My dark side lower companion Bob Ellis at Dakota Voice and I don’t agree on much (yet I do like him—he’s my favorite Extreme Rightwinger as he has a sense of humor and doesn’t make this stuff personal).  But Bob notes an interesting study that says the death penalty does deter crimes even if it takes over a decade to execute the culprit.

An excerpt (click here to read full posting):

Opponents of the death penalty like to tell us that there’s nodeterrent effect from capital punishment. Since it takes an average of11 years to execute a convicted murderer, thus far removing the actfrom it’s consequences, that might not be a surprise.But would it be a surprise if there were STILL a deterrent effect even with that 11 year gap between cause and effect? …

I guess it doesn’t really matter to me whether the death penalty is an effective deterrent or not.  Some scumbags just need to die for the heinous crimes they commit.  Yup, I’m a Buddhist and Democrat who believes in retribution—as long as it is done mindfully and with due process.  (And yes, I’m a complicated person.)

For another view of the death penalty and its lack of deterrence, click here.

Now, maybe next Sibby and I will agree on something.  Nah, that would be like asking for a miracle.  You know, dogs and cats living together, real wrath of God kind of stuff.


Technorati Tags: death penalty, crime, deterrence, murders

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*I came, I saw, I committed state approved murder (or at least a very rough, probably ungrammatical Latin translation thereof).

We as a society killed Elijah Page last week. I have no problem with that. He deserved to die.

But as my wife noted, hardly any of her patients or staff at the dialysis unit she manages in Sioux Falls talked about the execution before—or afterward. Donna, who is a trained Ph.D. in sociology, noted that it was like the execution happened and life—for the rest of us anyway, not Page’s—simply went on.

When you consider that South Dakota went 60 years between executions, that’s extraordinary.

My own sense of covering the event was it was like I was covering hundreds of other political or governmental events as I had in the past. The only difference was I didn’t actually get to see the money shot—the needles going into Page and then seeing his last gasps—and I had to take it on faith that the witnesses I was hearing from actually saw it. (I have no doubt they did see it. My point is I didn’t see it. Nor did you.)

It was all so, well, routine.

Who knows when the next execution will be. But I doubt it will take another 60 years, with the batter’s box full of convicted murderers who have been sentenced to die. It is also my guess there will be even less fuss about them getting the needle than Page. And, death penalty supporter that I am, that bothers me just a little.

Carson Walker (left) of the Associated Press and Bill Harlan of the Rapid City Journal were the two media witnesses to the Elijah Page execution.  They were both surprised at how quickly Page appeared to die.  They said it was like Page snored a couple times then went to sleep.

Bill:  “I expected to see a more reaction, a harder gasp.  It went obviously smoothly.  I think it was over for him in a matter of seconds.” 

Carson: “I was surprised, I thought we would hear remorse (from Page).  He laid on the gurney showing no emotion.”

Both compared the execution to witnessing a medical procedure.  They also said Page had put on considerable weight while in prison and that it was difficult to see Page’s head because of his stomach.   

Lawrence County Sheriff Richard Mowell noted that unlike his victim, “Page had a painless death.”

Matt Howard, age 39, Sioux Falls, and Melissa Haradon, age 32, Sioux Falls, protest against the Elijah Page execution Wednesday evening on the SDSP grounds.

Melissa: “All life is sacred.  I have three little boys.  It’s hard to tell them that God lets us kill some people but not others.”

Matt: “The death penalty is wrong.  It’s not our job or right to kill.” 

A woman who refused to give her name played “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes once then put away her instrument.  When asked if she had anything to say about the execution she replied, “I just pretty much said what I have to say.”