Death Penalty Controversy--Cruel Punishment or Justice?

Our family lost a daughter, her husband and their 9-month-old baby to brutal stabbings. Torn with grief, we had to examine our belief that the death penalty was senseless.

As the days went on, and the killers were found, convicted and sentenced to prison for life, without the possibility of parole, we sought comfort and solace among others who had also suffered from violence and murders. We also looked for information on the death penalty, and did not discover that executions deterred others from committing murders.

Help came to us, during the healing process, from the ones who had undergone the same pain and yet survived to reject executions as solutions to their suffering. Those who continued to advocate retaliation in kind and were filled with a desire for vengeance suffered the most and their agony was so intense that the wounds resisted healing.

Families of murder victims suffer severe trauma in their loss which no one should minimize, but it would be more beneficial if the public were to insist on funds being diverted from the costly process of executions to provide counseling and help for victims. Also to promote and support research into the causes of all varieties of homicides.

No amount of killing will restore a life or take away the loss, so don’t kill another human being for us !

NORMAN FELTON

Malibu