I love life.
The above statement tends to strike death penalty opponents as odd as I explain why I think the death penalty is necessary and serves a beneficial force in society when properly implemented; however, indulge me.
The death penalty is the only just reward to those who terrorize individuals through murder, and in some cases or states kidnapping and rape. In no case can we condone the taking of life outside the bounds of justice. In no case can we permit those who have done so to continue to enjoy the fruits of this world.
The notion that life in prison is sufficient to handle the extraordinary burden of guilt is nave. A prisoner still retains rights, an opportunity to contribute to the world, and even a modicum of dignity. This is outrageous when one considers that the victim of a violent crime has been stripped of all the above.
I am willing to concede that the death penalty as practiced in the United States is flawed.
Any system that permits innocent individuals to linger in legal and existential limbo awaiting the proper adjudication of their case is flawed. The proper response to a flawed system is to fix it, not to abandon it. Prisoners do have rights and the Constitution, the sole binding document of this country must be upheld at all times and at all costs. Nonetheless, in permitting those found guilty of egregious acts against not the state, but against humanity, to appreciate still the wonderful blessings of life is an affront to the victim and the triumph of evil over good.
The state does not merely have a right to execute murderers, it has an obligation to do so. The state's obligation to execute those guilty of murder resides in the state's inherent interest in preserving order and insuring the protection of individual freedom.
The state is as obliged to protect the rights of the victim as it is to protect the rights of the criminally accused. Further, the state is obliged to protect all members of society to the extent possible from those who would wantonly disregard life. Executing a guilty individual is an act of justice to the outraged victim, to the outraged society, and a means of protecting everyone from those willing to take life.
Life without parole, the commonly cited alternative punishment, does not remove the threat of future violence. The escape of the Texas inmates in December should illustrate that sufficiently.
Support for the death penalty can be approached from another direction and that concerns the utility to society of an individual willing to take the life of another. While society has definite room for sanctioned violence, it cannot function if individuals acting autonomously become the ultimate arbiters of justice. He who would remove permanently the capabilities and contributions of another is himself not fit to contribute and in lacking appreciation for the sanctity of life, should care not if his own is taken.
Through its willingness to execute those who would denigrate life through a capital offence, our society is demonstrating the extraordinary importance we place on it in the beginning.
Our society is built around principles of autonomy, freedom, and independence, and bounded by faith in others to act in consideration for the autonomy, freedom, and independence of others. And while we ought to be supremely frightful of every intrusion by the government into the private sphere, we should be grateful that those who would kill cannot walk among us.
Now, to those who counter that the death penalty is unevenly applied or that the rich can get off or that the death penalty unfairly punishes the poor or minorities, my response is that every murderer, rich or poor, should face the same punishment. Rich murderers have no more right to walk around, even if it is in a prison, than a poor murderer. If they have been found guilty, then they are equally guilty. It is the uneven application of the death penalty that has eroded its effectiveness as both a deterrent and punitive measure. And to those who argue that the costs of capital punishment are too high, the real question should be, since when should justice be limited by mere finances? Does not an outraged society deserve to see justice concluded?
Murder, rape, and the other capital offence know no race, class, or sexual orientation. They are equally bad and equally evil. The execution of one of Mr. Byrd's killers should be noted with the same anticipation and relief as accompanied Ted Bundy's. What is more, we should openly wonder why only one will executed.
As I said so emphatically at the beginning, I love life. The taking of life is the supreme evil in the world and the only way to counter evil is to do so forcefully and consistently. The execution of a guilty individual is not evil as much as it is the restoration of order to the world.