“In sorting out my feelings and beliefs, there is, however, one piece of moral ground of which I am absolutely certain: if I were to be murdered I would not want my murderer executed. I would not want my death avenged. Especially by government--which can't be trusted to control its own bureaucrats or collect taxes equitably or fill a pothole, much less decide which of its citizens to kill.”
-Sister Helen Prejean, Dead Man Walking
I don't recall where I first came across this book, but I knew when I saw it that it would be an interesting read so I added it to my 2014 Reading List. It did not disappoint. Dead Man Walking by Sister Helen Prejean follows Sister Helen as she becomes a spiritual advisor to two men on death row in 1980s Louisiana. Capital punishment is a very controversial topic in our country and this book was very informative and prompted many questions.
Let me begin by stating that I am not entirely certain as to where I stand in terms of capital punishment. I can see and understand arguments for both sides. Do I believe in the saying "an eye for an eye"? No, I do not. If I had a family member murdered would I want the perpetrator to pay? Yes, I would. However, I do not know that I would want them killed. Often times, I think that spending the remainder of one's life in prison would be a far greater punishment than death. That being said, I think my opinion would be far different if I were actually experiencing this situation and I pray that I never have to.
One of the main questions I kept asking myself while reading this book was "could I be a spiritual advisor for an individual on death row?" I finished this book last evening and when I read the last sentence and closed the book, I sat and thought about this question for a bit. The answer I came to is no, I could be not be a spiritual advisor for someone on death row. I think it would be too much of an emotional toll and I also think I would have a hard time getting past knowing the crime they were found guilty of committing. I applaud Sister Helen Prejean for her work with the two individuals she counseled and their families. I also applaud her for considering the families of the victims as well.
I would strongly recommend this book regardless of your political stance on capital punishment. It was an easy read and I learned so much. I'll leave you with a few quotes and facts.
"That, I believe, is what it's going to take to abolish the death penalty in this country: we must persuade the American people that government killings are too costly for us, not only financially, but--more important--morally."
"But it's not the presence of television cameras or the composition of the crowd or even whether the crowd acts politely or not that makes the execution of a human being ugly. An execution is ugly because the premeditated killing of a human being is ugly. Torture is ugly. Gassing, hanging, shooting, electrocuting, or lethally injecting a person whose hands and feet are tied is ugly. And hiding the ugliness from view and rationalizing it numbs our minds to the horror of what we are doing. This is what truly 'coarsens' us."
The death penalty in Kansas was reinstated in 1994. Currently, there are nine individuals sentenced to death. Kansas has not executed anyone since 1965.
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