I am reminded that a lot of the same people who became activists over how chickens and cows are slaughtered are curiously silent about this.
And I can understand their rationale. Animals are innocent, etc. and this guy raped and killed a woman. But it seems to me that a lot of the most vicious killers are a direct result of society not taking an active interest in their upbringing. I forget the exact statistic, but a whopping percentage of violent criminals were sexually assaulted as children. Add to that the number of kids who weren’t fed regularly and parents who had drug or mental health problems, and it’s almost a recipe for pathology.
I imagine a lot of those sexual assaults are a direct result of our mania for “the rule of law.” When minors are sent to juvie to “teach them a lesson,” the conditions are punitive even if the intent is to rehabilitate. As long as prison rape is condoned (by being ignored), we will have this problem. I knew a guy who was assaulted in juvie and you could see the results. Heavy drinking, violence, all-around mess. He never got to the point where he was arrested, but he was famous for his hair-trigger temper and his frequent bar brawls.
So when another human being is executed, I really do see society as complicit. We have failed each other, and while we can’t save everyone, we could save a lot more people than we do.
