More Thoughts on the Death Penalty
I try to look at both sides when it comes to the death penalty. The frustration that the families of the victims feel for the loss of their loved ones and the instinctive need for revenge is what's keeping the death penalty on the books. I can empathize with them as far as wanting justice. But what's the difference between executing them and locking them away for the rest of their natural lives? Either way, the person will never walk the streets again to harm someone else. Let's go with the argument that the inmate is going to be supported by the state, get three hots and a cot and live happily ever after. That is wishful thinking. Talk to just about any inmate and they will tell you that prison is something you never get used to. The sense of hopelessness can be overwhelming for someone sentenced to life without parole. Yes, there are the exceptions but they are far and few between. It is pure hell on earth being locked up for the rest of your life knowing that tomorrow will be no different than today or the day before with the exception of maybe being raped, assaulted or killed by another inmate.
I hear families say that they want the killer to feel the same fear and pain as their loved one did. This is also just plain wishful thinking because 99.9% of the time, the inmate has prepared him or herself to die over the course of many years in prison. The people who kill don't give their victims that luxury. More often than not, the victim doesn't even know they're going to die until the very last minute and that is a blessing as far as I'm concerned. Some will torture their victims and tell them that there are going to kill them after many hours or days of abuse. Murderers shoot, stab, beat and /or strangle their victims to death and we stick a needle in the killer's arm and put them to sleep first and then kill them. So there is no possible way that a condemned killer will feel the same fear, terror or pain that they inflicted on there victims.
There is, of course, one very important exception to this rule as well. This would be the man or woman convicted of murder but is actually innocent. Here is true terror at its best. This is a double whammy because Number 1, you're going to spend years behind bars away from your family and friends. You're probably going to lose your job and you have to reside with real killers; and Number 2, the state is going to kill you anyway for a crime you did not commit.
This brings me to my final and most important thought about the death penalty. The death penalty is final with no do-overs. If the court sentences some one to death, they had better be sure they have the right person. I have said before that to find someone guilty of murder beyond a reasonable doubt is fine. To sentence someone to death under that same standard is unacceptable. The standard for the death penalty should be beyond a shadow of a doubt. How many men went to the gallows or the gas chambers or the electric chair that never committed murder? We here about it all the time of men and women that are being exonerated because of DNA evidence who have spent 10, 20 or more years in prison. Had they been sentenced to death, how many of them would still be alive today to claim their innocence? The death penalty is too final for my liking and I was one who had been pro death penalty most of my life.
Everything changed when I met Michael Perry who is awaiting execution in Texas for the 2001 shotgun slaying of Sandra Stotler. I got to know Michael and the more I got to know him the more I believed in his innocence. Do I think Michael Perry wasn't involved at all? No. I think he got into something he couldn't get out of and now he may pay the ultimate price for being at the wrong place at the wrong time and making some very wrong decisions. But I know in my heart that Michael James Perry has never taken a human life and I would bet my own life on it. He is running out of time to prove he didn't commit this crime. I hope and pray that he can prove it before it's too late.
I want to say to anyone who has lost someone close to them to homicide that I would not even insinuate that the pain and loss you feel isn't unbearable at times and that kind of pain never goes away. You have to ask yourself if it is worth the risk to get satisfaction at the expense of executing an innocent man. I think any God fearing Christian would say no. Some of you may say that I don't know how it feels to lose someone to murder and you would be right, I don't. I do know that no amount of revenge is going to bring that person back and hatred is a disease that can, in itself, kill a person.
We are a country that will never agree on the death penalty but you have to look at our allies abroad. They have abolished the death penalty and the sky didn't fall nor did the murder rate rise. We are supposed to be the most civilized country in the world and yet our form of punishment is med evil. The death penalty is no longer a solution to punish or deter those who commit murder and the sooner we realize that the better off our judicial system will be and our country as a whole.
Published by K. D. Adams
New York State Employee who is seeking to abolish the death penalty not only in this country but worldwide. View profile
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13 Comments
Post a CommentVery thought-provoking and deep. I think that the execution methods now used are still better than how Terri Schiavo died - 14 days of slow starvation; and I am still pro-death penalty in a few sorts of cases, but I now think it's a good thing that people on death row aren't put to death immediately. Look what's happened with the development of DNA evidence, and all the people being found innocent after years and years. Spending nearly your entire day in a tiny cell for many years is definitely a brand of punishment. But I'm not sure that lifelong prisoners should get free college educations to become lawyers and doctors, and get their artwork and books published while the rest of us struggle to send our kids to college in today's prices, and most of us writers who are "regular people" can't find a publisher to give us the time of day.
Michael and I had a history of several years and I tried with Michael; I was patient with Michael; I endured a lot of abuse from Michael and I tried to handle it because I knew he needed to vent, he needed to kick somebody every once in a while but it took its toll much more then I thought it would. What I think Michael failed to understand is that I needed him too; I needed to be able to vent to him; I needed to be able to tell him I'm scared; I needed to hear from him maybe that it would be all right; I needed him to just tell me he cared. I allowed Michael far to close to me and I cared about him more then I ever intended to happen and I still care about him. I do hope KD that Michael and I some day can talk again before it is to late for both of us but I can't focus on him right now; I can't worry about whether his feathers got ruffled or not or whether his feelings got hurt, and I know this sounds selfish but for now I need to focus on me and I'm sorry if that angers people.
