I am strongly against capital punishment (of the killing variety), but unlike Durf, I fear my reasons are more emotional than rational.
That's not to say I haven't considered the pros and cons he describes. And I've even formed an opinion or two. For example:
1. Durf suggests that although capital punishment is not currently a deterrent, it could become so. But I am of the opinion that killers are a different breed. I would be very surprised if a quick execution would serve as a deterrent.
2. As for disproportionately executing minorities of one sort or another, I do believe it is directly related to capital punishment. When a capital crime is committed, there is a blood lust response by the public and law enforcement. Someone has to pay. And I believe society finds it a lot more comfortable to pull the trigger on members of certain groups rather than others.
3. And finally there is the fear of executing the wrong person. But I wonder...are all wrongly convicted people created equal? For example, suppose the wrongly convicted person was a criminal. Is it less awful if he is wrongly executed? (I sat on the jury for a gang murder once and fully half of the members wanted to vote for conviction because even if the kid did not commit the murder, he was a bad person and belonged in jail anyway.) I too am horrified at the thought that an innocent might be executed. But it's not something I want to fix. It's just one more reason for abolishing capital punishment altogether.
Which brings me to why I am against capital punishment. Simply this: Most horrifying of all is the notion that we as a society might choose to solve one or more of our problems by killing another person. It's the ultimate in barbarity.
As to the alternative, I'll save that for another day.
I agree with you Twila, for this reason, the entire system is broken. It doesn't seem to be at the top of anyone's list to fix. Until we get it right, we need to stop requiring the ultimate price. Making someone sit on their can in the can for the rest of their lives probably doesn't cost as much as the appeals process. They can think about it and maybe do it better the next time. But we really need to fix the system, top to bottom.
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