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The death penalty is wrongI think the death penalty is wrong for a couple of reasons. A) I think the power of life or death should be kept out of the hands of the state as much as possible. B) There’s no way to guarantee that only the people who deserve to die are the ones who die. Innocent people will certainly be killed at some point — and probably already have. Add to that a third reason: It’s simply horrifying. If anybody deserves to die, it’s probably Romell Broom, convicted of raping and murdering a 14-year-old girl in 1984. But it should be shocking to the conscience that Broom was strapped to his execution table, weeping for two hours while technicians tried — and failed — to find a vein for the lethal injection. They plan to try again next week. |
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The Trouble with Spikol | Make Major Moves | PW Style | Cup o'Joel
Hmm. I wonder if you’d feel that way if it had been your daughter that had been the victim…maybe so (and if so, you’re a better person than I). I have very little sympathy for Romell Broom. I agree that the DP is seriously flawed, and I’m not an advocate for it. But why should this guy get to spend his days drawing breath? He killed a little girl willfully. My personal preference for punishment would be Sisyphusian.
You know what? You’re absolutely right. He deserves to die.
But saying he deserves to die is not the same thing as saying the state should have the right to kill him. I’m against that, for the very brief reasons I outline above.
I’ve got to think that the whole process is dehumanizing to its participants. I could be wrong — maybe they LOVE poking around a doomed man’s arms and legs for two hours so they can find the right way to kill him. But I doubt it.
The death penalty is wrong, then, not just because it inflicts horror and death upon other (sometimes innocent) human beings. It’s also wrong because of what it does to us.
I agree completely. Perhaps the punishment should be left to the victims family? Problematic, to be certain, but then it begs the question: what do we do with people who violate the most basic of societal boundaries?
I’m a dad. That clouds my mind. If you hurt children, I think you ought to suffer, and significantly.
@josh, the fact that those closest to these crimes would favor barbaric punishment is the exact reason we have laws and courts to decide what is just. emotions cloud our judgment.
it reminds me of a post i read about the health care debate and why we do need end of life counseling or what the Republicans believe to be “death panels”. when one is having to determine what treatments to give an aging or comatose or brain dead loved one, they aren’t likely going to be thinking clearly if they aren’t prepared and are only operating on emotion. the end result is that often a lot of money and resources are spent on keeping people alive when they may not even want to be. it isn’t related to this topic directly, but is another example where some bureaucracy helps us reach a more just end by removing emotion from the decision making process.
Hi. i am a volunteer advocate against the death penalty, and and advocate for victim’s rights. i agree with Joel- the state should not have the right to determine who lives or dies as every person in the world is subject to bias and error.
on the subject of victim’s rights i agree with Josh Powers, in a way that would need elaboration a blog could not sustain Let victims and their family members be involved in the process. You may be surprised at what happens. There is an anti death penalty organization called Journey to Hope that is led by murder victim’s family members