Late last week, the Supreme Court decided to hear a case on the constitutionality of the death penalty for the crime of rape of a child.
Justices to Decide if Rape of a Child Merits Death
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to decide whether the Constitution allows the death penalty for the rape of a child.
The justices acted only three days before a scheduled argument in another important death penalty case, on the standard for judging whether chemicals used to administer lethal injections make that method of execution unconstitutionally cruel.
The new case, from Louisiana, is likely to be argued in April, meaning that during the course of its current term, the Supreme Court will be examining both the most common method of execution and a categorical question about which crimes are appropriate for the death penalty.
No one has been executed in the United States for a crime other than murder since 1964.
While I’m not a lawyer, I do have relevant experience to comment on this issue. Let me explain.
As a boy, I had a baseball coach with whom my father didn’t get along. I never knew why at the time, but he had suspicions about the guy and kept a close eye on him. No overnight trips for me. Twenty years later, news broke that this particular coach was being accused of sexually abusing players and it all made sense to me. This particular pedophile didn’t wait for the courts to decide what to do, he killed himself. At the same time I was an alter boy at a parish that had a priest on the list of sexual abusers that came to light in the wake of the Cardinal Law sex abuse debacle. Little did I know, but I spent my youth surrounded by pedophiles. Thankfully, because of involved and active parents, I never had any idea until 20 years later.
More recently, I spent several long months on a grand jury, two days per week, all day. We heard ten, fifteen cases per day. They ranged from robbing a 7-11 to first degree murder. Not a day went by when we were not confronted with cases involving either child porn or child rape.
It is everywhere, the victimization and sexual abuse of children. The victims came from every demographic and economic circumstance, from the tony little towns to the rough and tumble cities. It is an epidemic worse then the drug problem in my opinion because the victims are so helpless.
So, what should be done to these predators? What does our society owe these children? What should our laws communicate to the rest of society about our values and how much we cherish the innocence of our kids?
The crime of child sexual abuse preys on the innocent and defenseless. Is it too much to say to the worst offenders, you have forfeited your right to live? I say no, it is not.
Patterico, a district attorney by day, warns that harsh punishment can have unintended consequences,
I’m not sure it’s the wisest idea. I’ve seen firsthand cases where draconian laws have caused criminals to kill people, where they would not have otherwise. If you know that you face death for raping a child, what’s the incentive to leave the child alive?
It seems to me that the most offensive crimes to society deserve the harshest penalties. I can’t think of a more offensive crime than this one.