Two wrongs don't make a right in death
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. When will society learn that vengeance is not the answer?

After the brutal attacks of Sept. 11, many Americans became biased against anyone from the Middle East. Some wanted to go into Afghanistan, kill Osama bin Laden and destroy the Afghani race. For what? To have the lives of those who died in 2001 returned? To justify their deaths? To have a sense of revenge and closure?

This type of knee-jerk reaction can also occur after a trial, especially in which murder or sexual abuse is concerned. The relatives are mourning and physically upset, the tears flow for their victimized loved ones, and their anger and hurt, grief and despair fill the courtroom. The suspect is pointed out as a monster and the jury convicts him to a death sentence.

Now, the New Jersey Legislature is inching toward repealing the death penalty that has been in place, although no executions have occurred in 44 years. It is finally time that logic is overruling emotion.

In last week's Sentinel article "Legislators debate need for capital punishment," state Sen. Ray Lesniak (D-Union), who sponsored the bill to abolish the death penalty, spoke of Brian Halsey, who was convicted of murdering and sexually assaulting two children, although 19 years later DNA evidence proved he did not commit the crime. There have been several other cases where innocent people have been cleared because of the advent of new technology. What purpose does killing someone, whether or not they have killed someone else, serve, especially when there is a chance they are innocent? Twelve members of a jury are not infallible, and since guilt must be proved just beyond a reasonable doubt, human error can get in the way. Doesn't this country have a conscience at all?

Another article appearing in this week's Sentinel tells of the prevalence of gangs in the Brunswick area. Lt. Pete Delgado of the Middlesex County Department of Corrections mentions how once gang members get to his "house" - i.e., the jail - they are lost in the system. He said they need rehabilitation and remedial programs to try to improve their lives. Unfortunately, most of the time this does not happen.

Perhaps such programs are the answer in jail, instead of supporting the death penalty. Of course, cold-blooded killers or rapists with no remorse could be viewed as exceptions, but then again, what about those who are mentally ill? If they are not in their right mind at the time of the crime, is it fair to kill them, too? They may have committed heinous crimes, but that is a convoluted expression of justice.

There is also a saying that only the dumb criminals get caught. Will the death penalty work as a deterrent for these people anyway? Life in prison is as much of a death sentence as death itself, except the final date is prolonged quite a few years, just a procrastination of the inevitable. Shouldn't the idea of living in a 6-by-9 cell for the rest of your life be enough of a deterrent?

Someone who is imprisoned for a lengthy time period must deal with his punishment for every single, solitary, aching second of the rest of his life, which could be punishment enough. Living each and every day like that could be intolerable.

And of course, during that time, people may become remorseful and regretful and acknowledge their wrongdoings, if they are not cold-blooded citizens. The others, who are just bad seeds, can rot in prison for the rest of their lives. But what good does it do if their bodies are rotting away in a coffin for all eternity if their punishment was brief? They need time to understand their actions, and experience the unending grief and suffering the victims' families have faced.

Another factor is the discrepancy between sentencing someone to death versus a life sentence in terms of monetary figures. This country wastes money on so many frivolous expenses. Isn't humanity more important than money? Certainly, it sounds easy to say without considering the high cost of living and increasing taxes, but you can't put a price on life, especially when it is sentenced to such a tragic end when the chance of innocence exists.

Killing is not the answer.