General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Jodi Arias is about to give a statement [View all]closeupready
(29,503 posts)Sometimes, of course, maybe most times?, rehabilitation fails. In those cases naturally, prisoners can not be released.
It is a sad fact that some people on DU wish death, prison rape, etc. on convicted prisoners - basically, eschewing the principles that underpin opposition to cruel and unusual punishment. Note that one can agree with punishing criminals, but a principled liberal opposes cruelty, and 'unusual' punishments (by which I think was meant 'arbitrary', i.e., extraordinary punishments not for the crime but because the criminal is especially hated).
The risk you run in feeding this kind of group hysteria is the same risk we run in compromising our values in other ways: we become less of a constitutional democracy, and more of an authoritarian state, flirting with fascism (fascism in the textbook sense, not trying to be inflammatory or outrageous there).