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Death Penalty Talking Points
(Sources: “A Culture of Life and the Death Penalty, USCCB; Various publications of the Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty)
Catholic Teaching
n Every life is a precious gift from God and must be respected and protected. Respecting all life builds up a culture of life in our society.
n Society has a right and duty to defend itself against violent crime and a duty to reach out to victims of crime. Yet our state’s continuing reliance on the death penalty is extremely troubling. Respect for human life must include respect for the lives of those who have taken the lives of others. It has become clear that inflicting the penalty of death is cruel and unnecessary. The antidote to violence is not more violence. As a part of our pro-life commitment, we encourage solutions to violent crime that reflect the dignity of the human person, thus we urge our state to abandon the use of capital punishment. Respect for human life and dignity is the necessary first step in building a civilization that respects all human life.
n In Catholic teaching the state has the recourse to impose the death penalty upon criminals convicted of heinous crimes, if it is the only available means to protect society from certain individuals. However, this right should not be exercised if other means, which are more respectful of human life, are available to punish the criminal and protect society.
Problems with the Death Penalty
n The death penalty is a punishment that cannot be undone. Due to flaws in the legal system innocent people may be executed. Since 1977, 123 people have been found innocent after being sentenced to death. The question raised is how many innocent people may have been executed?
n Studies show that the death penalty does not deter crime. Criminals do not think about the punishment before committing the crime.
n The mandatory appeals process, which can take years, makes it very difficult on the victims’ families.
n Of the 11 people sentenced to death in Connecticut, six came from one judicial district ( Waterbury). Whether or not to seek the death penalty for a crime depends largely on the prosecutor for the judicial district. The same crime may be prosecuted as a death penalty case in one district, but not in another.
n The appeals process is extremely costly to the state. Some studies show it may actually be cheaper to imprison a person for life.
n The use of the death penalty suggests that society can overcome violence with violence.
Alternative
n State statutes should be reviewed to insure that a life sentence without the possibility of parole can be used on capital felony murder cases.
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