On Tuesday the state of California will likely carry out its most controversial execution since the reinstatement of the death penalty in the early 1970's. The case involves Stanley "Tookie" Williams. Mr. Williams is on "The Row" for his involvement in 4 homicides in 1979. In addition Mr. Williams was the co-founder of The Crips street gang, which still exists today.
Mr. Williams case is a cause celebre for many individuals. Death penatly opponents to Hollywood celebrities have lined up and spoke up on his behalf, demanding he be granted clemency.
The rationale for this is based on the fact that Williams has turned his life around in prison. In his 24 years in prison, Williams has gone from a gang founder to an outspoken opponent of gangs and violence. Along the way he has written several children's books and been nominated for the Nobel Prize 6 times (5 for peace and one for literature).
To be fair the main arugment Wiliams supporters have is the above, but upon further review, those points are tad more hollow than they seem...
Nobel Prize Nominations: While The Hawk is still seeking his elusive first Nobel Prize nomination for this weblog, it should be pointed out that being nominated for a Nobel is not as special as it is cracked up to be. First off, anyone can be nominated. Secondly, nominations are never released by the Nobel committee. Finally, Mohandis Gahndi, Martin Luther King and Desmond Tutu all won the Prize but Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Benito Mussolini were all in the running for one as well.
Writing Children's Books: It's nice that he has a hobby but writing children's books does not mean that one should get total redemption from one's past crimes.
Speaking Out Against Violence: One would hope as Mr. Williams got older he would speak out against the violence that got him on "The Row" in the first place. That is the benefit of getting older, you tend to get wiser and more mature.
He's Sorry For His Crimes: Mr. Williams still proclaims his innocence through all of this despite 16 years of failed appeals. At the end of the day, he doesn't want clemency he wants out of prison. While The Hawk does not think that a man should cop to a crime he did not commit, it is not a stretch that a street gang founder, high on PCP could in fact commit such crimes. Again, no evidence (DNA or witness) has come up to suggest Mr. Williams is innocent. It was his gun who killed those people and that we know for certain.
Hawk's View: In the end, Mr. Williams, like everyone on death row, should be granted clemency because The Hawk does not believe in the death penalty. Not because I think the prisoners deserve better but for the exact opposite. The death penalty turns madmen and monsters into martyrs and those folks simply do not deserve anyone's time. Lock them up and throw away the key. They may be alive but they are not living, they are existing in a metal cage to think of all of their past misdeeds. That's the toughest punishment of all. Along the way if some do reform, good for them, but they still have to live with the fact that they will spend the rest of their days irrelevant behind bars waiting for their day to come. That's a long time to live with the shame of crime.
Note: Please read the link above from the Washington Post's Eugene Robinson. Very interesting.
2 comments:
What about the tax payers? The longer they are alive, the more we have to pay. Should they have to pay for someone elses mistakes?
Fair question. I've always read that the death penalty turns out to be more expensive than keeping someone alive. Hard to believe but when you factor in court and legal fees that could be possible. I'm still of the opinion that life in prison with zero possibility of parole is worse. Being stuck in a metal cage for the rest of your days is a long time to think about your crimes.
Thanks for the comment.
Post a Comment