The question of the efficacy of the death penalty in stopping crime seems to be less and less a question these days. At one time the death penalty advocates argued for it on the grounds that it discouraged those who would commit such crimes. This presupposed that crimes are mostly crimes of plan and rational thought. But many, if not most, crimes committed which end in the death penalty are crimes of short term passion not long term planning. The current high profile federal death row inmate Timothy McVeigh is a glaring non-example of this. Yet, his case underscores that the presence of the death penalty will in no way stop or hinder the plan of one committed to an act of hideous cruelty and violence.

If the death penalty is not going to deter other criminals what is the reason for it to continue. Other than those who will quote Biblical scripture to support their need to believe that they have been commanded to do this, the reality is that there are only two reasons for the death penalty. Those two reasons are vengeance and money.

On the side of those who feel that it is just not economically feasible to clothe, feed and house inmates for the rest of their lives there are the stark figures of costs spent per year on housing inmates in the United States. The numbers are pretty astronomical. Also in this camp are those who say that it is cruel to the prisoners to force them to live out the rest of their natural lives behind bars. Of course there are many prisoners that would prefer life, even behind bars to death, but there are many (including Mr. McVeigh) who prefer death.

Finally there is the issue of getting back at the people who inflict great pain and suffering upon us. The current case with Mr. McVeigh brings this very much into focus. The number of people who wish to watch his execution, aside from those looking just for grisly entertainment, is said to be in the hundreds in Oklahoma City where his act of terrorism took place. For many of those injured in, or who lost loved ones to, the bombing the need to see him die seems to be real. Others who were there or who suffered loss from it feel that it will do them no good to go. Either way at least in this case they will have the option. Why or whether they should will be issues left for another day. Let us hope, for the sake of those who choose to watch and revel in his death, that it does bring them the closure they so desperately seek. I fear it may not, at least for all of them. Then, sadly, their last opportunity to reach out in the cleansing healing of forgiveness will be gone

-- Bambi D. Longcore