Death Sentence

In the US this morning, a 76-year old man was executed at San Quentin prison. He had organised three murders when he was 50. Now, 26 years later, his sentence has finally been carried out.

That’s quarter of a century on Death Row. He committed the crimes, and that was proven in 1980. The American legal system has then kept this man alive for 26 years, through processes of appeals, re-trials and so on.

I’m not a fan of the death penalty – personally I find it abhorrent. But equally I find the concept of being on Death Row for twenty-six years to be disgusting. It’s no wonder that American jails are overcrowded if it can take quarter of a century to carry out that sentence…

Note: I know I haven’t constructed this post at all well – my head’s in other things at the same time. I’ll probably revisit it or rewrite it later.