in a letterto the editor. I am not sure that the death penalty is a deterrent,but if it is not, we certainly need to have some sort of deterrencebuilt into our criminal justice system. Keeping killers Off theStreet is not sufficient, especially if where we put them is a placethat may (to them) be a better place then where they came from. Deutsh has an important point. Suppose to a killer, prison is not soterrible. Suppose the killer is used to a prison environment where allof his needs are taken care of, and suppose, further, that he is able tocommand respect from his fellow inmates. Is it not possible that such aperson can prefer a life in prison rather than having to go out into ourworld to earn a living? To such a person it is conceivable that aprison sentence maybe more of a reward than a punishment. Deutsh said whether the death penalty is a deterrent, I think we mustphilosophically consider suitable punishments to incorporate into ourcriminal justice system that will serve as a deterrent for violentcrimes, not only those crimes that now provide for the death penalty. Denver Archbishop Charles Chadput placed a statement on his Internetsite last year, condemning capital punishment. Killing our guilty isstill wrong. It does not honor the dead. It does not ennoble theliving, said Chadput. Frank Keating counteracted the Bishops statement by saying (he) hopesthat I dont get driven into the sea because I am a catholic, forsupporting the death penalty. Most Catholics would agree that murderersshould die. How many people do we have to see killed before it isjustified? he asked. The Reverend Jesse Jackson spoke on CBS Face The Nation on June 91997. The concept of an eye for an eye ultimately leaves us blind anddisfigured. Psychiatrist James Gilligan has studied societys most violent people.The experience has left Gilligan discounting what he describes as theunderlying theory pervading our criminal justice system. The theory o...
