Reuters had a headline today “Biden commutes sentences of 37 of 40 inmates on federal death row”. This is good news but not perfect. It’s three short. He should have commuted the sentences of all of them. The three that he did not commute are the Boston Marathon bomber, the shooter at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, and the shooter at the Tree of Life Synagogue. All three were convicted of heinous crimes, but they shouldn’t have to die.
I’m an absolutist when it comes to the death penalty. It should not be an option. Not ever. I gave my reasons why here, but basically the role of the state should be to rehabilitate criminals. That’s impossible if they are put to death. Add to that all the practical reasons like the cost, the time, the wrongful convictions, the racism, and everything else and it’s not good policy on top of being immoral.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not in any way condoning or pardoning the crimes that these three committed. And I’m not in doubt about their guilt. I’m just saying that no good will come from killing them. Mercy is a virtue that should have been extended to all 40, not just 37.
(I know this was a short post. If you’re looking for something else to read, I can recommend my article in Phlexible Philosophy about prison abolitionism.)
