Presidential candidate Bill Clinton broke off campaigning in New Hampshire to rush home to witness Rector's execution. Democrats, cowards too often, now zealously compete with their Republican rivals in enthusiasm for a practice not sanctioned by other Western countries. In Texas, Democratic Gov. Ann Richards tried desperately to prove she was a better executioner then her opponent. Throughout the Southern Death Belt, where most executions occur, the story is sadly the same. But it is not just a matter of economics.
Racial prejudice is a big factor.
Yet during that same period, nearly half of all homicide victims were black. Who cares, you might be saying at this point, as long as the murder rate goes down. But it doesn't. The states that permit executions have twice the murder rate of those without the death penalty. Countries that shun the death penalty have far lower murder rates than we do.