NationStates Jolt Archive

NEORVINS (The Neorvins Herald) - In what would be an unprecedented move, the Ministry of Justice today opened talks with the government of the Empire of Kerubia over an import of death row prisoners into Kelssek, with a view to saving them from execution. The majority of the prisoners were sentenced to death for first- or second-degree murder.

The idea was mooted during a debate over the death penalty ban resolution at the United Nations, and negoiations were held in a conference room at the United Nations.

In a press conference to announce the negoiations, Justice Minister Kenneth Harwood said, "For years we in Kelssek have spoken out against capital punishment. We have passionately opposed it in the United Nations, and regarded a ban on it important enough to amend the Constitution to outlaw it. We have introduced proposals in the UN to do the same, and now it is time to put words into action. We hope to set an example for the world in compassion."

Prime Minister George Marlin urged Kelssekians to look upon the projected total overall cost of the importation, estimated at $15 million, as a form of humanitarian aid. "Cost is not an issue," added Harwood, "$15 million is a drop in the bucket for the law enforcement and prisons budget."

The prisoners will have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment with possible parole after 40 years, the maximum sentence in Kelssek, with time before parole being counted from their date of conviction in Kerubia. What will happen should any of these prisoners be paroled is still under discussion.

"We can't send them back to Kerubia, where they would be subject to death, but we don't want to give them green cards for murdering people." said Harwood of the dilemma.

Polls reveal a general apathy among Kelssekians over the news. Said a 46-year old professional who declined to be named, "I don't like to be funding prison for people who probably have never been here before, but I can't see how this will really impact us either way." When asked their opinions of the move, 23% polled support the idea, 18% oppose it, and 57% responded with "not sure".

Opposition was raised mainly in the potential legal wrinkles it will cause, and the idea of importing them itself. Said Republican MP Bertrand Souray (East Harborough), "A few are fine, but we do not want to become the international dumping ground for murderers."

The Interstellar Hive of Packilvania also announced that it would be willing to accept death-row prisoners from any nation provided they agree to assimilation into the Hive.

Grand Executor Justin Timme of the Empire of Kerubia sat comfortably in a soft, worn out recliner in his home in the middle of a large, secluded forest. He enjoyed the silence of the night, especially after the past few weeks spent in the United Nations building, where he logged in a myriad of hours worth of negotiations. He reached for the TV remote on the coffee table next to his recliner and pressed the ON/OFF button to activate the television. The television was on the Imperial News Network (INN), just as he had left it days before, and they were revealing the results of his negotiations. Currently, the Justice Minister, Kenneth Harwood was standing at a press podium during a pre-recorded press conference in Kelssek.

"For years we in Kelssek have spoken out against capital punishment. We have passionately opposed it in the United Nations, and regarded a ban on it important enough to amend the Constitution to outlaw it. We have introduced proposals in the UN to do the same, and now it is time to put words into action. We hope to set an example for the world in compassion," Harwood stated.

Next on the image was Timme himself, at the Imperial Square in Kerubia's capital city, where he stated the fact that the eleven death row inmates of Kerubia would be spared of capital punishment, and sent to Kelssek instead. The journalists at the Square jolted down everything he said and did for the length of the conference. It was obvious their newspaper or magazine chief would not be in short supply of political news.

Timme did not reveal whether or not he was actually against the death penalty. At heart, he saw nothing wrong with it. Neither did the Emperor, Edward Duke. Being the Emperor, Duke had nothing to lose with such a decision--Emperors of Kerubia were not elected. The Grand Executor, however, was an elected position, and Timme was nervous about the continuation of his political career. The idea of sending the inmates to Kelssek was Timme's idea, and after Emperor Duke gave it the okay after Timme's insistance that shipping them out to Kelssek would save the tax payers millions from the appeal processes of the inmates. Besides, crime dropped dramatically after the law enforcement agencies revieved the additional funding they asked for to the point that crime became almost totally unknown to the citizens.

The television finally showed him the results of the latest polls, and they provided little relief for the Grand Executor: a near three-way split between the 370 million citizens of the Empire, 30% for, 34% against, 36% neutral.

Hopefully, in three days, the date in which the eleven inmates would be flown to Kelssek in a military C-130 aircraft, the results would differ.

"How could the government do this?" a protestor shouted on the television. "Crime is almost totally unknown, and it's because we kill our killers! Now, instead of wiping them out, we're shipping them out, so others can be killed by them!"

Another protestor shouted a different view. "We can't kill to teach people that killing is wrong! We must rehabilitate them, not destroy them!"

Timme clicked off the TV, and decided it was time to head for bed for some well earned rest. He'd deal with everything else when the time arrived. He also had to look his best tomorrow, as he announced to the world the names of the inmates and their crimes.

"Now here's the thing, why should my tax money be spent on a bunch of killers who have in all likelihood never been here and never contributed anything here?" said the caller.

"So what you're saying is, let them die?"

"I don't want them to die, I'm as anti-death penalty as the next person, but why should I pay for them? You answer me that."

"If we don't take them, who will? And do you know how much it costs, here, to keep someone in maximum security for a year?" said the radio host as he scrabbled around for the paper which he had written down the statistics he'd be needing.

The caller was silent. Where was the damn thing? Ah... here it is...

"Do you, sir?" he said.

"No, I don't."

"It costs $3 million, and do you know how much our government took in in income tax money last year? $460 trillion. How much tax do you pay, sir? Just approximately."

"I pay about $25,000 a year."

"So this entire import thing is going to cost you about, what, 0.01 cents a year? My math isn't that good, but that's not a lot is it, to save about 20 lives? Even if they're criminals, even if they're killers."

"No, but.... listen," the caller went on, "there's lots of other things that I'd rather my tax money be spent on. Healthcare? Welfare? Help OUR poor? Or even to incarcerate our OWN people, rather than spending it on a bunch of reject murderers from Kerubia!"

"Strong opinions, Mike, we're going for a break, but stay on the line, cause when we come back we've got another caller who's got a bone to pick with you. Stay on the Perman show, this is SKCH am670, the nation's number one talk radio station!"