We know from the news that our nation’s criminal justice system is riddled with errors, from mundane mistakes to gross injustices. A few recent examples: we have evidence tampering in Delaware, evidence planting in South Carolina, and evidence falsification by the FBI.
In addition, the racism throughout our criminal justice system is so pervasive that it has rightly been called the “new Jim Crow.” Consequently, an irreversible punishment like the death penalty should never be used. In Delaware the death penalty is not reserved for the worst of the worst.
You can get death for driving a getaway car, even if you killed no one. Delaware ranks third in the number of executions per capita. And in Delaware, a unanimous jury decision is not required in capital cases.
Why would law enforcement oppose repeal? Certainly, they know better than anyone the problems with our system. Capital punishment takes precious resources away from crime fighting, and it is not a deterrent. Moreover, in death penalty states, police and correctional officers are more likely to be killed.
We must repeal the death penalty. Please ask your representative to do the right thing. My representative is Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf, one of the most powerful men in the state. If he wants the bill to come to a vote, it will.
So I am making a public plea to the speaker: Please do the right thing on this critically important life-or-death issue and get the bill to the floor for a vote!
Claire Snyder-Hall
Rehoboth Beach
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to viewpoints@capegazette.com. All letters are considered at the discretion of the newsroom and published as space allows. Due to the large volume of submissions, we cannot acknowledge receipt of each submission. Letters must include a phone number and address for verification. Keep letters to 400 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content or length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Letters should focus on local issues, not national topics or personalities. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days regarding a particular topic. Authors may submit a second letter within that time period if it pertains to a different issue. Letters may not be critical of personalities or specific businesses. Criticism of public figures is permissible. Endorsement letters for political candidates are no longer accepted. Letters must be the author’s original work, and may not be generated by artificial intelligence tools. Templates, form letters and letters containing language similar to other submissions will not be published.