Ok I got off my point and into a discussion on Michael that I never intended to have. Listen KD Michael is not a bad guy and I spend 90% of my time defending him even though we don't talk anymore. We could argue all day about what transpired but the point is it happened and as I told Michael in my last and final letter to him I was sorry for letting the situation get out of control to the point it did; I'm not sorry for what I was feeling or for being angry but just for the way "I" let it get out of control. I'm not sure I agree with your assessment of Michael's feelings for or about me but I'll except he felt hurt; I should have told him how I was feeling to his face probably. You know KD I tell everybody that Michael taught me a lot and it's true and I'll never state otherwise, in many ways Michael is more of a man than I'll ever be and I was not ashamed to call him friend when others called me a fool and your absolutely right in his shoes I would be a lot like Michael.
Ya know Taz? I will answer some of your questions for you if I may. Do you have the right to be hurt? Yes. There is no question about it. Did you handle the situation the wrong way? Yes. There is no maybe about it. One thing you have to realize, Taz, is that what ever you felt for Michael, he felt for you. I think that he looked up to you and always counted on you. I don't know what happened to turn things around but your little "scammer" was hurt as much as you. Yes, Michael is a "scammer" but let's face the facts, if you were in his position, wouldn't you be? You know how much I love the kid but you also know that I'm not stupid when it comes to dealing with him. I think deep down inside Michael still cares about you. He just doesn't know how to show it. I have an article coming out that says what you said. He needs to learn how to say "I'm sorry". I hope what I said makes sense.
One of the reasons I like your writings is because you do have an opinion and are willing to stick to your guns for it; that is an admirable quality in a person. I agree things got out of hand KD and you're right I was not "blind" in my dealings so I'm going to tell you just why I think I was so angry. I think what hurt worse then anything, for me at least, was because my "heroes" proved to be fake; my hereos who claimed to be my "friends" treated me like dirt; my heroes used me as if I meant nothing to them, and as a result people were laughing at me; my core was shaken and I wanted to hurt them like they hurt me. Am I wrong for feeling like I did? hum... maybe; Am I wrong for handling it the way I did? hum... maybe, but I feel at peace over it. Do I hate losing Michael? sure I do KD because you don't care about someone one day and turn that off the next; I miss talking to him.
Taz, Thank you for your comments! One thing I will never do is tell someone the're wrong for the way they feel (Who am I kidding, I always tell people they're wrong if they don't agree with me.....I AM ALWAYS RIGHT! Just ask me!). I DO have a lot of respect for you and that is no lie. You are right, people do make mistakes and if I had a nickle for every mistake I made, my butler would be typing this.
Taz, I'm not throwing you under the bus as I know you were taken advantage of but that was your choice and you went into this with your eyes wide open. I still feel you over reacted with Emily and Michael but you know what they say about opinions. I meant what I said about you and your fight with cancer. I will say a prayer for you and your family every night and hopefully, you'll beat this thing. Take care Ray and God Bless!
This response got very long and way off the topic of the Death Penalty which was what I was commenting on in the first place. I have great respect for your writings KD because I think you put great thought into your discussions and I enjoy reading your writings. Michael and Emily are not subjects I give much thought about anymore nor do I care about what either one is doing anymore; I avoid talking about Michael unless it is relavent to the topic I'm discussing and Emily is a complete non-subject with me. I have no intention of being drawn into anymore conflicts over those two nor do I have any intention of discussing them further. I used Michael Perry only in my original response as an example of things that affect my current thinkings on the death penalty and I never mentioned Emily; I wish them both a happy life and good health, but I have lost no sleep over the loss of either of them nor will I.
There are more inmates in the system then just Michael Perry and they now are affected as a result of things that transpired at the hands of individuals. I'm not the one that got caught violating the rules; I'm not the one that told on numerous inmates and hurt them to protect someone; I'm not the one with contracts out on my life because I'm called a snitch. What I did is decide I was no longer going to cover-up for people and I agreed to cooperate with authorities "briefly", but in the end I went against everything I believed in and "lied", yes lied, for two people I cared about at one time; as angry as I was at them I still cared about them down deep so I protected them. Oh yeah you're right KD I do need to ask for forgiveness but not for what you think; I sold out my core beliefs for people who didn't deserve it.
You know KD we all have our private battles to fight and my health is something my family and I will deal with; it is just one more battle in the war of life and I seldom give up on battles, but I did give up on Michael so you deal with him. You know KD there are laws and rules we all "have" to live by and when you violate the rules or break the laws you leave yourself open for question. I tend to see things more black and white and I think you tend to see things more grey. I "expect" certain people to behave certain ways and I "expect" a certain level of respect for the process; TDCJ has a purpose and a job to do and I never forgot that so although TDCJ and I often didn't agree we most always came to a middle ground in the end, they were not my enemy.
I hope you ask for forgiveness for the way you treated Emily. I wish you the best in your fight with cancer and know that I'm on your side when it comes to that. Just so you know, Michael is doing fine and he doesn't ever want to hear from you again. You went off the deep end with him and Emily and that is something you're going to have to live with.You brought a death row Inmate to a whole new level of fear and terror by your own actions and that is something I cannot forgive. I hope and pray that you will make it right for both of them. I truely wish you the best of luck in your fight against cancer as no one deserves that.