Ava Eisenband, Week 6 - Death Penalty or Life Imprisonment?


    After reading "I Wish the Jury Had Not Sentenced My Family’s Killer to Death," published by The New York Times, I have some thoughts on the matter. The article is an opinionative essay written by Sharon Risher, whose mother and two cousins were killed, along with six others, by a white supremacist in 2015 at Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, S.C. When the murderer, Dylan Roof, was sentenced to the death penalty, Risher was actually brought more misery rather than peace. She has made efforts to abolish the death penalty since Mr. Roof's trial. She argues "there are many reasons to oppose it, including that racism and other injustices taint the justice system in the United States," (The New York Times, Risher). Another reason is that it would end the torturous wait for the trial results for the families of those murdered. Risher also believes that Nikolas Cruz, the killer of 17 people at Douglas High School, is being given a chance to spend the rest of his life in prison taking responsibility for his actions and finding a way to do good. On an ending note, Risher explained in her essay that the best way to support families going through this kind of loss is not to tell them what to think or give judgment, but just to provide a loving presence. After reading this article I could see the reasoning for both Nicholas Cruz being given the death penalty and a life sentence in prison. The death penalty would provide vengeance for the families of the children that were murdered. When the Judge ruled Cruz would serve life in prison, families were filled with anguish. On the other hand, perhaps Cruz doesn't deserve to die because he's still a person and it's not his fault he was born a sociopath. To really make an opinion, I would have to put myself in the families' shoes. If my family member were killed, along with others, I think I would want them to get the death penalty because why does a murderer with such hate and disregard for others for no reason have to be on this earth? I have to disagree with Risher's desire to rid the death penalty. Nikolas Cruz wanted all Jews dead, desired to kill black people, and considered women "less important than a dog." These are the types of people who cause the Holocaust.

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/01/opinion/parkland-death-penalty.html

https://www.foxnews.com/us/parkland-school-shooter-nikolas-cruz-sociopath-sympathizes-nazis-experts-testify 


Comments

  1. Josh RubinNovember 3, 2022 at 5:46 PM

    This is a very difficult topic. I do agree that Nikolas Cruz should be put to death for what he did. It is terrible how the case took so long to finalize. Nobody who does something so bad should be allowed to live after.

    ReplyDelete

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