Hal - Deliberately Basic

Capital Punishment - Right or Wrong?

Three countries are responsible for 81% of the world’s executions, China, Iran, and the United States. This, according to Amnesty International in 2002. In 2005 the figures change somewhat, with 94% of executions taking place in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the USA. As a citizen of the USA, and one who still believes in the principles of my country, I am not proud of this figure.

I have deliberated the pros and cons of capital punishment for years. There is no convincing evidence that the death penalty deters crime. The United Nations survey conducted in 1988 and updated in 2002 concluded: “. . .it is not prudent to accept the hypothesis that capital punishment deters murder to a marginally greater extent than does the threat and application of the supposedly lesser punishment of life imprisonment.”

The US Supreme Court halted executions in 1972, the concern being that the death penalty was being handed out too haphazardly. In 1977 the court ruled in favor of the death penalty, supposedly due to “new laws” that would inhibit bias in the system. Consider this: Since 1973 123 prisoners have been released from death row due to evidence emerging that proved them innocent. But what of the many recorded cases of those who have been put to death in spite of reasonable doubt over their guilt? Or, after finding DNA or other evidence that proves these people did not deserve to die?

Now, for the other side of issue. What about the maniac who is proven beyond a doubt to have killed someone, especially an innocent child? Should he be put to death? The only reason I can see for this is vengeance, and admittedly, I might want that myself if one of my loved-ones was killed. In my mind, the real question is, who should do the killing? Should it be the state, or the the individual involved? In other words, should I be allowed to kill the killer under the given circumstances?

There is a reason to ask questions such as this. So many times families claim they need closure, and when the killer is put to death, they feel better about the whole affair. Nothing is ever closed. If your child is murdered how can you ever close that? I don’t believe you can. What you have is vengeance, pure and simple, so why call it by some euphemistic pop psych title made up by the counselor of the day.

I believe executions should be televised. Folks, this is the ultimate reality show. The newsless media and television executives show us nearly everything anymore, so why not this? Anyone want to wager a show like this wouldn’t get high ratings? I’ll take odds that it would get the highest ratings of all time. According to a 2004 poll, two-thirds of Americans think televised executions is a good idea.

Yes, there would be outrage from all manner of groups with and agenda against anything to do with violence. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would get their exposure by making it a black issue. The important question is, would it be of any consequence to deter crime? I don’t think it would. Most of us know that in England when pickpockets were being hanged, other pickpockets were working the crowd that watched the hanging.

In the end, the fundamental question remains, is capital punishment right or wrong? As with all things, alternatives exist, and perhaps Devils Island was not such a bad idea after all.

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