Clemency Denied

Stanley ‘Tookie’ Williams will be executed shortly after midnight tonight after California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger refused to grant him clemency earlier today. The governor explained that there can be no redemption for the brutal killings of which Tookie was convicted. Moreover, the governor stated that he could not be certain that Tookie’s anti-gang activism, since being imprisoned, was genuine.

I do not believe that capital punishment has a place in civilized society. This is not to say that Tookie’s anti-gang activities since imprisonment makes amends for the sins of old. This certainly an individual who deserves to remain behind bars for the remainder of his life. It is my belief that restorative justice serves the greater public good both in terms of the criminal and his/her victims. Additionally, capital punishment has never been shown to deter crime. Taking a purely monetary approach, in most states, executing someone costs more taxpayer dollars than imprisoning them for life.

 Capital punishment is also a difficult sell on me because I believe it serves an arcane desire for revenge which is indicative of an ill in free society. Execution does not serve justice, but the primitive interests of victims which are exposed as a result of grief. Believe it or not, I am thinking of the victims. Ensuring the death of the perpetrator will not bring closure to the death of a loved one. The desire for revenge exposes victims to a darker side of their psyche which will likely not benefit them in the long run, but exasperate their grief. By denying the barbaric desire to exact revenge, victims are improved and are, by contrast, MUCH better than the criminals themselves. Never underestimate the amount of personal strength it takes to show mercy.