The death penalty is about vengeance. Lois Robison's son Larry was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia when he was 21. Robison and her husband Ken did everything in their power to get him proper care. The couple was assured that if their son became violent, he would receive the long-term care that everyone agreed he needed. Despite his well-documented history of mental illness, he was found sane and sentenced to die.
States also execute innocent people.
Ultimately, though, those who participate in the Journey of Hope believe that it's the sharing of stories, stories of hard-won reconciliation and healing, that changes people's hearts about the death penalty and, just as importantly, enables many to get on with their lives. Steve Earle's greatest gift to this movement is his ability to bring such stories to life in song. I was trying to do a better job of the very same thing that I did when I wrote Billy Austin . And the difference, I believe, was the voice. I felt like the guard, as opposed to an inmate, had a better chance of changing someone's mind, if a song can ever do it.