description:
March 10, 1965 THE SKYSCRAPER Page Three Diversity Keynotes Concerning Death Clergy's Sentence Views Ethics Opposition, the keynote to the capital punishment controversy, was evidenced by conflicting opin ions of two concerned clergymen. The Reverend Mr. James G. Jones, chairman of the Illinois Committee to Abolish Capital Punishment, and director of the Episcopal charities in Chi cago, said that capital punish ment, is the most devastating insult into the nature of man. It does violence to everything we believe as Christians. However, Reverend Gerald G. Grant, S.J., of Loyola Univer sity, believes the death pen alty is an effec tive deterrent to crime when properly admin istered. For him, the prob lem in Illinois Rev. Mr. Jones is one of administration. Legality should be moral, Fa ther Jones answered when asked if his opposition was based on moral oi- legal grounds. The major moral objection, ac cording to Father Jones, concerns halting the unjust aggressor. Once you render an unjust aggres- by Jean sor helpless, then taking him and killing him is murder. He was quick to clarify the point that he was not disagreeing with the state's right to take a life. But when they have other recourse and they take a life, that's murder. The second point of Father's argument rested on the state ment that we know it is sim ply not a deterrent to people committing murder. Expressing reservations to this view, Father Grant said I agree with them that it has n't got a deterrent value but I disagree with the reason. They just say the death penalty and I say the administration of it. Father Grant emphasized that the death penalty is the best deterrent in the world if it is handled properly. The delay the law allows in coming to trial and the many ap peals often based on minor tech nicalities mean we have poor ad ministration of the penal laws in this country. Father Jones, based on his ex perience as a prison chaplain, views the penal system in a differ ent perspective. Having been a prison chaplain for so many years, Durall I want the whole prison system oriented to making people well. As long as we have a symbol of retri bution, the whole system revolves around it. Again drawing from his per sonal experience, Father Jones pointed out that he is a social sci entist in addition to being a priest. As such he is concerned with cause and effect relationships. The seriousness of his intentions pervaded the humor of his obser vations as he commented when you take a psychopathic killer and 'do him in' you do away with the best guinea pig you have to find how he got there. I suppose I'm like Louis Pasteur saying 'Don't kill my germs.' In opposition to Father Jones' position, Father Grant maintains that the death pen alty should be applied to cer tain types of criminals. It should never be applied to crimes of passion. But, it surely should be applied to premeditated murder, to mur der performed by syndicate gangsters and then you need the death penalty to protect certain classes of people: po licemen, prison guards who are defenseless, perhaps even taxi Attorney Refutes Rationale Behind Capital Punishment The big question today is not the death penalty, but the entire issue of crime and punishment, said attorney Thomas P. Sullivan of the fiim Raymond, Mayer, Jen- ner and Block and a member of the team of lawyers defending William Witherspoon. For me, one of the chief diffi culties with the death penalty is that it is so capriciously given, Mr. Sullivan said. For everyone in Illinois who gets it, there are 15 othei-s who do not. If you look at the record in Illinois, more than 75 pel- cent of those who got the death penalty had appointed coun sel. By and large those who can afford their own lawyers do not get the death penalty. Defend Penalty Despite such charges from criminal lawyers and the fact that ten states have repealed capital punishment, its proponents in Illi nois continue to defend it. There are two or three bases for capital punishment, said Mr. Sullivan. The first is that it is a deter rent which prevents others from committing crime. The attorney refuses to accept this assertion. The most effective deterrent to crime is not the severity of the punishment, but the certainty of detection and the certainty of pun ishment. Furthermore, he added, unless you abolish capital punish ment, you'll never know if it is a deterrent. The second reason Mr. Sullivan gave for the retention of capital punishment in Illinois is society's expression of outrage toward one who has committed a particularly heinous crime. Society must ex press its feeling of outrage by kill ing the man. Consistent police opposition to its abolition constitutes the third by Sylvia Hajek basis for the retention of the death penalty. The police argue, Mr. Sullivan said, that if capital pun ishment is deleted, it will increase the risk of people killing police offi cers. The police honestly believe that capital punishment deters crime. They have been schooled with the police outlook that you should be tough. Skyscraper Photo by Diane Sargol Thomas P. Sullivan He referred to this attitude as an unenlightened, unintelligent view of the social problems in volved. However, Mr. Sullivan added, the police have to cope with day to doy problems. They have no time to search for long- term solutions. Violates Amendment Besides its failure as a solution to the problem of crime, capital punishment is a violation of the eighth amendment which prohibits cruel or unusual punishment. The Supreme Court interprets cruel or unusual, said Mr. Sullivan, as anything shocking to the people now. What was considered cruel or unusual ten years ago may not be considered so now. If you take a man who is rehabilitated, as Witherspoon is, and you neverthe less kill him, the majority of the people would consider that shock ing. File Petition A petition filed in Wither- spoon's behalf in the criminal di vision of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Feb. 18, states, the in fliction of the death penalty for crime violates present day stand ards of decency and fairness in the administration of justice when considered in light of modern sci entific knowledge of its effect on the prisoner while waiting for the sentence to be carried out, on other members of society, and on our society as a whole. . . . Modern scientific knowledge recognizes that repeated threats of death, fol lowed by last minute reprieves, constitute a form of psychological torture as cruel and agonizing as any physical torture. Such torture constitutes a cruel and unusual form of punishment contrary to modern, enlightened standards of humane justice. Witherspoon has