Death Penalty

If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

— Exodus 21:23-25

According to Wikipedia, the “eye for an eye” phrase above expresses the opinion of retributive justice. In the United States, one form that retributive justice takes is the death penalty. We are among the last democracies in the world to continue this form of punishment.

Thirty eight states have the death penalty. Since 1976, Virginia is second in the nation (behind Texas) in the number of executions performed. Since 1973, over 120 people have been released from death row as the result of their proven innocence.

As I mentioned before, my brother was murdered, the twelfth anniversary of his death is coming up in a few days. You might think that I would wholeheartedly support the death penalty because of that, but you would be wrong. I recognize that there are crimes that are so heinous, perpetrated by people who are evil and serve no purpose for society, that the death penalty is the only appropriate punishment. But do I think that it should be given out as frequently and capriciously that it has been? No. Most of the arguments in favor of the death penalty are quite hollow to me. Like abortion, the imposition of the death penalty should be rare.

If the death penalty is no deterrent – and the evidence suggests that is the case – then expanding the definition doesn’t accomplish a thing. Governor Kaine’s veto of legislation that would do so is dead on:

“While the nature of the offenses targeted by this legislation are very serious, I do not believe that further expansion of the death penalty is necessary to protect human life or provide for public safety needs.”

We did elect Tim Kaine, not Jerry Kilgore. Expanding the death penalty does nothing to make me safer. Kudos to Governor Kaine for having the courage and the moral conviction to veto these bills. And I urge the legislature to follow his lead.