THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, July 12, 1994 TAG: 9407120006
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 33 lines
As to Dan Cheshire's premise that the death penalty does not deter crime (letter, June 17): Hogwash! Swift and certain punishment does deter crime; and the more severe the punishment, the more it deters.
Mr. Cheshire wrings his hands over 23 allegedly innocent people being executed over 85 years. It must be accepted that for the greater good of society, sometimes perfectly decent people will be inadvertently hurt. That does not excuse our failure to protect the many by deterring and punishing the true criminals. Here we have the sad and awful spectacle of people who have committed the most horrendous crimes walking away because some policeman or officer of the court allegedly violated the criminals ``rights.'' We no longer have criminal justice in this country; we have a game.
The reason death sentences take so long is because of our insane appeal system, not to mention our idiot judiciary. That is costly. What we need is a simple rule. You kill, you die - now. And apply it impartially to everyone.
Mr. Cheshire says an eye for an eye makes the world blind. What baloney! If you lose an eye because you took someone else's, you are sure to think a long time before you hazard the second one; and if the state kills you for killing someone else, you sure don't kill again!
DONALD E. ROCKWELL
Accomac, June 20, 1994 by CNB