Capital Punishment
Manifesto
This isn't exactly the reason that I'm so strongly against the death penalty but it is a close reminder. This is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. We govern ourselves. As such, every time we execute an innocent person, whether we follow due process or not, whether "we've done everything we can or not," we as a society have blood on our collective hands. Quite simply, I just don't think our government should be in the business of killing. And playing the, what if it was your (insert family member and loved one here) card gets you nowhere. Absolutely, if it were somebody important to me, and we had good information regarding guilt, I would want the killer to die. But society needs to take into account what is best for society as a whole, not just for a single victim's family. And honestly, how often do we ever have perfect information.
Moreover, as a deterrent, the death penalty has not proven to be much of a deterrent.
In fact, recently Justice Stevens strongly objected to the application of death penalty in the U.S..
Stevens said DNA evidence has shown "that a substantial number of death sentences have been imposed erroneously."What I find most striking about this article is the quote for the death penalty supporter, Kent Scheidegger, legal director of the pro-death penalty Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, at the end.
"It indicates that there must be serious flaws in our administration of criminal justice," he said.
According to the anti-capital punishment Death Penalty Information Center, more than three dozen death row inmates have been exonerated since 2000.So apparently 20 or 30 state sponsored killings of innocents isn't much of a problem. I find that absolutely appalling. I think that one killing of an innocent person constitutes a broken system. Until we're 100% sure that we aren't killing an innocent person, we should get out of the killing business. Given our imperfect system of justice, and that every system designed by men will be imperfect, I don't expect to change my opinion very soon.
Said Scheidegger, "I wouldn't say that 20 or 30 cases out of 8,000 constitutes a broken system."
posted by Chill at 8/15/2005 10:12:00 PM
2 Comments:
The Death Penalty isn't about deterrence, or justice or anything else. It's a Biblical thing with an Old Testament flavor. If you listen to adament pro-Death Penalty advocates like Scheidegger, it is impossible not to hear their belief that a Higher Power is ennobling their cause. That is why they can sleep so well at night knowing(!) that innocent people are being executed every year. That is also why they will hear nothing about the failures of man and his system. They believe they are carrying out His wishes.
The strange thing is that you would think that it would be the most religious who would recognize that any man-made system is not infallible.
Oh well. I guess when it comes to disproportionately killing minorities, it doesn't really matter. I especially like the white defendant/black victim vs. black defendant/white victim.
Post a Comment
<< Home