The Death Penalty For Justice And Safety
Jonathan was just 13. The pictures of him show a freckle-faced, eager scamp, maybe getting new sneakers for Christmas, rushing to grow up, hungry for life, hungry to get on with things. I imagine he was the kind of kid who’d pull a prank and then run for it, or skateboard until he was breathless. I bet he wished he were bigger and stronger, more of an athlete. He probably played hooky a lot and got into some discipline in school.
His last waking moments, it seems, were spent staring up and being brutally violated for someone’s lust. And when his human dignity was gone, his innocence sullied, he felt something sharp plunge into his chest. Gasping, thrashing, his life in this world about ...
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murder, malicious wounding, and kidnapping. He once slashed a cab driver’s throat and left him for dead. Yet he was out on mandatory parole. Twenty-five years’ worth of victims, but Virginia set him free. Murray now faces life without parole.
Jonathan was denied his life because a killer was turned loose rather than executed. If Murray had faced justice after his first slaughter, Jonathan would still be a boy with another day inside him, another jest, and another chance at making his mother proud. All he is now is a tragic memory. No system of justice in recorded history has ever equated the life of a murdered innocent child with that of a homicidal, depraved predator. Ours does. (From Wash Post, still looking for author's name)
There is a specific and implied contract, as well as a moral obligation, that our government has a duty to protect its citizens from known dangers. This is the reason we have speed limits, seatbelt laws, and restrictions on firearms and tobacco, ...
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another person. If an offender murders another person then the punishment should fit the crime to act as plausible as deterrent. Thus, society may punish the criminal anyway it deems necessary to set an example for other would-be offenders. The death penalty threats are constructed deliberately by well-intentioned legislatures to restrain actions that may impair social harmony and safety. Thus legislation transforms social into individual dangers. Most people refrain from offenses because they feel an obligation to behave lawfully. But this obligation would scarcely be felt if those who do not feel or follow it were not to suffer punishment.
Although there have been numerous ...
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"The Death Penalty For Justice And Safety." Essayworld.com. March 3, 2005. Accessed April 24, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Death-Penalty-For-Justice-Safety/23127.
"The Death Penalty For Justice And Safety." Essayworld.com. March 3, 2005. Accessed April 24, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Death-Penalty-For-Justice-Safety/23127.
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