Death Penalty

There can be no moral justification for the death of James Terry Roach in South Carolina’s electric chair. Surely, the execution of individuals who commit crimes as juveniles is an example of cruel and unusual punishment.

While almost all civilized nations of the world have rejected capital punishment as a brutalizing and inappropriate exercise in legal authority, our nation is still tolerating the death penalty for juvenile crime.

A truly enlightened people will not long remain indifferent to social practices that dehumanize all. Now that the story of young Roach’s death has hit the news services of the world, one can only take comfort in the hope that this case has focused sufficient attention to ensure that people will demand from their elected representatives the assurance that this terrible wrong will not occur again.

KINTA HALLER

Hidden Hills