Letters to the Editor Death Penalty Remarks by Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez Studies fail to stablish that the death penalty either has a unique value as a deterrent or is a more effective deterrent than life imprisonment. We assume that perpetrators will give greater consideration to the consequences of their actions if the penalty is death, but the problem is that we are not always dealing with rational actions. Those who commit violent crimes often do so in moments of passion, rage, and fear. The empty echo of the death penalty asks for simple retribution.
Proponents advocate that some crimes simply deserve death.
This argument is ludicrous. Our justice system does not provide for such punishments because society comprehends that it must be founded on principles different from those that it condemns . In practice, capital punishment has become a kind of grotesque lottery. It cannot be disputed that most death row inmates come from poverty and that there is a definite racial and ethnic bias to the imposition of the death penalty. Correct this national disgrace.