[speaker002:] hi I'm Susan Linnstaedter
[speaker001:] where you calling from
[speaker002:] uh I'm in Dallas
[speaker001:] okay all right so am I  okay you understand the topic
[speaker002:] uh yeah um-hum
[speaker001:] okay I'm going to go hit the button  so what do you think about the death penalty
[speaker002:] uh well I've mixed feelings I guess you'd say it's it's not something that uh I mean uh you know it doesn't make me happy
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] but uh on the other hand you know the present alternatives at least in Texas are not real good I mean it's an all or nothing proposition you know you either you either uh give somebody a death penalty or
[speaker001:] um-hum um-hum
[speaker002:] they're out on the streets in a very short time to uh have have a repeat performance of whatever they did um
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] and I guess uh you know I guess I should mention I'm an attorney and I used to do some criminal work and um
[speaker001:] oh hum
[speaker002:] as long as it's reserved for special purposes and as long as as uh you know the judicial process that's afforded to someone pretty much
[speaker001:] for psychopathic killers and stuff
[speaker002:] you know makes you feel good about that you've got the right guy then I guess I I can live with it
[speaker001:] yeah um-hum well what'd you think about Jeffrey Dahmer now
[speaker002:] uh I haven't been keeping up with that I've been in and out of of town and I haven't kept up with it what's happening to him
[speaker001:] well well he got fifteen life sentences
[speaker002:] um-hum uh so they went ahead and ruled him uh at least legally sane to stand trial
[speaker001:] for uh sane right um-hum
[speaker002:] okay
[speaker001:] well okay so I see he can get up to fifteen life sentences and uh I he with no chance for parole but uh
[speaker002:] see we don't have that in Texas that's the problem
[speaker001:] hum
[speaker002:] is is you can't give somebody life without parole at least at this point
[speaker001:] uh-huh well huh that's not very good
[speaker002:] no I mean you know uh a life sentence they get time and a half for um time served and uh if they get made a trustee they get good time um which is like two two days for every day they serve
[speaker001:] uh-huh uh-huh uh-huh hum
[speaker002:] and they can really be out or eligible for parole in a fairly short space of time
[speaker001:] now what's uh what is a life term if someone gets a life term what's the earliest they can get out
[speaker002:] I want to say uh you know they've changed things since I used to since I used to practice that kind of work but I think that
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] somebody told me that within ten or twelve years they would be um eligible for parole
[speaker001:] wow
[speaker002:] I mean it's not very long
[speaker001:] um-hum well now I know in uh in Virginia I I think it's about the same I want to say each life term you're eligible for parole within fifteen years
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] and uh I knew um
[speaker002:] well see also in Texas it's real unusual for them to do what they call stack them stack the penalties
[speaker001:] uh-huh uh-huh oh
[speaker002:] they they will they will cause the penalties to run concurrently
[speaker001:] oh okay yeah see they should make consecutively I don't like this concurrent stuff
[speaker002:] yeah I mean on on something like a like a Jeffrey Dahlmer or somebody like that you know that definitely I mean you know why go through the farce of having a parole hearing
[speaker001:] right right
[speaker002:] you know what's going to happen if you let him out I mean we and in Texas too I mean I smaller states like Vermont uh and places like that have some real innovative
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] rehabilitation type activities that they can do in their penal system and in a in a state like Texas we don't have that
[speaker001:] right hum
[speaker002:] they get down there we are warehousing people basically
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] and they go down there and they maybe pick up a few tricks you know how to be worse and uh and then you turn them loose on society and I just don't think that that's I don't think that's right I don't think that's fair
[speaker001:] um-hum see that's what what I don't like is warehousing you know I mean if you make them useful you know put them in jail and make them do something you know
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] uh I don't know make license plates you know
[speaker002:] something yeah
[speaker001:] I mean it to me uh for me to pay I mean what does it cost uh per year to uh to keep uh an inmate I think they said it's something like eighteen thousand dollars per per person is is what we were paying per inmate that's a lot of money
[speaker002:] uh it's a lot yeah
[speaker001:] you know I mean some people don't even make that much money a year you know
[speaker002:] huh-uh
[speaker001:] and I think that's free
[speaker002:] well and and if you consider the fact that with with all the the federal lawsuits that went on and all the standards that there are for how you can and cannot treat prisoners and and what they're entitled to have
[speaker001:] uh-huh uh-huh um-hum
[speaker002:] frankly you know it's it's considered cruel and inhumane for a prisoner at the state penitentiary to live in conditions that would look pretty attractive to some of the homeless people who have not committed a crime
[speaker001:] yeah yeah
[speaker002:] you know I mean we just our system is is is kind of skewed somehow or another
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] and like I say I mean you know I can't I can't tell you I feel good about the fact that we put people to death
[speaker001:] uh-huh uh-huh
[speaker002:] I mean I really uh you know deep down I guess that bothers
[speaker001:] well