The Death Penalty on T-Day
Yesterday I visited my relatives for the big turkey day...the gathering included 8 Northern California folk. Somehow we got talking about the death penalty (an interesting subject for Thanksgiving). Of the four people debating, one of us was for it. The person who supported it said he did so because there are some crimes so heinous that the death penalty is only just...and he listed Charlie Masons as an example. Someone pointed out, “but don't you know it costs so much to have people on Death Row?� He answered, “when it comes to justice I don't care about money.� The other two people in the conversation brought up issues like deterrence, innocence and systemic problems. Everyone knew about Governor Ryan's decision and they talked about that too.
After having just finished Scott Turow's book, I kept referring to it. I said that Turow had felt the same way...that there were some crimes, so brutal and horrible that the death penalty was justified. But after years of studying and working as a prosecutor he realized that the way our system works, it isn't just the murderers with the gravest of crimes who get the death penalty. There are countless examples where capital punishment is handed down and it simply doesn't fit the crime.
I have to say this was one of the first times I've debated the death penalty with a group of people who had varying opinions, albeit it was just one person out of four. The person who was for the death penalty was so because of the moral reasons that Turow talks about. In the end, his argument didn't hold up...I won't say we completely convinced him...but I do wonder if the conversation will encourage him to reconsider.
Posted by katherine at 10:56 AM
