Death Penalty

Donald Trump, if re-elected, is committed to expanding the use of the federal death penalty, a deadly appetite he has already shown during the last stretch of his presidency. So let's look at the alleged pros and proven cons of the "ultimate penalty".

Let's first state the obvious: homicide rates in America are five times greater than in any Western European country, all of which do not have the death penalty. If America wants to reduce the number of murders there's only one real solution, and that's gun-control. There are two main reasons given in favor of the death penalty. First there's the argument that says it's an act of retribution. An eye for an eye and all... This I can understand on an emotional level. In the below linked video there's a short fragment from a Ron DeSantis speech in which he argues that it's obvious that there's only one just punishment for the parkland killer, Nikolas Cruz, who killed 17 people; he should be put to death, obviously. I get that on a purely visceral level, but it's obviously wrong if you think about it even for a minute.

"Why do we kill people who kill people to show that killing people is wrong?" This text was on a poster that hung on a wall in the attic of the house where I grew up. It was next to a picture of a soldier who fell to his death after being shot in the back; this poster has left a deep impression on me, as it made me oppose the death penalty since I was but a small child. Desmond Tutu said "To take a life when a life has been lost is revenge, not justice." And he's right. It's the inbred need for retribution speaking when I say that I get where Ron DeSantis comes from. I honestly don't know if I would be calm and rational enough to hold my current opinions if someone murdered my son. Then again, that's exactly why we leave these decisions to institutions rather than individuals. Although we may react emotionally as individuals, as a society we should seek a rational approach.

"The death penalty is a symptom of a culture of violence, not a solution to it." I don't know where this quote originates, but it's strikingly appropriate. You see, the second big reason given for the death penalty is its deterrent effect. Having a death penalty will deter potential murderers from committing the crime, so the theory goes. It's the mistaken belief that a violent society can be made less violent by responding with violence from the state. That doesn't work. I'll quote two former American presidents, one in favor of, and one against the federal death penalty, you decide which one's right. The first is George W. Bush, answering the question if he believes that the death penalty actually deters crime:

I do, that’s the only reason to be for it. I don’t think you should support the death penalty to seek revenge. I don’t think that’s right. I think the reason to support the death penalty is because it saves other people’s lives.

And here's Jimmy Carter, who wrote in a 2012 article:

Southern states carry out more than 80 percent of the executions but have a higher murder rate than any other region. Texas has by far the most executions, but its homicide rate is twice that of Wisconsin, the first state to abolish the death penalty. Look at similar adjacent states: There are more capital crimes in South Dakota, Connecticut and Virginia (with death sentences) than neighboring North Dakota, Massachusetts and West Virginia (without death penalties). Furthermore, there has never been any evidence that the death penalty reduces capital crimes or that crimes increased when executions stopped.

I believe Jimmy Carter is right, and I do so by just trying to place myself in the shoes of a murderer, however difficult that may be. I think that murderers don't weigh the pros and cons when they're about to kill someone. I don't think they'd kill if there's "only" a chance of life in prison without parole, and not kill if there's a death penalty. Most murders are committed in a fit of rage, under the influence of some drug or alcohol, or by mentally ill people. The ones who plan and calculate are roughly two different kinds. One is careful and doesn't expect to get caught anyway, the other is suicidal and fully expects to get caught and die; they commit suicide by cop. The death penalty as a deterrent is a myth. Add to that the fact that sometimes the wrong person is sentenced to death (1 in 25), and there's really no good reason to keep the death penalty.

Anyhow, back to Trump. I said he'd already proven his zeal for the death penalty during his last months as president. Here's a quote from the Rolling Stone article that features in the below linked video:

The former president’s zeal for the death penalty has already proven lethal. During the final months of his administration, he oversaw the executions of 13 federal prisoners. Since 1963, only three federal prisoners had been executed, including Oklahoma City bomber and mass murderer Timothy McVeigh. In January 2021, in the final stretch before Biden would become president, Trump oversaw three executions in four days.
_{source: Rolling Stone}

Watch the video, and if you're an American, I hope you'll see how both Republican frontrunners for the 2024 presidential elections are to be avoided at all costs. Trump would be a disaster, but DeSantis isn't any better...

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