brought from the last thread, originally posted by WindyCityGirl
I, too, am from Illinois, where there is a moratorium on the death penalty---for VERY good reason. I, too, am anti-DP---not just because of the record in Illinois, but because it is contrary to my faith.
Yes, I am anti-DP. Ordinarily. And here's why: I live in a state where prosecutorial misconduct is epic (and I know lots of insiders who verify this), and an appalling number of death row inmates have been exonerated. Sadly, this often only occurs posthumously. Project Innocence had its birth here---and for good reason. The number of innocent men on death row in Illinois---and by innocent, I mean TRULY innocent, not simply "not guilty," of the crimes for which they were convicted--is horrifying.
Call me a hypocrite, if you will, but executing Jodi Arias does not cause me even a moment's conflict.
She is a self-admitted murderess. That she spent several years creating an outlandish rationale to "explain" the horrendous slaughter is irrelevant. The holes in her story are outrageous. She is a cold-blooded, heinous murderess. Of that, there is no doubt.
She is profoundly personality disordered, and therefore not amenable to ANY treatment. (I am not referring to her BPD; I am referring to her psychopathy.)
She does not experience empathy. She cannot feel remorse. (Trust me on this: if you've never had the misfortune of knowing or living with a sociopath or psychopath, it is simply impossible to describe, except to say that those with normal minds are best left believing the best of others, because once you see how badly the mind can malfunction, it takes you very dark places.)
Jodi Arias is a risk to others, in a prison population. Jodi Arias is a risk to prison personnel. She has killed, heinously. She will do it again if given any opportunity.
Housing her in the penal system will be outrageously costly. She's already cost the state more than any other criminal defendant. Her appeals will be costly, as will her upkeep.
Will killing her do any good? Well, it won't be a deterrent. The DP simply isn't. But it will save society the cost of sustaining a subhuman with no redeeming qualities. Not.A.Single.One.
And it will rid the earth of one unbelievably evil woman.
I can live with that. I support the Alexander family; it is their loss we are addressing.
But all that aside---it doesn't matter that either you or I think this "serves no purpose," is "overkill," or is "barbaric." Because the laws of the State of Arizona very clearly spell out the process. And this is the way it's done.
Here, it's not. Every state has its own approach.
And that is the beauty of the United States of America.
If you don't like the laws, work to change them. I am surprised I have no problem, at all, with them just as they stand. In this case, particularly.
