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November 23, 2005

Tookie Williams Should Live

The countdown is on for the execution of Tookie Williams. It's an awful question: what to do with a man convicted of killing four people with no motive other than mayhem, but who has subsequently renounced violence and dedicated himself to helping young people stay out of gangs? I've listened to the arguments back and forth, but I believe they're flawed on both sides.

One one side some very famous folks (Mike Farrell, Jesse Jackson, Bianca Jagger, etc.) are making the claim that his good works in prison merit clemency. The families of the victims are understandably incensed by this argument - what good works might his victims have done if there lives had not been cut short? Do we setup some kind of points system to measure redemption - so many merit badges to earn a stay?

Yet, the arguments on the other side fail to move me as well. They talk about the message it sends to others, but studies show that punishment must be swift and certain to be an effective deterrent; the death penalty is neither. From an economic standpoint, these cases end up costing the state far more than lifetime incarceration. Finally, there's the troubling fact that more than a hundred death row inmates have later been exonerated.

So the real argument comes down to justice: is it right to end this man's life because he ended four others? If he is no threat to others now (and nobody suggests he is) then I say no; not because of his redemptive works (admirable but irrelevant) but because we are imperfect vehicles of justice.

"Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord." (Romans 12:20, Deuteronomy 32:35)

Posted by Michael on November 23, 2005 09:34 AM

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Comments

Hi,
We have a similar case in Australia that you and Corina might be following.
A young Vietnamese 25 year old boy from Melbourne got done about two years ago for trying to carry 400g of heroin out of Singapore...this crime carries a mandatory death sentence. No one really heard too much about this case until November until his lawyers went public in a huge way. He garnered huge support from the politicians and the public to try and persude the Singapore Govt to commute his sentence to life inprisonment.
However, interestingly there were equally as many people who felt he should pay the price. A poll suggests the division was 47% for death 46% agains.
It seemed like a huge price to pay for running drugs to raise a mere $2000 to pay off his brother's gambling debts... how every poor his judgement was. Sadly the campaign was all in vain.
While I don't condone drug running and the loss of a child must be the sadest thing on earth, there's a lesson here for anyone considering drug smuggling as a career path, however temporary.
cheers
from your fellow Inca Trail Trekker.
Susie

Posted by: Susie at December 9, 2005 12:05 AM

Hi Susie!
Yes, we followed the case here. Given the destructive nature of heroin, it's understandable people would feel strongly about it. (Meanwhile, I understand a suspected opium trader just got named to the Afghani Parliment, so there you go..)
I would guess that in Singapore's case the deterrent value is higher, since undoubtedly they can execute people faster and more reliably. However, that would introduce even more errors into an already flawed system.
I didn't even address the racial and economic prejudices of the punishment, but I really admire Illinois governor George Ryan. He commuted the sentences of everyone (156) on death row in his state, saying "Because the Illinois death penalty system is arbitrary and capricious - and therefore immoral - I no longer shall tinker with the machinery of death."
Thanks for your thoughts.
Mike

Posted by: mismjy1 [TypeKey Profile Page] at December 9, 2005 09:08 AM