Recently, Terence Lenamon received a request from a blogger interested in his take on capital punishment. With Terry’s permission, here’s what he wrote — something than anyone reading our blog or knowing Terry (or of him) might like to read.

Terence Lenamon’s View on the Death Penalty

From Death Penalty Lawyer Terence Lenamon:

"You cannot make the death penalty more ethical. Look at the data.

"Not only is it disproportionate to minorities, innocent people have been sentenced to death and executed.

"I won’t even touch on my moral opposition to the death penalty, although I will say it’s based in the New Testament. (Surprising how many religious zealots support killing another human being.)

"Bad lawyers, overzealous prosecutors, mistaken witnesses, flawed forensic testing. Anger, hate ……..The list goes on and on in what fuels an imperfect “punishment.”

"If your goal is to find ways to correct flaws within the death penalty you may want to change your paradigm to something like:

1. Finding ways to protect our children from being abused and growing up exposed to violence.

2. Finding ways to successfully treat mental illness before violence occurs.

3. Finding ways to educate our children and protect them from the violence and exposure to drugs in our community

4. Finding ways to help parents raise their children in a safe and loving environment.

"The list can go on and on …. I can’t change your belief system but I certainly hope you take a look your goal and redefine in a way that changes things for the better. "