Arizona Jail Break - What is Left when You Have Nothing to Lose?

I was reading in CNN.com about three convicts that escaped from Arizona Prison with the help of one of their female visitors. To sum up CNN.com's report, the three convicts made a hole in the fence to get out of jail. They are currently on the loose and have possibly separated. Two of the men kidnapped two truckers, eventually dumping both the tuckers and trucks off miles away from the prison.

One of the men was serving a life sentence. The other two were serving a 22 year sentence and a 15 year sentence. All three were convicted of murder.

This is where it gets interesting, or baffling as the case is for me. I can perfectly understand Tracy Province escaping. He had a life sentence, and nothing to lose by breaking out, but everything to gain.

Daniel Renwick and John McCluskey would have been out in a couple of decades, so they have everything to lose. They are not the ones I want to discuss.

Province had nothing to lose by breaking out, and when he is caught he still won't have nothing to lose. Unlike his partners, who will end up getting additional time, Province will die in jail.

Less say they catch them, and they put them back into jail. Province's sentence will not change. He is due to die in prison. However, they could give him solitary confinement. I am not sure about you, but with all the stories I heard about prison, I think I would prefer solitary confinement.

Which brings me to my question, where is the punishment for Province? When you have gotten to the point that Province is at, what is left? The death penalty? Many people would probably prefer death to life in prison, so again, have we reached a point in life where punishing a criminal can only go so far.

Seriously, we already added 2 consecutive life in prison terms and higher. I am not sure about them, but I only have one left and would not live past the first term to start the time on the second one.

Is adding additional life in prison terms to a sentence going to make a difference? Should men with nothing to lose be able to walk off so easily after breaking the law?

What happened to the old ways with an eye for an eye? I am not suggesting we enforce the death penalty because most of these men are human, some are monsters.

CNN.com reported these men as being armed and dangerous. I believe it. Province has nothing to lose. If he goes back to jail, his sentence remains the same with death in prison. He will probably fight to the end.

One hundred years ago we would not have thought twice about hanging someone for murder. Have we grown in society, or have we just become content that we believe keeping a person in jail for life is a justifiable punishment?