Post by Anja on Jun 23, 2006 18:17:17 GMT -5
Death penalty a moral morass
Michigan has never conducted a state-run execution since it entered the
union in 1837. Capital punishment was officially banned in all cases
except treason in 1847 and that exemption was eventually removed as well.
It seems every year, some legislator or activist puts forth an effort to
bring the death penalty to Michigan, and this year is no exception. Macomb
County State Rep. Dan Acciavatti has introduced a proposed constitutional
amendment that would allow the death penalty to be available in
first-degree murder cases. Currently, there is only 1 option for a person
convicted of first-degree murder life in prison with no possibility of
parole.
It is unlikely this measure will go any farther than previous ones since
the states constitution requires a two-thirds majority of both houses
before it could advance to a statewide ballot and not enough legislators
are interested in adding the death penalty to the constitution.
However, a frank discussion should take place among all U.S. citizens
about the state of our criminal justice system, which is not only the
largest, but perhaps the most ineffective in the developed world. Consider
the fact that more than two million U.S. residents are incarcerated,
according to the U.S. Department of Justice, and that figure grows by
about 1,000 every week.
Acciavatti and many death penalty advocates see capital punishment as the
best way to handle offenders convicted of particularly heinous murders,
such as those involving torture. Some even argue capital punishment is
necessary because it acts as a deterrent. But does it?
Are serial killers, mass murderers and the such really going to stop and
think twice before carrying out their crimes if the prospect of death by
lethal injection hangs over their heads?
This is one area where we cant rely on statistics to give us a clear
answer. A quick review of research posted on the Internet shows that for
nearly every study showing the presence of capital punishment in a state
lowers the incidence of violent crime, another study showed correlation
between crime rates and capital punishment.
As it stands, the United States executes a disproportionate number of
minorities, who too often do not have access to adequate, let alone
expert, legal counsel. That much is crystal clear.
When it comes to the death penalty, we, as a society, must take the moral
high ground and that high ground is a ban on the death penalty until it
can be applied fairly, accurately and humanely. It is telling that several
defendants sitting on death row have been freed due to new evidence or
technological advances proving their innocence.
It shows that the criminal justice system is less than perfect. How can it
not be when it is administered by human beings who themselves are flawed
and make mistakes? If just one innocent person is wrongly put to death, it
is a step backward in our quest to be the freest, most intellectually
advanced, most compassionate society ever to inhabit the earth.
Instead of talking about death, wed like to see legislators and social
activists lead citizens in a conversation about preventing crime and
improving the lives of people trapped in poverty, substance abuse and
mental illness the main catalysts for violent crime.
(source: Daily Mining Gazette)
Michigan has never conducted a state-run execution since it entered the
union in 1837. Capital punishment was officially banned in all cases
except treason in 1847 and that exemption was eventually removed as well.
It seems every year, some legislator or activist puts forth an effort to
bring the death penalty to Michigan, and this year is no exception. Macomb
County State Rep. Dan Acciavatti has introduced a proposed constitutional
amendment that would allow the death penalty to be available in
first-degree murder cases. Currently, there is only 1 option for a person
convicted of first-degree murder life in prison with no possibility of
parole.
It is unlikely this measure will go any farther than previous ones since
the states constitution requires a two-thirds majority of both houses
before it could advance to a statewide ballot and not enough legislators
are interested in adding the death penalty to the constitution.
However, a frank discussion should take place among all U.S. citizens
about the state of our criminal justice system, which is not only the
largest, but perhaps the most ineffective in the developed world. Consider
the fact that more than two million U.S. residents are incarcerated,
according to the U.S. Department of Justice, and that figure grows by
about 1,000 every week.
Acciavatti and many death penalty advocates see capital punishment as the
best way to handle offenders convicted of particularly heinous murders,
such as those involving torture. Some even argue capital punishment is
necessary because it acts as a deterrent. But does it?
Are serial killers, mass murderers and the such really going to stop and
think twice before carrying out their crimes if the prospect of death by
lethal injection hangs over their heads?
This is one area where we cant rely on statistics to give us a clear
answer. A quick review of research posted on the Internet shows that for
nearly every study showing the presence of capital punishment in a state
lowers the incidence of violent crime, another study showed correlation
between crime rates and capital punishment.
As it stands, the United States executes a disproportionate number of
minorities, who too often do not have access to adequate, let alone
expert, legal counsel. That much is crystal clear.
When it comes to the death penalty, we, as a society, must take the moral
high ground and that high ground is a ban on the death penalty until it
can be applied fairly, accurately and humanely. It is telling that several
defendants sitting on death row have been freed due to new evidence or
technological advances proving their innocence.
It shows that the criminal justice system is less than perfect. How can it
not be when it is administered by human beings who themselves are flawed
and make mistakes? If just one innocent person is wrongly put to death, it
is a step backward in our quest to be the freest, most intellectually
advanced, most compassionate society ever to inhabit the earth.
Instead of talking about death, wed like to see legislators and social
activists lead citizens in a conversation about preventing crime and
improving the lives of people trapped in poverty, substance abuse and
mental illness the main catalysts for violent crime.
(source: Daily Mining Gazette)