Execution GallowsMost of us realize that violent crimes tend to be crimes of passion, despite what “FBI Files” on the Discovery Channel tells us about the preponderance of cold, calculating wife killers and insurance scammers.  And the thing about crimes of passion is, there’s usually no punishment that can act as a deterrent.  Most murderers  aren’t thinking, “Wait, if I kill this person, I will be executed myself.”  Most murderers are thinking, “This guy just beat me up, I’m going to stab him,” or “This guy just slept with my wife, I’m going to point a gun at him and see what happens.”

Of course, no one is justifying the choice to respond to any situation with irrational violence, but it’s been proven in study after study that irrational violence isn’t deterred by rational thoughts of consequences.  Unfortunately, lawmakers and governors don’t really care about whether or not a program which costs their taxpayers millions of dollars is effective or moral.  They just care about making their taxpayers feel safe, even if they have to lie to them about what actually makes them safe.

Until now, it seems.  Most people have heard about the recent New Jersey ban on executions, and it seems that similar thoughts have been on the minds of other states.  Executions dropped 57 percent last year, as evidence has been mounting that the system isn’t always accurate about who’s guilty (big surprise), and that the “humane” method of killing someone–by lethal injection–is apparently much more cruel and unusual than some (not me) thought.