From CNA:
The possible innocence of an executed Texas man has renewed the debate on the death penalty in the state with the most executions in the United States.
Cameron Todd Willingham was executed in 2004 after being convicted of the murder of his three toddler daughters by setting his house on fire…
…Dave Atwood, founder of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty and author of the book “Detour to Death Row,” spoke to CNA about the case and the death penalty debate.
Willingham “may be innocent,” he said, noting that his coalition has not taken a definite position on the case. However, it is supporting the court inquiry and the investigation of the Texas Forensic Science Commission…
As long time readers know, I am opposed to the death penalty. My view on this is comes about because…
1. Always err on the side of mercy.
2. You can’t un-do an execution.
3. No one can see all ends – even the worst murderer might have some good he can do before he dies.
Supposing that we’ve got here the one in a million event: an actually innocent man being executed. Given that, does his death mean we end the death penalty? No. It merely means the death penalty will be tied up in courts and death row inmates will spend even longer amounts of time waiting to be executed. The reason for this is the reason we have a death penalty , at all: because it is just.
One must remember why the public back in the 1980’s became so supportive of the death penalty. This surge in support came about because of the unjust way criminals were treated in the 60’s and 70’s – they weren’t being sufficiently punished for their crimes. Year after year the public heard endless stories of perfectly hideous criminals being let out of jail by liberal judges on various technicalities…and the criminals then went out and did even worse deeds. It is good to remember that “unjust” doesn’t mean just unfair treatment to the accused…it also means when the guilty don’t pay their proper price.
The chances that an actual innocent man was executed are vanishingly small. As the justice system is run by human beings, it is always possible for error for slip in…but between arrest and death there are so many barriers erected by law that the chances of a completely innocent person going all the way to death are very small. But, it can happen – and suppose it did in this case?
It won’t change a thing. The people will still be in favor of the death penalty because it is right that if you take a life, you should lose your life. Right, but not necessary – and, indeed, not as right, in my view, as allowing the criminal to live in hopes of his eventual repentance. The only way to end the death penalty is to set the punishment system for murder and rape to be so hard that it is seen as every bit as just as taking the criminals life.
Over the years, I’ve put my views out on this. The basic concept is that if you commit one of the most horrid crimes, you are to be deprived of all comfort. You’ll work long hours at boring, back breaking labor; you wont’ have any luxuries, at all; life will be reduced to the bare minimum. As the murder took all earthly comforts from the victim, so he looses them in his turn. The ultimate hope is that by this regime the criminal will eventually reflect and understand – and beg forgiveness for his crime.
As long as anti-death penalty advocates keep working the justice system angle in their actions (always trying to poke holes in the prosecutor’s case rather than addressing the moral aspect of crime and punishment), so they will fail in their efforts. Justice must be done – and if anti-death penalty people won’t give just alternative to death, then death will continued to be dealt out with popular approval.
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