Should the state be on death row

The US Supreme Court agreed to reevaluate execution by lethal injection just as Texas was preparing for its 27th execution this year on 27 September. This article summarised the recent trend. But reading it made it clear that there is a self-evident inequity in capital punishment in an advanced nation. It seems that the proportion of people on death row from privileged backgrounds is far lower than from the population as a whole. This shows that the State itself is failing its people, in 2 ways. First it has not provided the awareness to less privileged that crime is wrong nor provided the opportunities to enjoy a life without desperate measures. Second, it has sentenced white collar criminals far more leniently than blue collar convicts. If execution is a form of focused population culling fine, then get on with it quickly and without concerns, but if “democratic” society has chosen not to cull its population then just stop it and commit resources to reform and reeducation.

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