I was reading an article on CNN.com about Teresa Lewis who is set to be executed by lethal injection in Virginia on Thursday, September 23rd for her role in the murders of her husband and stepson. Not all that long ago I would have sided with proponents for the use of the death penalty. My views at that time were that some crimes were heinous enough to warrant the taking of a person’s life. My justification for this view was based primarily on focusing on the actions and looking no further. In the years since, particularly as a result of my Buddhist studies, I have come to question everything that I believe and try to re-examine the conditioning behind those beliefs and act primarily from a mind of compassion first. Supporters of the death penalty sometimes say that the death penalty is about bringing closure to the victims families. I’ve also heard that the death penalty is a deterrent to crime. Both beliefs have evidence contrary to those assertions.
