{"id":2658,"date":"2020-03-18T09:00:44","date_gmt":"2020-03-18T16:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandiegonewsdesk.com\/?p=2658"},"modified":"2020-03-19T00:09:36","modified_gmt":"2020-03-19T07:09:36","slug":"a-case-for-the-death-penalty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandiegonewsdesk.com\/?p=2658","title":{"rendered":"A Case for the Death Penalty"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following is the first of a two-part series from a contributor regarding capital punishment in light of news that prosecutors are pursuing the sentence for the Chabad of Poway shooter.<\/em><\/p>\n

Humans have always associated death as the end. Premature death thus serves as both the most powerful retribution and the worst of injustices. For basically all of human history, the death penalty has been held as a legitimate form of retributive justice for the most egregious crimes against humanity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Granted, we\u2019re no longer in the age of medieval torture devices\u2014the death penalty has become less of a cruel and unusual punishment than it once was\u2014and thus, the circumstances surrounding its justification have changed as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s essential to the core of this debate to address the common ground.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Terrible people, in fully sound, body, and mind, commit unforgivable crimes, and justify them with logic that goes against common morality. Some form of permanent life sentencing needs to be in place to punish such individuals. The question that remains, of course, is which.<\/span><\/p>\n

Humanity, for the most part, shares a common morality. We\u2019re certainly one to call out crimes that oppose our very nature and to deliver righteous justice to the absolute scum of the earth. To put it bluntly, there are some crimes that are so terrible that no other form of punishment would be fitting.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s not as easy as just pulling an <\/span>Of Mice and Men<\/span><\/i> and shooting death row prisoners in the back of the head\u2014and it certainly shouldn\u2019t be. For the sake of protecting the innocent, there must be absolutely no doubt that the criminal in question has committed the horrendous crimes that he has been accused of. Allowing the process of justice to play out properly and fairly is essential to protecting the integrity of our legal system.<\/span><\/p>\n

It can\u2019t be denied that the full sentencing process of those given the death penalty is excruciatingly long. An average of a decade (usually longer) from time of initial sentencing to execution is ridiculous and expensive. Until the day of their execution, inmates are incarcerated in solitary confinement, costing taxpayers around $90,000 a year more than it costs to incarcerate a regular prisoner.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though it\u2019s understandable to have a period of time in place to minimize the chance of an innocent life being taken, decades of waiting seems too long to even be effective. Put bluntly, the appeals process takes time, and it\u2019s difficult to cut down that time without obstructing justice.<\/span><\/p>\n

But we have to keep in mind who we\u2019re dealing with, as our courts don\u2019t just sentence anyone to death. These are serial rapists and mass murderers\u2014the absolute filth of the earth. The notion that you maintain your rights until you infringe on the rights of others is fairly straightforward.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Because you can forfeit the right to life if you take another life, just as you can forfeit your right to liberty (this is called prison) by infringing on the liberty of another. https:\/\/t.co\/5queulmZVd<\/a><\/p>\n

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) May 16, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n