Death penalty repays injustice for injustice

By Moira Gill

The death penalty is not something that our generation has noticed or dealt with much. Although it isn’t as prevalent now as it was in generations past, those of us living in the twenty-first century would hardly notice if it were more widespread. Why? Right now we live in a society that is unfazed by violence and mass injustice; we are too consumed by our world revolving around an axis of self-absorption.

Most residents of Mecklenburg County would be unacquainted with a recent issue of injustice — the sentence of death thrust upon a fellow Charlottean. Michael Wayne Sherrill was sentenced on February 23 for the 1984 murder of a young Charlotte woman. This happened to be the first time a Mecklenburg jury has given a sentence of death in nearly a decade.

Now I will ask you this — what was your reaction when you read the above paragraph? Were you shocked? Were you left wanting to know more? These questions and your answers (which are likely ‘yes’ to both) indicate that we are a world of veiled sympathy. Although we may seem un-empathetic because of the stereotypical American attitude and lifestyle, we are really compassionate beings deep down.

So why did I just have you discover a part of yourself that highlights your goodness? To show you that everyone is good, underneath it all, and hence the death penalty is not an appropriate punishment for any living being.

This brings me to another point. If we all are compassionate deep down, then why do people kill and bring tragedy to families worldwide? Because it is an escape for them, whether it is from a mental illness or a tragic past, no murderer kills with the foresight of consequence on the mind.

So what is the harm in keeping a fellow troubled citizen in jail rather than exiled to the grave? Will his death bringing relief to the victim? No, because you cannot bring a loved one back, and as painful as it is to see the perpetrator leave relatively unscathed, perhaps prison will be a site of penance for them, a place where they can truly rectify their wrongdoing.

It is helpful to always put situations like these in perspective, to think things through, to grant second chances, and to ultimately set a tone and example for generations of the future, contributing to a more peaceful world.

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