Forget the Death Penalty

Written by Chris Uhl
The information contained herein is only to inform the public and does not create an attorney client relationship with the reader. You should always consult an attorney when seeking legal advice.

Who really wants the death penalty? Prosecutors? Victims? Politicians? Lately, the death penalty has become a favorite of the politicians. The state representative who flip-flopped on his vote was undisturbed by the death penalty. Then, a week later, was disturbed by the death penalty. Talk about changing your position 100%, WOW! Was he really disturbed the week before? I say look for a new school coming soon to his district funded by the State. Recently, there have been some gruesome crimes that cry out for the death penalty. Would a Massachusetts jury be able to vote to put someone to death? Probably not! It is difficult enough to get them to just say guilty.

Why is the death penalty necessary? It gives the prosecutor an added option when dealing with a case. Most of the elected District Attorneys in Massachusetts would never seek the death penalty. Massachusetts is a liberal state with liberal elected officials who know all too well how often the system makes mistakes. Once the criminal's life is taken, it cannot be given back if there was an error. The option that is valuable to the prosecutor is to question prospective jurors if they would be able to give the death penalty. Only those jurors who answered in the affirmative would become possible jurors on the case. There is a high correlation between those jurors who could give death and those who would convict. This assures the prosecution a jury that is pro-conviction before any evidence is even presented.

Is death really worse than life in prison with no parole? If you believe that then take a visit to your local corrections facility. In prison, life is worse than death.

Is the death penalty for deterrence or punishment? If you think the death penalty is deterrent then you are giving criminals more credit than they deserve. The police only catch the criminals who are dumb. Most police are not Rhodes Scholars. They arrive on the scene after the fact and must piece together the crime. It is very difficult. There are many people who have committed crimes and have never been caught. These are the smart criminals. Now since the smart criminals get away and the dumb criminals are caught, who do you think is facing the death penalty? Do you really think the criminals sit down and discuss what the penalty will be if they are caught? That is just ridiculous! The death penalty is good for one thing, and one thing only, extermination! It is purely a revenge penalty; a permanent elimination penalty.

So who really wants the death penalty? The politicians! They can show their tough stance on crime to their constituency. It is a lot easier to be tough on crime than solve the social problems that lead people to crime. The real question becomes: do you want to live in a society that sanctions government killings? Maybe a pay per view venue could be set up for the public. This, of course, brings us right back to the House of Representatives and that poor fellow who flip-flopped on his death penalty vote. Look for a new State Building or some sort of pork in his area soon. Do you really believe there was no arm-twisting? That is the only job the Speaker of the House has, to twist arms in the name of progress. The flip-flopper was twisted 'till he quit.

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