pondering the DEATH PENALTY

Of late, I have seen many Facebook posts pushing a statement for the end of the death penalty. In a perfect world, where no one ever commits a heinous deadly crime, I would say, ‘Yes, we don’t need a death penalty.’ However, in our world, where crime and hate run rampant, I believe there should be a death penalty heinous deadly crimes. 

One of the posts that I find most appalling is this one: 

“The death penalty is not about whether people deserve to die for the crimes they commit. The real question of capital punishment in this country is, Do we deserve to kill?” 

― Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

This particular quote has a very low view of humanity and suggests that we the people who have not committed a heinous deadly crime should lower our heads in shame and ask ourselves, “do we deserve to kill?”  

This is extremely bad logic and a poor way to look at and respond to heinous deadly crimes. 

We have law because people encroach on other people’s space and boundaries.  The law is there to protect and call people to be accountable for the injustices they commit.  

The truth is sometimes people commit horrible acts and encroach on another person’s space and boundaries to the point it causes death. And often the worst of these, add torture and extreme abuse prior to the victim’s life expiring.  In such cases justice should be quick and as harsh as the crime.  

It’s interesting to me that the above quote puts the onus of such a crime on us, society, and states that in taking a murderer's life we are committing a crime. 

Yet, that’s not really the case.  People need to be responsible for their lives and the actions that they do.  When the person chose to torture and murder and therefore cross the line of the law, they chose the just sentence of their actions.  That person is culpable. That person is convicting themselves and has committed their own death sentence. It’s not society, nor the judge, nor the jury sentencing them to death; it’s their very own actions and choices that commit them to death. Society simply needs to carry it out which is awful, but essential for true law, order and justice. 

I support the death penalty. I also support a good justice system that remembers and exudes innocent until proven guilty beyond a shadow of reasonable doubt. In cases, that leaves no doubt, justice should be quick and exacting. 

I do not support people around the world lowering their heads in shame for a crime they did not commit.