The Student News Site of Simmons University

The Simmons Voice

The Student News Site of Simmons University

The Simmons Voice

The Student News Site of Simmons University

The Simmons Voice

Editorial

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced in January that he would seek the death penalty for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, better known as the marathon bomber, should he be convicted of the act of terror that ended the lives of two young women and a little boy, and forever changed the lives of countless individuals.

“After consideration of the relevant facts, the applicable regulations and the submissions made by the defendant’s counsel, I have determined that the United States will seek the death penalty in this matter. The nature of the conduct at issue and the resultant harm compel this decision,” said Holder.

Clearly Holder wants to make some sort of a statement with this sentence, and in some ways, we can’t blame him. Those who oppose the death penalty – which includes the state of Massachusetts – usually do so mainly because there’s a chance of innocence. The Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC), a nonprofit, reported that 143 people have been exonerated after execution in the U.S. since 1971.

However, between the video evidence of Tsarnaev and the message he scrawled in blood hours before his arrest, it’s difficult to imagine a scenario in which he is innocent. Even if he was “brainwashed” by his older brother, Tamerlan, he still willingly went through with the attacks. But does that give us the right to put him to death? And is death really more of a punishment than life in prison?

The most important factor in this should be the victims and their families, and the question of whether Dzhokhar’s death would bring them comfort. Jarrod Clowery, whose legs were struck by shrapnel and burned during the bombings, seemed to be the only victim willing to comment.

“I’m moving on with my life,” Clowery told the Boston Globe. “It has no bearing on my life whatsoever.”

With this in mind, what’s the actual point of the death penalty other than to make Holder, someone who has long suffered a reputation for being soft on crime, seem tough? One might argue the expense of keeping Dzhokhar alive in prison, but that’s likely comparable to the amount of money it will take to seek the death penalty.

And on a philosophical note, which is actually worse: dying a relatively painless death, or living out life in prison? While I’m sure the government of Massachusetts never anticipated this level of tragedy, would the legislature support a death penalty for who is essentially just a kid? Every gubernatorial candidate seeking to replace Deval Patrick in 2014 said no when asked.

Tsarnaev’s crimes also likely mean he’ll never be part of a standard prison population, so it’s not as though he’ll be having “Orange is the new Black”-esque adventures.

Holder should reconsider spending the time, money, and news cycle that it would take to convict the marathon bomber and sentence him to death. Getting conservative Howie Carr’s approval just isn’t worth it.

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