Next week I start an eight-day short course called "The Death Penalty: An International Perspective." Despite the fact that I'm going to have to be at class at 8:45am rather than 10:30am, I'm pretty excited about this class. Oh, and the instructor is British - so you know I'm going to enjoy it.
What I am somewhat less excited about is the billion pages of reading we have to do for this short course. Luckily, there's a paper, not an exam, so I don't need to concentrate on minute details, but still, there's a lot of material to cover.
"What's the point of this post?" you're asking yourself and me right about now. I'm getting there: In my reading about conditions on various death rows around the world, I have discovered that in some places (even in the US), prisoners aren't forced into solitary confinement, but rather must share a cell with another person (or persons...up to six people that I've learned about so far).
This new information has caused me to ponder which might be a worse fate: spending a lifetime, or a decade plus on death row, all alone in my cell or with other people? Would it matter if it was a sentence of death or life imprisonment - the stress would be of a different magnitude - would it be comforting to have someone there as you ponder your impending execution or annoying? Would you murder someone the State is forcing you to spend every second of the day with knowing that for the rest of your life you've got to see their ugly mug?
My initial reaction was to say give me solitary - another girl in a 6 x 8 foot cell would drive this introvert bananas. But then I started thinking that having another person really might make the time pass a little easier, and you could develop "quiet time" where neither of you speaks. Still...I'm not so sure...I think the other person would drive me to insanity faster than being alone with my books.
What do you guys think? Which would you prefer?
5 comments:
I vote having someone with me. Gotta talk.
that's a toughie, because you'll always have issues with roommates and it can add sooo much stress if the problems become constant or you cannot get over them or work it out. I'd be very tempted to say alone, but I am talkative as well and given the right person, it would be better to have someone. But what are the chances you'd get someone you could actually put up with in such tight quarters for so long?
and the person you'd probably end up with...they probably got in there for something they DID do, not false accusations (like us). probably not the nicest people to be stuck with for the rest of your breathing days. i'm just sayin.
As someone unable to handle a roommate for more than 9 months, I vote for solitary. I'd rather be stuck with me than stuck with someone else. Especially if that someone else listens to Hanson and has a dalmation poster.
niki--would your mind change if it was me, and we had a super nintendo?
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