JULY 29, 2009

       Manitobans are sick of violence. So, naturally Manitobans want to stop the violence in Manitoba with violence.

       Read that last statement again. That’s right, many people are suggesting that to correct improper behaviour in this province we need to do physical harm to others.

       For the sake of argument, let’s consider the death penalty as a violent act.

       Many of our readers have written and expressed interest in having capital punishment in Canada.

       “If you take a life, yours should be taken,” wrote one angry aunt of a murder victim. “It makes no sense to me that you can end someone’s life and continue living yours as though nothing happened.”

       She makes a good point.

       With the one-year anniversary of the tragic (and infamous) Greyhound bus beheading last year near Portage la Prairie, many Manitobans – actually, people around the world – are still outraged that a person could commit such a heinous act and not be jailed, as is the situation with the suspect in that case. Instead, Vince Li is spending time in an institution and could soon walk free because he was found not criminally responsible.

       But with the increased presence of weapons on Manitoba streets and what some consider an uncaring government, the argument is that people need to be dealt with more harshly – up to and including the death penalty.

       From an economic standpoint, yes, the death penalty would be cheaper for all of us because it costs so much to house prisoners for long periods of time.

       And because many skeptics don’t think social programs in jails are helping rehabilitate criminals, it’s only giving them more time to plot and scheme their next crime upon release, it seems to be easier just to do away with them. That’s right, stick a needle in them and kill ‘em.

       Is this type of punishment going to deter people from committing crimes? No. We all know gangs are dangerous and you could get killed by being in one. Does that stop people from joining them? No. So, how could we possibly think that the threat of facing certain death for committing a crime would curb people’s illegal activity?