I am against the death penalty in all cases. As far as I am concerned, killing one another moves us in the wrong direction as a species, from a spiritual perspective. Not to mention the fact that our society has not proven it is equipped to consistently and fairly determine who is deserving of CP, and who is not.
As has been mentioned earlier, the experience of imprisonment is a far harsher punishment, particularly for the most violent offenders, than death could ever be. It was stated in an earlier post that "Death is the ultimate isolation from the living". That may be true, but if your concern is the worst punishment, the most retribution sought against an offender, then put that individual into solitary confinement 24 hours a day for the rest of their lives. And then proceed to watch as the very essence of what humanity that they have left erodes from their conciousness. The confinement inflicted upon violent offenders is a form of torture, in my opinion. Even if you drug them to the gills, death would be a release from this existance, and therefore a relief.
As for rehab for lesser criminals, wouldn't that be a utopian ideal? I am all for it. However, when I begin to think of the practical considerations behind instituting a system-wide infrastructure to support rehab, it boggles my mind. These people would have to undergo intensive interventions, all within the context of living amidst a closed-off, violent subculture. It would take a tremendous amount of money and resources to enact such a change. And then, the rehab would have to yield real results - - criminals becoming useful and safe contributors to society.
And I think this option really speaks to the underlying values in our society. We are so very far from embracing any kind of sympathetic treatment of criminals in this way. The reality of the situation is that society just wants them out of the way, by and large. Our actions in the entire justice system reflect that.
13 Feb 2009, 10:29 pm
