"Kill the Death Penalty"--an LA police officer's perspective

In a February 9 article published in The Nation, LA police officer Sunil Dutta provides his argument against capital punishment.

Introducing his analysis of and opposition to the death penalty, Dutta writes:

"Working as a police officer, I have a unique vantage point from which to view the death penalty: It is no less than a vestige of medievalism... Geography, politics, socioeconomic status of the victim and killer, timing, prosecutorial selection, jury composition, jurisdiction of police investigating the crime and the victim's and killer's gender and skin color usually determine who gets the death sentence. When it comes to the death penalty, there is only one deduction: This punishment is totally arbitrary and therefore should be held unconstitutional. Unfortunately, the politics of expedience guides our Supreme Court and Congress -- and when it comes to capital punishment, we are still mired in the Dark Ages."

Officer Dutta touches on many varying and crucial issues that must be considered when opposing the death penalty, from judicial fairness to giving resources to victims families. His argument and occupational and personal experience with homicide and the death penalty make this article an especially worthwhile read.