Yesterday, Brian Dorsey was executed for a crime he committed in 2006. By all accounts, during his time in prison, he became remorseful for his actions and was a "model prisoner," to the point that multiple corrections officers backed his petition for clemency.
In general, the media is painting him as the victim of a justice system that fails to recognize rehabilitation. I find this idea disgusting. Brian Dorsey, in a drug-induced stupor, murdered the people who gave him shelter. He brutally ended the life of a woman and her husband, and (allegedly) sexually assaulted her corpse. There is an argument that he had ineffective legal representation, but that doesn't negate the fact that he is guilty.
While I do believe that he could have been released or had his sentence converted to life in prison, and he could have potentially been a model citizen, this would have been a perversion of justice. Actions that someone takes after committing a barbaric act do not undo the damage that was done. Those two individuals are still dead, and he needed to face the ramifications for his actions.
Rehabilitation should not be an option for someone who committed crimes as depraved as he did. Quite frankly, a lethal injection was far less than what he deserved, given the horror he inflicted on others. If the punishment should fit the crime, then he was given far more leniency than was warranted.
I don't oppose the death penalty because nobody deserves to be killed. I oppose it because our justice system isn't up to determining who does and who doesn't.
There are too many arbitrary factors that make the difference between death penalty and life. The race, sex, and gender of the victim and the accused; the political ambition of the prosecutor; the geographic location of the crime; and the resources of the accused.
And this wonderful system wastes millions and millions of dollars that could address some of the root causes of crime and violence.
Did killing him bring them back? No? Then what's the benefit?
It better be a pretty big fuckin benefit if you're okay with our government having the authority to kill citizens. Cuz you know, the government can totally be trusted to not abuse power and authority...
There is no difference in justice by locking them up for life, and more importantly it costs less, and can be undone if an injustice is later identified.
Executing him accomplishes nothing. Families of victims have long said that executions did not make them feel better. In some cases, they have campaigned to stop executions. More death solves nothing, and we as humans can and should be better than that.
The death penalty is wrong. Period. There are always other solutions. That's where the justice system fails.
It comes down to what you feel the purpose of our justice system is, including capital punishment.
My personal opinion is that, despite its name, capital punishment shouldn't be thought of as a punishment. I feel that we should use the death penalty or life in prison when we feel that a person can't ever be allowed back into society, and it's more of a societal judgement which of those two measures we take.
I think in all cases, if we could heal a person so that they'd never repeat a crime again, that's the better course. The reality is that most really horrible crimes stem from some kind of mental illness. If we could rehabilitate the people, it seems like that's better for everyone.
Yes. When I think of a just system it's more like...
Person commits crime and goes to rehabilitation, if they can't be rehabilitated then they are imprisoned or exiled, if they are still a threat there that's when it may become necessary to execute. It's not a punishment, it's a last resort for the safety of others.
My feeling is that our justice system exists to do exactly what the name implies: to enact justice. I think where my thinking differs from a lot of people is in what I consider "justice" to be.
Sometimes, justice is rehabilitating an offender. If someone steals so that they can pawn the stolen items and get some money for food, then of course they deserve rehabilitation. Give them an opportunity for an education or to learn a useful skill so that they have a better chance of being able to support themselves without stealing.
On the other hand, sometimes justice is punitive, and sometimes death is an appropriate punishment. I think it ultimately comes down to if your own personal moral code says that everyone deserves a second chance. I personally believe that not everyone does.
I hear what you're saying, and I think the place where you and I diverge is on the type of crime and what its roots are. Most vanilla-type crimes, like theft or simple assault, and committed by people of sound mind who are assholes or just don't care much about other people. Manslaughter can be that, especially the heat of the moment stuff. But the really horrible things - the things that tend to put people on death row - take someone who has severe issues.
The guy who kills a family, cuts the bodies into pieces, and eats parts of them, isn't just a jerk; there's something seriously wrong with him. So I don't necessarily feel like those people deserve retribution as much as they need fixing.
Of course not all of them can be fixed, but to me that's the first priority.
Baring any miracle advances in mental health treatment, there is only one way to guarantee that he doesn't do the same thing again, and I support all normal people's right to feel, and actually be safe, in their homes and communities.