The Stout Republican

From the Clarion-Ledger:

The steady drumbeat of DNA exonerations – pointing out flaws in the justice system – has weighed against capital punishment. The moral opposition is loud, too, echoed in Europe and the rest of the industrialized world, where all but a few countries banned executions years ago.

What gets little notice, however, is a series of academic studies over the last half-dozen years that claim to settle a once hotly debated argument – whether the death penalty acts as a deterrent to murder. The analyses say yes. They count between three and 18 lives that would be saved by the execution of each convicted killer.

…

Among the conclusions:

- Each execution deters an average of 18 murders, according to a 2003 nationwide study by professors at Emory University. (Other studies have estimated the deterred murders per execution at three, five and 14).

- The Illinois moratorium on executions in 2000 led to 150 additional homicides over four years following, according to a 2006 study by professors at the University of Houston.

- Speeding up executions would strengthen the deterrent effect. For every 2.75 years cut from time spent on death row, one murder would be prevented, according to a 2004 study by an Emory University professor.

[sarcasm]Gee…really? You mean to tell me that studies show that if people find out that if they premeditate and carry through with the killing of another, they forfeit their right to live…that they might actually decide to not kill another? Whoa there hoss…that’s quite a leap…and makes absolutely no logical sense. [/sarcasm]

My favorite death penalty moment? When Jessie Jackson was “campaigning” for Tookie Williams.

In the afternoon, outside the prison’s main gate, Jackson was harangued by conservative L.A. radio shock jocks John Ziegler and John Kobylt, who were pushing microphones in his face and yelling: “Name one of the victims! Name one.” Jackson ignored them and tried to walk away. He never answered the question. “You don’t know. Answer the question. You don’t know, do you?”

I think that’s about right. I would put forth the supposition that most advocates for the abolition of capital punishment make two leaps:

1. That the person is innocent and the legal system is flawed.
2. I would gander that most of them don’t know the names of the victims, or anything about the victims…period. The victims don’t matter to these people, and the real victim is the killer.

Unrelated, but worth viewing. Hot Air’s posting of the Half Hour News Hour’s Dennis Miller Rant. They also point out Senator Reid’s whopping 19% approval rating according to recent polls, which puts him toe to toe with Scooter Libby.

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