The Absurdity of the Death Penalty Reaches New Heights

“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.” -  Gandalf the Grey in Lord of the Rings    

 

The absurdity of the death penalty was placed into sharp focus this morning.  In a nutshell, convicted murderer Carey Moore was able to acquire a stay of execution for the sixth time due to questions about the quality of one of the drugs used in a lethal injection execution.  As the drugs used are no longer being manufactured in the United States, and in this case were imported from India.  Mr. Moore's attorney has argued that since they were not manufactured in the States, the drugs don't meet US pharmaceutical guidelines. 
 

Obviously, one has to question how this could cause a stay- what's the worst that could happen to someone who is being put to death?  Amazing that we were frying people a few years back, and now the state is not able to administer a lethal injection because the criminal has concerns about the quality of the drugs being used to put him to death.  Absurd.  Unfortunately, it's another absurdity in what is an absurd practice. 

There was a time in my life when I thought the death penalty made a lot of sense.  You take someone who violently killed another human being or beings and you end their life so that they can't kill anyone any longer.  It makes sense, right?  An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a life for a life.  

Like everything else in life, it's not that easy.  The arguments have been made and I don't really have anything new to bring to the table, but to rehash- it costs approximately $1.5 million more to execute someone then it does to house them for life in prison (link), death sentences are handed out arbitrarily and disproportionately to minorities (link), and crime rates do not drop in states that use the death penalty.  To point out the actual number of innocent people that have been killed would be pointless- just one is too many.  All of the arguments for the death penalty- other than the perpetrator can not commit any more crimes- have been shot down and disproved a thousand times over.  Yet it still exists.

Personally, and it's likely naive of me to say this, but I like to cling to the hope that even the worst of us can change for the better, and even if they can't, there may be something they can still offer us- as Gandalf the Grey says in the quote above, even the wise cannot see all ends.  Even those who do not repent can be studied and evaluated to find out what goes into creating a monster.  

It's always difficult to talk about money when we are talking about a life, but frankly, when we are dealing with a budget crisis in our state, it seems absurd- that word again- to spend up to $1.5 million more to successfully execute a criminal rather than house them for life with no parole, all while tying up resources that could be used elsewhere.  I can understand the emotion behind wanting someone put to death for crimes they committed, but one of the goals of the legal system should be to remove as much emotion as possible.  End the death penalty in Nebraska today.  It's expensive, it doesn't solve any of our problems, and it's waste of time and resources.

And yes, that is our second Gandalf quote for the month.  Next month, we'll have to focus on Yoda, another beloved wise old crank from the world of fantasy.