The Death Penalty on Trial, Crisis in American Justice by Bill Kurtis; 2004; Perseus Books Group, New York; 218 pages;364.66 K96d;7/14-7/14

The death penalty is an issue that I have been wrestling with on several levels. 1. How can I call myself “pro-life” if I only insist that life is valuable at the beginning of life? 2. Economically, how much are we wasting on appeals, because at the moment the prisoner is put in prison, the state (the taxpayer) pays for both his defense and his prosecution. 3. Is the death penalty actually a deterent? 4. How trustworthy is our judicial system?

Mr. Kurtis looks at two cases and shows the breakdown of the system that is supposed to protect the innocent. Both cases, once the system had a suspect it stopped looking elsewhere as it should have and convicted two innocent men.

1. I cannot call myself ‘prolife’ if I believe that an infants life has more value than a adult life. It is not our place to take vengenance, God says in Romans 12:19 “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written, “It is mine to avenge, I will repay” says the Lord.” Therefore I must stand against the death penalty.

2. I believe that we could save money and achieve the same result of having the convicted removed from society by putting in place a sentence of Life without any possibility of parole. Therefore I am against the death penalty.

3. Most capitol crimes are comitted as acts of passion and the perpetrator usually does not engage in self evaluation and wonder whether or not it is a death penalty crime, so I would say that it is not a deterrent. Therefore again I am opposed to the death penalty.

4. Mr Kurtis along with the Center for Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University among other organizations have conclusively, (for me anyway), shown how the judicial system is not working correctly. Again I am opposed to the death penalty.

One of the two most important books that I read this week. The other one is next. RRRRr