While I knew that Euthanasia was possible in the Netherlands, I didn't know how prevalent it actually was, until I read an article the other day of a 20-something asking to have her life ended due to depression. This made me look into the total amount a little further, and I was surprised to find that in 2022, there was 8720 reported cases.
That is a lot isn't it?
This sounds like a fun topic tonight.
I am not going to get into the various moral positions on it, but I reckon that if someone wants to die, they should be able to choose to, even if they don't have a good reason. I also think that it is better than hanging themselves in the family home, or blowing their head off with a hunting rifle, only to be found by loved ones. But of course, if they get to choose a cleaner way to go with assistance, at least there is a chance to talk to someone before pulling the trigger.
Morbid.
But, after talking with a younger colleague about Soylent Green the other day, I was thinking about this and then, I read another article about someone looking at being imprisoned for 100 years in the US. And, that is also a country that has the death penalty in many states.
Seems like an opportunity.
I don't actually agree with the death penalty, because apparently a fair percentage of them are actually innocent of the crimes they are being put to death for. This doesn't necessarily make them innocent, but I think that if we are going to go that far, we should be 100% certain.
But...
What if they volunteer?
I don't know about you, but prison life doesn't sound like a lot of fun, despite what Orange is the New Black portrayed. However, currently in the US, there are over 1.2 million people incarcerated, with over 96% of them being sentenced to one year or more. But, not only that, there are over 200,000 people who are imprisoned in the US on a life sentence and, there are over 50,000 who are on a life sentence without the possibility of release.
Doing a little bit of math using the average cost of incarceration which is about 45,000, the cost of the lifers is 9 billion a year, and 2,25 billion for those who will never leave the prison.
I wonder, if I was in prison for the rest of my natural life (my supernatural life is a different story) without a chance of parole, I think that I might just say,
Fuck it, Soylent Green me.
NOTE: The premise in the movie is that old people were being euthanized and getting turned into a food product called Soylent Green that was getting fed to poor people.
NOTE NOTE: I don't want to be fed to people, just throw me in the forest and plant a tree on me.
Anyway...
I just wonder, if facing the prospect of a life in prison, or after some time living a life in prison, if there was an option to cleanly check out of the system, how many would take it? Especially for those who know they are guilty, why go through all the pain and suffering and rigmarole of feigning innocence, or futile appeals, when it could just be a simple injection.
Maybe taking this path out doesn't seem fair to their victims or their families, but maybe it is still a better option then spending 45,000 a year to keep them alive. What if for every prisoner who chooses this path, the equivalent amount that would have been spent on them for the rest of their life, will be invested into a community project for the next 20 years instead, like building and maintaining urban parks and greenspaces in local communities that they affected.
Would that make it more acceptable?
Again, this is an "opt-in" possibility, so a prisoner wouldn't be forced to make this decision, but it does seem like it could be an option for some percentage who decide that prison life isn't for them. After all, if I am questioning the value of my life, I suspect that I would do that more, especially if I had to wear orange every day.
Orange is not my color.
The estimate is that there are 650,000 homeless people in the US on the streets each night, which is less than half the number of people in jail. Aren't both of those figures quite amazing? While 45,000 of taxpayer money is being spent each year to house a single prisoner, how much is being spent per homeless person to help them?
Seems like another opportunity.
Some strange Friday night topics perhaps, but I think it is relevant to think about some of the ways and where we use our resources in this world, and this economy. And, it is interesting to consider what some of the less conventional options might be in order to improve the situation, or at least not just keep making it worse.
Maybe prison isn't that bad.
Taraz
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