so the governor of illinois has commuted the sentences of all of the people in illinois who are currently on death row.
good. the death penalty is flawed and barbaric, and should have no place in the judicial system of a civilized, democratic country.
scott turow wrote a very interesting piece in the new yorker about his transformation from someone who had been a supporter of the death penalty to someone who now opposes it.
innocent people have been wrongfully executed.
that alone is reason enough to get rid of the death penalty. but it’s also incredibly expensive (keeping lawyers working on a case for, on average, 11 years? that’s not cheap…), and due to the arbitrary way in which it’s implemented and the very nature of violent crimes the death penalty has never served as a practical deterrent against violent crime.
hopefully this decision in illinois will compel people to re-evaluate the death penalty, and hopefully the death penalty will be consigned to the garbage heap of ‘cruel and unusual punishment’, where it belongs.
and while people are looking at ‘cruel and unusual punishments’ perhaps the ‘3 strikes and you’re out’ rule could finally be tossed out.
and maybe some compassionate and intelligent prison reform?
treatment as opposed to sentencing for first time drug offenders?
etc?
etc?
thanks,
moby
