Repair our broken justice system
Repair our broken justice system
This death penalty thing bothers me. I mean it really bothers me. Why should we allow an innocent person to be sent to their death or life imprisonment on the one hand, or on the other hand be handed a $40,000-a-year bill for the care and upkeep of some subhuman that does not deserve to live?
It costs us a quarter of a million dollars to convict the guilty, a quarter of a million dollars to fight their appeal, and another quarter of a million dollars to feed and nurture them after we lose. Who are the judges that permit these things to occur? What kind of a people are we to allow this stuff to happen? Who are we that can sleep peacefully at night with innocents facing death or life imprisonment? And why must we the people pay the bills so the guilty may live on forever?
As I said at the beginning, this stuff bothers me. But now as I reflect further, it really, really, really bothers me. Is there no true justice in this land? They tell us the death penalty is not a deterrent. Well, it would deter me and I will bet it would deter you.
But we are only citizens and the answer is not ours to give. The answer is for the elected, the appointed and the anointed. It is within their powers, those favored few, for ours is a democratic republic and we surrender our freedoms to them for an occasional turn at the ballot box.
From the graves of the innocent to the voices and pens of the living the cry is, “Fix it! Fix it now!”
Joseph Russell Vannier
Hoffman Estates