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Capital Punishment and the Next Generation

If a person is a proponent for killing another human being (be-it because of murder, rape, drug dealing, or what-have-you) that is their personal choice.

But consider....as a society, what exactly does supporting the capital punishment teach the next generation??

Violence towards other person is indeed a valid solution to a problem?
 
I get that there are people out there that want to hurt others – and of course, I want to protect my children, family and myself. But personally, I  do not see how promoting capital punishment does that.
 
I can see how prevention, rehabilitation, and reform might, but I am still lost about this whole death penalty bit.
 
Just as an individual does not have the right, the government should not have the right to kill a human being with premeditation and ceremony in the name of the “law”.
 
How can a society that respects life, deliberately kill human beings?
 
An execution is a violent public spectacle of official homicide, and one that endorses violence to solve social problems – the worst possible example to set for children, right?
 
Those supporting the death penalty attempt to justify the practice by listing the purported benefits that such killing would bring to the rest of society. However, if I dare - the benefits of capital punishment are illusory at best.

Consider, the states with the death penalty have the highest murder rates.
 






Capital punishment doesn't solve our society's crime problem. The death penalty leaves the underlying causes of crime unaddressed.


Actual data establishes beyond a reasonable doubt that the death penalty does not deter murder. No comparable body of evidence contradicts that conclusion.

 
Don’t get me wrong.
 
Criminals no doubt deserve to be punished, and the severity of the punishment should be appropriate to their culpability and the harm they have caused the innocent. But severity of punishment has its limits – imposed by both justice and our common human dignity.
 
The death penalty is not now, nor has it ever been, a more economical alternative to life imprisonment.
 
It is estimated that the true cost of each execution is approximately 3 million dollars, or approximately six times the cost of a life-imprisonment sentence.
 
An evil deed is not redeemed by an evil deed of retaliation that’s what I hope the next generation learns. 
 
Justice is never advanced in the taking of a human life.
 
 

1 comment:

  1. I love your blog! I couldn't agree more. I am a therapist and I work with court ordered sex offenders and one thing I have learned and that is supported by research is that fear is only a temporary deterrent. So fear of the death penalty is not going to stop people from committing crimes.

    I agree with your stance on more than just this blog and I enjoy reading your post! Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete

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