[OT] My first catalog request from Death Row

[Darkness]

No, I guess not. The "People's" Republic of China charge the families of the executed the cost of the bullet...

Its just that if you want to have some pretense of justice, you have a long appeals process, in an attempt to ensure that people aren't wrongfully executed.

There are some undeniable facts;

a) No justice system is infallible.
b) On occasion the system will find innocents guilty of crimes they didn't commit.
c) You can't bring people back from the dead. You can attempt to compensate a guy you incorrectly locked away in a box for 40 years, with access to 5 photos.

Heh. I agree 100%. Truth be told, I'm against the death penalty anyway (I'm European, you see).

 

[JacktheRabbit]

Anyone on death row is there for a horrible crime that at the very least includes them willfully murdering another person.

Do you want to see to such a person even if you could?

Pesonally I would not want to do a single thing that might alleviate their boredom or take their minds off the fact that they will eventually get their just desserts for their actions.

Please don't sully my great hobby by selling to this lower then the lowest denominator of our culture.

 

[Wicht]

Anyone on death row is there for a horrible crime that at the very least includes them willfully murdering another person.

Do you want to see to such a person even if you could?

Pesonally I would not want to do a single thing that might alleviate their boredom or take their minds off the fact that they will eventually get their just desserts for their actions.

Please don't sully my great hobby by selling to this lower then the lowest denominator of our culture.

While I support the death penalty myself, I would not hesitate to make the effort to help someone on death row. Its about justice for me, not revenge, and there is always the hope of redemption before death. And I doubt that playing DnD is going to take their minds off the fact that they know when they will die. I doubt there is much else they think about at nights as they lie there alone.

 

[WSmith]

Tobacco is legal for inmates to have in the Federal system, except when they get locked down in segregation. Then, IF they can somehow get them snuck in through Gen Pop inmates, visiting families, or corrupt staff, a pack goes for about $35.

Since tobacco is legal, albiet about the same price as on the outside, they use either a can of mackeral or tuna, which ever is closet to $1 in value as their currency. The commisary, their store where they buy stuff, from shoes, to radios, to Doritoes, is where they buy the tuna. If they want their shirts ironed for visiting, they find the guy who does that, pay him whatever the going rate is, say 2 cans, and the guy irons his uniform so he can look nice for his visitors.

Another misconception is that inmates are all poor. Some of them have several thousands of dollars each month put into their commisary account. Some of them have millions that the gov't could not prove dirty, hence could not seize. Those that are poor, they can get put on the rich guys payroll for doing stuff. If he can steal 50 pounds of chicken, the chicken "vendor" inmate will have someone outside the prison deposit money into the thief's acount that he can use at the commisary. This is usually done when payment would exceed the limit of tuna cans they can have. Now the vendor, will charge the rest of the inmates X cans for fresh chicken. It is a culture and currency all of its own.

I won't touch the death penalty issue here. I made my views clear many times in nutkinland.

As far as playing RPGs, or any recreation for that matter, to be able to deal with the BS, you kind of condition yourself to not think about what these criminals should and should not have. I could spend the whole day getting mad about, cable TV, free movies on the weekends, classes on how to invest in the stock market, etc. but then all that would do is make me mad, because as an officer I have no power to change things, plus I don't like dealing with having negative energy.

Whew, that was a ton of info.

 

[Zerovoid]

While I support the death penalty myself, I would not hesitate to make the effort to help someone on death row. Its about justice for me, not revenge, and there is always the hope of redemption before death. And I doubt that playing DnD is going to take their minds off the fact that they know when they will die. I doubt there is much else they think about at nights as they lie there alone.

While I would tend to agree with you, that they are going to pay their debt, and all that, it doesn't really make much sense that they should get a leisure activity like RPG's, if they are going to be put to death. Since life is a more basic right than recreation, it seems that if we really think people are rehabilitiated, they should be released before they are given games.

Really Bad = no life, no games
Rehabilited = life, but no games
Normal Person = life, and games

This would seem to make more sense.

 

[bondetamp]

Really Bad = no life, no games
Rehabilited = life, but no games
Normal Person = life, and games

This would seem to make more sense.

True it makes more sense if the inmate in question is already dead.

 

[Wicht]

While I would tend to agree with you, that they are going to pay their debt, and all that, it doesn't really make much sense that they should get a leisure activity like RPG's, if they are going to be put to death. Since life is a more basic right than recreation, it seems that if we really think people are rehabilitiated, they should be released before they are given games.

Really Bad = no life, no games
Rehabilited = life, but no games
Normal Person = life, and games

This would seem to make more sense.

Except you missed my point - I do not think they should be given games, etc. (or freed) because they are rehabilitated. I think they should be treated well because we should treat all people well, even those we are going to kill. The right to life is argueable at this point, those on death row have had that right taken away. Now whether they are allowed the games is a valid question and there are legitimate reasons that perhaps they should not be given certain things. But if the system allows them to have the games then I would not begrudge it to them just cause they are the dregs of society. It was this point I was responding to.

 

[TalonComics]

I talked to the prison...

Thanks WSmith for that info!
Weirdly enough it actually gives me some ideas for some gaming plots.

I talked to the prison yesterday and apparently the prisoners can have books that A. Don't contain criminal activity and B. Scenes of homosexuality.
The person I talked to said that if I do send him stuff more than likely word will pass around that I will send stuff to prisoners as apparently not many places do.

So, with that being said, do I want that kind of clientele? Some of the posts here have really made me think about rehabilitation vs. making punishment pass like a holiday. Plus, gaming is my life, hobby and job. Do I want to let in people to that who have done things so vile they're on Death Row?

Truly, I haven't made a decision about this and it seems now one not made lightly with the info WSmith and others have provided.

~Derek

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

I doubt there is much else they think about at nights as they lie there alone.

Chicks, man... Chicks.

 

[bondetamp]

Well, if you decide to go for it, and you find an rpg that doesn't contain violence, I hope you like fish.