Legal Commentary

Victims and the Cycle of Violence

By TChris

One of the murderers of Deborah Thornton was executed for that crime. Here's what Deborah's brother, Ronald Carlson, thinks of that:

Wanting to see those who killed your loved ones suffer the same fate is understandable — no one can sit in judgment of those who have faced such loss — but our justice system should not be dictated by vengeance. As a society, shouldn’t we be more civilized than the murderers we condemn? ... The death penalty does nothing more than continue the cycle of violence that is corroding our society.

I have stood more than one time with Death Row families as they prepared to watch their loved ones head to the execution chamber. The pain that they feel is no different from the pain that I felt for my sister. When we engage in the practice of capital punishment, we force more people to suffer through the tragic loss I had to endure. We simply create more victims — victims of the very criminal justice system meant to protect us....

[more ...]

Watching the execution [of Karla Faye, the woman convicted of murdering his sister] left me with horror and emptiness, confirming what I had already come to realize: Capital punishment only continues the violence that has a powerful, corrosive effect on society. ...

As I watched Karla Faye die, all I could think was this: I can’t see Jesus pulling the switch.

When death penalty advocates say that executions help families of victims, they never mention people like Ronald Carlson.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on August 03, 2008 (boomark / email).