had 14 delays. Proponents of capital punish ment attempt to provide a simple solution to the complex problems of crime and punishment. The real problems which are the causes of crime, Mr. Sullivan said, are lack of proper education, discrimi nation, lack of proper housing and a lack of jobs. Advocates of the death penalty fail to consider these social concerns directly re lated to crime. I'd be in favor of capital pun ishment, Mr. Sullivan concluded, if any of its supporters could give me one good reason for it. drivers. The Loyola instruc tor emphasized that the death penalty should certainly be ap plied to kidnapping. While Father Grant feels it is a benefit to the community to em ploy capital punishment, Father Jones holds the opposite opinion. He holds that prisoners should be studied and helped for community profit. I've not said a person shouldn't be put in prison. The purpose the state has in punish ment is to make for the good of the community. We hope punish ment will do something for the prisoner and the community at large. I've suggested that we put people in prison and change them and study them for the future good. Putting his position on a prag matic basis, Father Jones said that there are 386 murders a year in Chicago. In masculine idiom he said the problem could be voiced like this. We don't have the guts to burn 386 people a year. Man, when you haven't got the guts to stand up to something, put it down. Commenting on his experi ence with executions the Epis copal director said I've been to the chair more than I ever want to go again. He main tained that the death penalty is a relative piece of class legislation since 80 per cent of those executed are poor and 85 per cent are Negro. Supporting this view, Fa ther Grant elaborated that the trouble in Illinois is it is a class penalty. Only the very poor, and most of those Negroes, are given the death penalty. Anyone with money enough to hire a lawyer is al most invariably given a lighter sentence. In particular reference to the Canfield bill currently before the Illinois Senate, Father Jones speculated that it might make the situation worse. It might be that every police killer will get the chair while only half get it now. On the other hand it might be a step to totally abolishing it. He summarized his position with the idea of Albert Camus. When you take a man and strap him down, at least he has the last say for he can say, 'if it was wrong when I did it, why is it right when you do it?' Skyscraper Photo by Betsy BraurJin Dr. Paul Mundy discusses capital punishment with reporter Diane Sargol. The Loyola sociologist ex plained why he opposes the death penalty. Mundy Charges Death Penalty Aims at Poor by Diane Sargol Below the fifth floor window of Lewis Towers, the student anti- censorship pickets marched, un prohibited, exercising their free dom. Inside, Dr. Paul Mundy professor of sociology, Loyola Uni versity, discussed society's use of its freedom to execute criminals. Dr. Mundy explained the state's legal freedom to take the life of one who has killed another. He pointed out, however, that we play the role of acting for God when we make this decision. The professor, opposed to capital pun ishment, said that this method of punishment indicates man's lack of reverence for human life, espe cially since alternative methods of justification exist. Often a murderer is one who has committed no other crime. The murder is a unique element in his life. The professor pointed out that many times such a criminal is a model prisoner. He is unlike the thief or dope pusher who is a professional man. Desire Execution Though his crime may be unique, the desire to execute a killer seems to be inherent in man. There is no older cultural pres sure than blood revenge. It has a strong flavor of antiquity about it, Mundy said. The professor attributed the abolition of capital punishment by ten states to the various degrees of enlightenment and sensitivity the citizens have reached. Society's execution of its mem bers borders on injustice because it has become a poor man's pun ishment. Dr. Mundy feels such a statement is substantiated by a study of the social class back grounds of those criminals who are executed. The wealthy person can afford the best lawyers. The poor man is often defended by a court-appointed attorney, who many times is neither a good nor concerned lawyer. He may even favor the execution of the defend ant, Dr. Mundy insists. Relieves Stress Questioned about Elizabeth Not tingham's statement in her book, Religion and Society, that death relieves stress in society, Dr. Mundy commented, death re leases some tensions. ... Suicide, the ultimate human act, is a form of release for the victim who, at tempting to escape his rational so cial role, releases societal stress on himself. When society takes the life of one of its members, it is simply taking the easy way out. The state's legal right to take a man's life is a pagan practice and a Christian ought to look deeper into such an action, the professor contends. But reli giously oriented persons today de stroy life casually, almost with detachment. We're terribly casual about hu man life, he asserts. Determines Destiny Men must evolve from their bar barism into a more humanistic so ciety. They must learn to take chances with their fellowmen, for man is susceptible to mistakes. If man will help others in this way he will be patterning himself after God, for God is the greatest gam bler. He created us with free will ... and it is with this free will that society determines the earthly destiny of men.
title:
1965-03-10 (3)
publisher:
Women and Leadership Archives http://www.luc.edu/wla
creator:
Mundelein College
description:
Student newspaper for Mundelein College
subject:
Newspapers
subject:
Religious communities--Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
subject:
Students
subject:
Universities and colleges
subject:
Women's education
relation:
Mundelein College Records
type:
Text
language:
English
rights:
This image is issued by the Women and Leadership Archives. Use of the image requires written permission from the Director of the Women and Leadership Archives. It may not be sold or redistributed, copied or distributed as a photograph, electronic file, or any other media. The image should not be significantly altered through conventional or electronic means. Images altered beyond standard cropping and resizing require further negotiation with the Director. The user is responsible for all issues of copyright. Please Credit: Women and Leadership Archives, Loyola University Chicago. wlarchives@luc.edu
coverage:
Chicago, Illinois
coverage:
Mundelein College