I believe that the current death penalty system is broken.
- It does not have a deterrant effect.
- It is applied capriciously.
- The fail-safes have failed not once but many times.
The death penalty does not have a deterrant effect. On a societal level many of the crimes that the dp is supposed to punish are commited either out of conviction or desperation. Both ideas are somewhat exclusive to consideration of long term consequences. A cornerstone of effective punishment for both dogs and people, is that consequences to the wrongdoing must happen quickly. This is impossible under the current system.
The death penalty is not applied in an evenhanded manner. Despite guidelines, the ultimate decision is up to the jury to recommend a sentance and the judge to affirm the recommendation. The nuances of a crime with respect to both the victims and the criminal have a large effect on the outcome, whether it be life without parole, or death.
Hypothetically three people are murdered in the commission of a robbery. Were the victims a family in the suburbs? Were the victims the same color as the jury? What is the socioeconomic status of the alleged murderer? None of these questions should have any effect whatsoever in "the blind eye of justice". They do.
The former Governor of Illinois abolished our death penalty a few years ago. There were seven men on death row who did not commit the crime they were accused of. This is just in one state... One man's court appointed attorney slept through periods of the trial. Other's were exonerated after the DNA of their cases was re-examined. The State is here to protect the Civil Rights of every person. If the State is going to remove Life, the first and ultimate Civil Right, then it damn well better be sure that it is doing it to the correct person.
The system at large must be scrapped as unworkable and unrepairable.
