Keep the death penalty

After spending 37 years in law enforcement and five years as a jail commander, I would encourage everyone to vote to retain the death penalty.

We should demand that all appeals by attorneys be filed within five years of when sentence is imposed. We have inmates who have received death sentences who have been on death row for 20 or more years.

As a result we have put an unnecessary burden on jail staff who are responsible for the care and safety of death row inmates who feel they have nothing to lose by assaulting, or in some cases killing, staff or other inmates. With the development of DNA evidence in recent years, the chance of an innocent person receiving the death penalty in violent crimes is remote.

Those who oppose the death penalty probably have never observed how the violent death of a loved one affects their well-being. Law enforcement has and does. Vengeance is not relevant, it’s justice.

Some would say the death penalty is barbaric. Scripture proclaims it is biblical.

This story was originally published November 2, 2016 at 8:36 PM with the headline "Keep the death penalty."