Congratulations to Moore County’s League of Woman Voters and the Village Chapel for bringing such a wonderful group of speakers to our community. The presentation scheduled for today promises a balanced, accurate picture of the current use of capital punishment in North Carolina.
Application of the death penalty affects each of us, from the poorest, least educated to the most wealthy and informed citizen. Unfortunately, violence is a reality even in our idyllic Sandhills. People must be held accountable for their actions. However, their punishment must be just. The criminal justice system exists to represent the interests of safety through prevention and punishment of crimes.
In case after case, men and women are being exonerated after years of imprisonment. New technology has allowed for new information in many “cold” cases. Allen Gell and Darryl Hunt are two men recently released from North Carolina’s death row. In order to understand the system, we need to hear their stories. Most of us cannot begin to imagine being separated from society for a crime we did not commit.
This horror pales in comparison to that of innocent men and women awaiting death by the state. There is no question that the death penalty is reserved for those held in least esteem by our society. We reserve the ultimate punishment for people of color and low-income level. The ideal of equal and swift justice has not been achieved.
People’s lives are in the balance. Unfair sentencing hurts not only those innocents held and executed, but also their families and the families of all victims of violence. A moratorium on executions would allow time to study these issues in depth.
Please plan to attend the discussion today at the Village Chapel.
Elizabeth R. Soboeiro
Pinehurst
