Typically, people that are genuinely against the practice of capital punishment aren't against because they like the offenders or they are under the impression that the crime committed wasn't that heinous.
Great post, Melanie, and very well put. Thanks.
I do wish vengeance-focussed people would come to realise that opposing the death penalty doesn't mean condoning the actions that earned the penalty in the first place. I admire the economy of Herzog's own statement at the start of
Into the Abyss, where he tells Michael Perry upfront that he opposes the death penalty, but that doesn't mean that he has to like Perry or approve of what he did.
Second of all I don't understand how the death penalty is even constitutional. I don't see how putting someone in a cage to contemplate their sterile death for a decade is not cruel or unusual.
I'm not American, but this has always puzzled me as well. I think, from what I've read, that they get around the "cruel and unusual" provision by saying it's the condemned person's choice to make appeals, knowing that will prolong his/her incarceration. But included in that time is also, typically, a lot of waiting for paperwork to be done and dates to be set at every step in the process. And, people being as judgemental as we are, I also wonder if there aren't points where papers are put to the back of the queue or semi-consciously handled in a go-slow manner, on the basis of "serves them right!".
You might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment.
reply
share