catching up

So, the Supreme Court has decided that child rape is not enough to justify an execution.

And I am glad.

I am a survivor of child rape, and I am glad that the death penalty will no longer be allowed in such cases.

Why?

Well, for one thing, the death penalty doesn't fix anything. We in this country like to believe that it deters crime, but there is no evidence to say it does. Ultimately, I think it just provides a false sense of security. I don't happen to believe that is enough to justify killing someone.

There is also the fact that the death penalty has been applied unfairly. People of color are far more likely than white folks to end up on death row, as are the ones who commit crimes against caucasians. How can we claim this is fair? Money also plays an unfair role in this form of "justice". If you rich, you are more likely to avoid capital punishment.

And what about the fact that innocent people have been put to death. Trust me, it has happened. There is no way that are government has killed so many people without making a terrible mistake. There have been innocent people who have made it off of death row, but we can't have caught all of the mistakes.

Then there is the simple fact that you can survive rape. Even child rape. I might not have the Greatest Life Ever, but I am glad to be alive even though I was raped as a kid. Was it easy? Oh, hell no. But I made it.

And I don't believe that anyone should die for something that I survived.

No, I don't believe in revenge.

We should be better than that.