by
Jim Kouri, CPP
The news media's obsession with milestones brought enormous attention to
the issue of the death penalty in the United States. The denizens of US
newsrooms anxiously awaited the execution of the 1000th person since
capital punishment was reinstated in 1976.
However, the day before vicious killer Robin Lovitt was to meet his maker,
Virginia's governor commuted the murderers death sentence to life
imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Lovitt was facing death
for stabbing a man to death with a pair of scissors during a 1988 pool
hall robbery.
Gov. Mark R. Warner, defending his decision, claims that evidence from the
Lovitt trial was improperly destroyed, depriving Lovitt's lawyers of the
opportunity to examine the materials with the latest in DNA testing
procedures.
But all is not lost. That elusive 1,000th execution is now scheduled in
North Carolina, where a murderer, Kenneth Lee Boyd, will be executed for
killing his estranged wife and her father.
Associated Press reports that Boyd said he doesn't feel he deserves a
death sentence for the 1988 murders. (Wow. What a scoop! I smell
Pulitzer.)
"I don't like the idea of being picked as a number," Boyd said. "I feel
like I should be in prison for the rest of my life." I've got a flash for
Mr. Boyd: he wasn't picked as a number, he was picked as a murderer.
Boyd's attorney, Thomas Maher, said he hopes media attention brought by
the milestone "means that the governor will therefore take the clemency
petition seriously _ but I hope that would be true regardless of whether
this is case 999, 1,000 or 1,001."
The US Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976 after they made
certain that state laws to reform capital punishment were valid. This
ended a moratorium on the death penalty that began in 1966. The first
execution took place on January 1977, when Gary Gilmore, 36, was shot by a
firing squad at Utah State Prison. Gilmore was the subject of an
Emmy-winning TV movie titled, "The Executioner's Song."
But perhaps capital punishment isn't what it's cracked up to be. Sadly,
the death sentence is inconsistently utilized, and even when utilized the
odds are in favor of the murderer that he or she will not be executed.
Since 1976, following the Supreme Court decision, only 999 killers have
been executed. In 29 years only 999 executions? That means an average of
34 death sentences are carried out each year.
Since 1976, there have been well over 500,000 homicide victims in the
United States. Of course, not all of them were classified as murders, with
most killers charged with manslaughter. However, even if only 20% of the
half-million homicides committed since 1976 are classified as first-degree
murder, that would translate into 100,000 first-degree murder cases in 29
years. So 999 executions are a mere drop in the bucket.
In 1977 there were about 19,000 homicides committed in the United States.
Putting aside manslaughter charges, there were enough murders to have
produced 999 executions in one year and the media would have had their
report about a milestone in 1977 instead of 2005
Although I support the death penalty, I believe it's used by politicians
as a smokescreen when faced with questions regarding their plans to fight
crime. Usually Republicans use this smokescreen. Democrats, who for the
most part oppose the death penalty, use gun control as their own
smokescreen. Americans should never gauge a politician's anticrime
performance based on whether or not he or she supports or opposes the
death penalty. Same as it's silly to gauge a politician's effectiveness by
using their stance on gun control.
The politicians want votes. The news media want milestones. The American
people want justice.
Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National
Association of Chiefs of Police. He's former chief at a New York City
housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters
covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of
public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for
several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task
Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country.
He writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of
Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's a staff writer for
New Media Alliance (thenma.org), and he's a columnist for
TheConservativeVoice.Com, AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com,
MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He's appeared as
on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including
Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book
Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com, Booksamillion.com, and can
be ordered at local bookstores. If you wish to sign up for his
intelligence reports, write to JimKouriReports@aol.com. Kouri's own
website is located at
http://jimkouri.us
The opinions expressed in
this column represent those of the author and do not necessarily reflect
the opinions, views, or philosophy of TheRealityCheck.org, Inc.
