On Jan. 8, 2011 in Tuscan, Arizona, Jared Lee Loughner drew a pistol in a supermarket parking lot and shot 18 people, killing six, including a nine year old girl. The incident was identified as an attack against Senator Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot at point-blank range in the head. There was no doubt who committed the murders and Loughner was arrested at the scene of the crime. Now, more than two years later, Loughner sits in a jail cell while many struggle day-to-day with the grief that accompanies losing a loved one.
In light of the many recent events in our country in which numerous individuals have lost their lives, there has been renewed interest in the death penalty and its legality. Many believe that capital punishment displays true justice while others state that a life in prison has the potential to be much more effective for criminals whose heinous acts deserve severe punishment.
According to Amnesty International “over two-thirds of the countries in the world – 141 – have now abolished the death penalty in law or practice.” However, crime seems to be growing and intensifying around the world more and more each day. This may be due to the fact that many criminals, whose crimes deserve the death penalty, are still jail – caught up in all the legal processes surrounding their cases.
Cases such as Loughner’s, in which there is no doubt that he committed the crime, should be able to be processed within a week or so. As an American citizen, Loughner deserves the right to a fair and speedy trial, but upon being convicted, he should have received the death penalty. When news of widely-public cases such as this are spread through various forms of media, it sends the message that murder is okay and that the consequences will not be severe.
Perhaps if the government were quicker to execute those who, without a doubt, are guilty, a downward trend in crimes would be seen – yet as long as criminals continue to receive less-than-harsh punishment for the acts they commit, others may mimic their example without fear of punishment.
Some criminals are dangerous to society despite being put behind bars. Charles Manson has been locked up for more than 40 years for conspiracy in the murders of eight people. He was the head of a cult in California in the 1970’s and receives the most mail out of any prisoner in the U.S. In 2010, the Los Angeles Times reported that Manson was “caught with a cell phone in 2009 and had contacted people in California, New Jersey, Florida and British Columbia.” It has long been suspected that Manson has been orchestrating crimes from inside jail, but no concrete evidence has arisen. Clearly, some criminals are too dangerous to live – whether in or out of jail.
A common misconception is that life in jail without parole is permanent. However, there exists a countless number of cases where criminals who were given life sentences are pardoned and out of jail within a couple of decades of their sentencing. Is it fair that they receive the privilege of experiencing life while their victims do not?
Provided that there is undeniable evidence against the defendant and the crime is worthy of the death penalty, it should be enacted. The death penalty is not only just, but it teaches would-be criminals that there will be permanent consequences for their actions. It is only when the government realizes that sometimes fairness comes in the form of the “eye for an eye – tooth for a tooth” mentality that America will be able to move towards true justice. As the fortieth First Lady, Nancy Reagan, once stated “I believe that people would be alive today if there were a death penalty.”