DEATH PENALTY ONLY FEEDS OUR BLOODLUST
Juan Luna may have been judged guilty of murder in the seven Browns Chicken killings fourteen years ago, but he should not be executed for this crime.
America may be a modern, highly educated industrial society, but it is one of the few that retains the ineffective and barbaric practice of capital punishment. Seven persons died back in 1993 because the perpetrators needed to score a few bucks and decided to leave no witnesses. The deterrent effect of the death penalty apparently had no impact on their behavior that evening even though that is one of the more humane rationales for its existence. The real reason we retain it has more to do with the bloodlust that resides in all of us and the shameful pandering of politicians and prosecutors to that bloodlust.
The seven people who died that evening do not need to be joined by two more from that incident. Instead, we should all work to foster a more sane and decent culture that will reduce such hideous criminality. There are dozens of such cultures around the world we could emulate. The death penalty, by feeding our bloodlust, does the exact opposite.
Originally published on Chicago Tribune Web Blog, May 16, 2007
America may be a modern, highly educated industrial society, but it is one of the few that retains the ineffective and barbaric practice of capital punishment. Seven persons died back in 1993 because the perpetrators needed to score a few bucks and decided to leave no witnesses. The deterrent effect of the death penalty apparently had no impact on their behavior that evening even though that is one of the more humane rationales for its existence. The real reason we retain it has more to do with the bloodlust that resides in all of us and the shameful pandering of politicians and prosecutors to that bloodlust.
The seven people who died that evening do not need to be joined by two more from that incident. Instead, we should all work to foster a more sane and decent culture that will reduce such hideous criminality. There are dozens of such cultures around the world we could emulate. The death penalty, by feeding our bloodlust, does the exact opposite.
Originally published on Chicago Tribune Web Blog, May 16, 2007
posted by Walt Zlotow at 4:29 PM
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