Death Penalty is Getting a Bad Name

          
          — -t -. — — - — ______ ________
          Death Penalty Is Getting a Bad Nathé.
          Nations That Have It Provide Lessons in Moral Geography
          By FRANKLIN E. ZIMRING
          I I
          Events are conspiring lately to give the reporting Many nations including the Sovi- force and domestic terror ' and its current
          death penalty a bad name First the revival et Union (and until very recently, China) government cans hardly be regarded as
          of the electric chair in Alabama was fouled have been understandably reluctant to soft-hearted yet not since the death of
          up by technical difficulties It took three acknowledge widespread execution Many Adolf Eichmann has the prospect of an
          pulls of the switch to execute tñe first death other countries would have difficulty sort- execution become real
          warrant there in 20 years Then racial ing out when informal government killing West Germany of course has a special
          overtones incited an international contro- shades into officially sanctioned execution legacy in the department of governmental
          ‘versy over the, hanging of three black “ Argentina, Cambodia under Pol Pot and Idi violence. Small wonder. that its citizens
          nationalists convicted of bombings in South, Amin's Uganda must be excused from suëh a suffered through a decade of kidnaping and
          Africa. Meanwhile the Khomeni regime m detailed census assassination without being exhorted to
          Iran defended the religious purity of its Still the officially reported patterns do fight fire with fire
          revolution by executing 17 members of the n-'ak forcefully to the contrast between But what if Western Europe is wrong and
          Bahai faith. It's, almost enough to make a countries that execute and those that re- our propohents. of execUtioft are right? The'
          . Tti én reassess his support for local experi- ‘frain. Western nations show wide variation unanimity of Europe's pacifism toward
          ments with lethal injection. ‘‘in laws on' the books regarding capital Hitler was no substitute for correct policy.
          Or is it? Capital punishment, like any punishment, but nearly all,avoid exacting Might this be another mass mistake?
          - other legitimate instrument of state power, the ultimate penalty. , ‘ The case ‘for capital punishment might
          can be misused But what does that prove' Only three of 15 nations in Western survive the hostility of its enemies, but
          .We, have learned much from the state's,' ‘Europe reported any executions during the' never the enthusiasm Of its friends. It is
          abuse of the mental-health process in the 1970s:' France, Greece and Turkey. ‘The possible that the West Germans and Scandi-
          Soviet Union but only a fool would counsel trend is clearly toward abolition of the death navians have missed out on a policy to
          ‘that we must ‘close our mental hospitals “penalty in deedifnotde jure; Recent events- -enhance the social valué”of human'ljfe. But-.'
          because they abuse theirs. Isn't an assault in Great Britain, where a proposal to bring is it possible that Idi ,Amiri enibraced it'as
          on the death penalty similarly misdirected? back execution' was decisively defeated, such?' ‘Are there other. areas ethical
          The answer is No. ‘ . ,suggest that this pattern ‘will persist”inde- ‘propriety in ‘which it is suggested we take
          Sometimes you can judge the morality of a pendent of other changes in national politi- instruction from South Korea and UgOnda?
          practice by the company it keeps; executions cal sentiment. ‘ . ‘ , , The correlátión between capital, punish-'
          hang out in the world s seediest neighbor- But South Africa is hardly isolated in its ment and human-rights violations is so
          hoods. The liberal democracies that we executions. Many of its African neighbors strong that the list of countries with active
          normally use as points of reference will not execute with some regularity, as do nations. executioners thatches Athnesty Intern'ation-
          execute even under substantial pressure across the Third World The large group of al's other score cards concerning torture and
          Indeed,' contrasting those nations of the developing nations that ,reject execution is political ‘repression: Can this be a coincj-,
          ‘world still engaged in capital punishment, ‘still a minority. And while the trend in most dence? Or have we stumbled on a short-
          with those that abstain is a course in moral countries is away from execution as a tool of hand method Of taking a society s moral
          geography that we cannot ignore. . , ‘ government, there are exceptions here as temperature. ‘ ‘ ‘‘‘‘-‘i
          A recent survey of capital punishment by well Authoritarian military coups provide Much of the rhetoric in favor of an
          Amnesty International provides an excel- opportunities -for new death penalties in American execution revivalseems simultà;'
          lent starting'. point for. such a =tour. South ” many nations. Dictatorshi of the left and neously arid ‘and provincial, a species of
          Africa's recent hangings, forexample, were ‘ right, in countries as disparate as Haiti and ‘neo-barbarián chic. And the pattern arnOng' ”
          far from an aberration That country is listed Cuba find common ground on capital pun- nations resembles an iron law of political
          as one of the world leaders in executions in ishment. And the executioner is reputed to economy Capital punishment thrives only
          the report averaging well over 50 per year ply his trade, quietly, through much of the where life is cheap
          in the period covered by the survey Of the Eastern Bloc,
          132 persons the government reported exe- Two non-executing nations merit special Fran/din E Zzmring, on leave from the
          cuted during 1978, one was white. .. , attention because of the provoCation that University of Chicago, is acting director of the
          - -‘ ; ‘South African leadership. in execution they have endured without resort to capital Eai l Warren Legal Institute at the University
          ‘policy may just be a product of punctilious punishment. Israel exists in fear of external of Calif ornia at Berkeleij. .S . , ‘,,
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