Thursday, February 7, 2008
A recent article in USA TODAY gave me another reason why I don’t support the death penalty. The article, written by Kevin Johnson, highlighted information that was ascertained through the most recent inmate surveys conducted by the Justice Department in 2004.
The information is leading social scientists, as well as law enforcement officials, to recognize the “obvious” link between family influences and criminal tendencies.
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People have a choice to make the right or wrong decision, but those who grew up in an unhealthy environment may have a distorted view as to what is “right” or “wrong.” Perhaps the proper resources and information weren’t directly available as a result of an ongoing cycle of urban poverty and violence.
According to those surveys, 48 percent of inmates in the United States claim to have a family member who is or has been incarcerated.
To most, this may seem like common knowledge.
When asked if either him or any of his family members had ever been to jail, Nathan Hunt, a Topeka senior said, “Nah, me and my family gotta clean record.”
He went on to add, “I think growing up in a positive or negative environment does have an impact on you and what you do, though. If you’re around negative things, you’re going to do negative things, and that wasn’t the case with me.”
Although there are wonderful examples of people overcoming their background and upbringing to become successful and well -to-do citizens, there are also those uncountable examples of children being born into poverty and crime only to remain there.
Children who grew up around violence, drugs and criminal tendencies or in an unstable environment may be more enticed to continue down the same destructive path.
People have a choice to make the right or wrong decision, but those who grew up in an unhealthy environment may have a distorted view as to what is “right” or “wrong.” Perhaps the proper resources and information weren’t directly available as a result of an ongoing cycle of urban poverty and violence.
I disagree with the death penalty because I see it as a means to get rid of the problem rather than trying to solve it.
Based on findings from the survey, certain government agencies have implemented programs targeted at inner city youths.
The targeted youths are those who are at the highest risk of following the same criminal-led lives. Instead of lethally injecting convicts, it would be beneficial to continue to distribute surveys and find out more about the backgrounds and lives led by these inmates.
Social scientists and psychologists could find a possible link between background and upbringing and the crimes committed.
If it is a societal problem, our society would have the information and resources needed to help and prevent those youths from living a life that would cause them to wind up in jail.
What it comes down to is whether our society is willing to place time and effort in finding the cause behind criminal intent.
I know some think why should we put any effort into them, especially after they murdered or raped someone?
Although background and lifestyle can’t be directly attributed to crime, why hold people responsible for our society’s pitfalls that contributed to them being that way?
It’s not a baby’s fault if he or she is born to a junkie mom who exposes him or her to drugs his whole life and that is all he or she knows.
I understand that people commit crimes for many reasons and may have the intent of killing someone for their own specific reason or purpose.
It’s just that we don’t know those reasons or causes unless we take the time to figure them out instead of killing our resources, and yes, I’m calling inmates resources that we can use to improve our society.
McNaughton is a Topeka junior in journalism.
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