Genocide #3

Capital Punishment, aka The Death Sentence can be a harder justice issue to accept for some I believe. The first two are fighting for the lives of the innocent, which in itself I think most people, morally, would or at least could agree with. Fighting for lives for those on death row is a bit harder to accept because they are guilty of a crime. Jesus is not in favour of death though, and is not in favour of the death sentence. He interrupted a public execution when he said “He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her” (John 8:7). As I read the New Testament, I don’t see anywhere that killing people regardless of guilt or innocence is just but I do see a lot about redemption and forgiveness. The word “capital” in capital punishment refers to a persons head which I could spend a lot of time diving into but I will allow you to do that on your own. Right now I want to just spend time giving you facts on capital punishment and even show you some injustice within this injustice.

In the United States, about 13,000 people have been legally executed since colonial times and by the 1930’s up to 150 people were executed yearly. American public approval of the death penalty is currently about 70%. Public support is essentially the same in Canada, even though we have abandoned it. The homicide rate in Canada has been gradually dropping since we stopped executions, and the homicide rate in states with the death sentence is almost double then those without it (which by stats alone makes me wonder why it is still used). In 2005 DNA testing proved that 14 inmates waiting on death row were proven innocent. There are currently eight different ways, worldwide, to kill those sentenced to death: beheading, electric chair, firing squad, the guillotine, hanging, lethal injection, poisen gas, and stoneing. Very few of these are quick and painless ways to die.

As I was researching this, I was surprised at the injustice involved in this. The vast majority of those executed are poor; 90% can not afford a lawyer and have to rely on a court-appointed lawyer. Fifteen percent of the three thousand American men and women on Death Row suffer from mental retardation. The following is a true event of such a thing.

Tony Chambers, a black man who has been convicted of raping and murdering an 11 year-old girl in 1990. Although DNA evidence has proven that he is not the perpetrator, he confessed to the crime and will probably be executed shortly. The only thing remarkable about the case is that it took police 11 hours to extract a confession from Tony. His IQ is in the 50's and he has a mental age of six. (Normal intelligence is a 100) It should have taken only a few hours for a competent police force to extract a confession of any crime from murder to bank robbery from a person with an IQ at that level. (taken from www.religioustolerance.org)

So then, how can we give life when it comes to Capital Punishment? Well, I suppose if you are from the States, or any other country that still endorses the death sentence, and are ever called upon for jury duty always choose life. In some cases that may cause for a hung jury in which case a new trial will be declared - but always choose life.