A Contradiction in Terms

Shouldn't a criminal be not only chastised, but an attempt made by the chastisers to change him - to alter, renew, improve, or heal him, if you will - in some constructive, significant manner which becomes beneficial not only to future victims, and society, but to our commitment as charitable fellow human beings, one to another?

The Death Penalty does none of that. In fact, how can it be a "penalty" if the criminal doesn't live to recognize and ruminate on the seriousness of his crime, take responsibility for its commission, or be able to work to help compensate in some way the families of his victims, to say nothing of the possibility of improvement to himself or his community?

If you think in terms of pure vengeance, the death penalty is a waste of money, effort and bureaucratic self-control. Tremendous amounts of cash are spent while a criminal waits to be killed. They say it takes about 10 minutes to die by lethal injection, and you have satisfied no one and solved nothing when you carry the killed body out for burial after those ten minutes. From a purely pragmatic viewpoint, you've spent a mint on a criminal who isn't going to live to rue his crime. Even if he doesn't ever find remorse for his crime, at least he is made by society to think on it for the rest of his life, and to be permanently separated from the society he brutalized.

Death merely turns out to be a release from any and all punishment (other than that of a spiritual nature, if that is one's belief), but it certainly guarantees that this person will not have to "pay" for his crime in this world. I compare it to having someone conducting a murder and then being told his only payment is to take a permanent nap.

Below is a link to MSNBC's World News site, dated today, April 24, 2007, to an article on the growing concerns over the fact that a number of lethal injections that somehow failed or were administered in a faulty manner, or produced the equivalent of torture so as to cause unbearable pain and asphyxiation, and at times had to be re-administered, could be considered cruel and unusual punishment.

It has always puzzled me that 80% of Americans are comfortable with the double standard of Capital Punishment, that they see no contradiction or hypocrisy or lack of logic in our society's decision to kill someone to send a message to that person and to society that killing is wrong. Instead, it says, in effect, It's okay for SOME to kill, but not others. If it's wrong for one person to kill, it should be wrong for ALL persons to kill, no matter what the rationalization or reasons may be.

Otherwise, we remain a coarsened society that is all too willing to settle for knee-jerk revenge, rather than work hard for healing and peace and humanity.

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The link:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18278575/