Louisiana Supreme Court upholds death penalty for rape of an 8-year-old girl

[minionofmidas]

I was thinking more along the lines of Assaulting another inmate, assaulting a Prison Guard, attempted escape, selling drugs; but yes, I would include possession of illegal substances, if that is indeed a felony. But, as I said, only for anyone already serving a life sentence. It would certainly help with overcrowded prisons.

Attempted escape is not even illegal in sane countries.

[minionofmidas]

Attempted escape is not even illegal in sane countries.

Really?  What's the logic behind that?

The logic is that a prisoner has every right to do that.

Of course, he'll lose all chance of an early release. And of course, it's illegal to help spring others from jail, which in practice means it's also illegal to attempt escape in groups.

[minionofmidas]

Attempted escape is not even illegal in sane countries.

Really?  What's the logic behind that?

The logic is that a prisoner has every right to do that.

Of course, he'll lose all chance of an early release. And of course, it's illegal to help spring others from jail, which in practice means it's also illegal to attempt escape in groups.

Punishments for attempted crimes find their genesis in early English and American common law and exist in no other legal systems.

Early English and American common law regarded these crimes as misdemeanors, only later American criminal statutes (post-1900) regarded these crimes as felonies.  That is how it stands nowadays - England still regards attempted crimes as misdemeanors.

Same goes if you successfully escape (and get caught again years later), though.

[minionofmidas]

So in these civil law countries (besides Portugal), you  could shoot at someone and not be tried for anything if you miss? (no attempted murder)

No.

[minionofmidas]

Yeah. Probably just a matter of time until the death penalty is strictly limited to murder (which I suppose most people believe it already is, anyways.)

Fun fact: In the UK, the death penalty for treason remained on the books for several more years after it was abolished for murder. In one of those ca. 1970 IRA trials, the judge, in delivering his reasoning for the life sentence, publicly regretted the fact that the defendants hadn't been charged with murder and he therefore couldn't hang 'em. (They were, of course, wholly innocent. As a court found twenty years later.)