prisoners are trying to get the death penalty? A lot less than vice versa! Because they don’t know what’s good for them. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2015, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279/40 "2015-03-07T21:10:56Z")
For really heinous folks, death is over too quickly. I can imagine thinking someone deserves to rot in hell for eternity. Since hell doesn’t exist, I’d have to settle for up to several decades in a Supermax facility. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-death-penalty-really-worse-than-life-without-parole/714279.md?page=3)