Breaking: Schwarzenegger Denies Clemency for Stanley Williams
I don’t have a link yet, though I’m sure the coverage will be deep and varied…
It’s the right decision. The death penalty is a deterrent and a punishment for monstrous behavior, not an invitation to rehabilitation…
Arnold made the right call. He apparently took the clemency appeal seriously, as he should in every case, and made the right decision to uphold the death penalty. There’s no doubt in my mind that, if we are going to have the death penalty, heinous and repeat murderers such as this deserve the death penalty if the jury so decides, which they did here.
I haven’t seen any serious argument or evidence that the verdict was mistaken or that there was false evidence used to convict him. The argument that many are making, that he should escape his death sentence because he supposedly has been rehabilitated and done good things while on death row, is pure rubbish. His sentence was the death penalty, not incarceration with a chance to demonstrate good behavior while pursing years of appeals in hopes of getting off. If he bettered himself and helped others during his time on death row, that’s certainly a good thing in and of itself and is to be commended, but it is not not an reason to reconsider the punishment the jury imposed on him in the first place for his crimes.
I suppose it might have been too easy in a state like California with its many and vocal liberals, celebrities, and other softies for Armold to capitulate, and I think he should be commended for standing up against them and upholding the rule of law. Clemency should be, and is, a rarely used part of the justice system, and there are certainly times it should be used. This was not one of those times.
You can say that the Death Penalty is a deterrent all you want but that does not make it so. Say it like it is, Eye For an Eye, prove thatsomehow killing Tookie now has more of a preventative effect than his books from Jail on not being a Gangster.
If you read Arnold’s statement, he specifically cites the lack of remorse from Tookie for his actions, or the fact that he takes any responsibility at all for the killings. I watched Bianca Jagger sputter all over herself when asked just this question on the Fox Sunday news show. Not one of his defenders has an answer for his behaviour in this regard.
If all you have to do is write some children’s books saying gangs = bad to get out of a death sentence, then by all means let’s abolish the statute.
Excellent points, Jason, dmac…Matt, if you’re against the death penalty, I respect that, but it’s the law, and as a matter of law, there was no reason for this execution not to move foreward…
Arnold Schwarzenegger Denies Clemency In Stanley “Tookie” Williams Case
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has denied clemency in the case of Crips gang creator Stanley “Tookie” Williams. This man deserves to die. Matter of fact this guy should have died shortly after the 4 people he killed in 1979. The fact…
I have not followed the case closely, and I’m not familiar with the details. If, however, Wilson genuinely rehabilitated himself and served as a role model to others, then I believe his execution is wrong. While I am not a Christian, I believe in redemption and forgiveness. I also believe that prisons exist for rehabilitation as well as retribution, and sometimes people guilty of even the most heinous crimes can change themselves and contribute positively to society. The Leopold and Loeb killings were equally barbaric, yet one of them (forget which one) changed his life and did good things from prison. Apparently Wilson is a positive influence to many who need it most – I don’t see what benefit will accrue in putting him to death tonight. Certainly not deterrence (witness the plethora of evidence which disputes the connection between the death penalty and a reduction in crime – e.g., the fact that states which commonly use the death penalty do not have lower rates of violent crime than states which do not execute).
While I am against the death penalty for many reasons (chief of which is the fallibility of juries), I do not think it should be prohibited. I read an article in Esquire about a nationwide prison gang of lifers which, among other things, tries to assassinate prosecutors. The article quoted a prosecutor saying that when you are trying to fight people serving lifetime sentences, the death penalty is the only leverage you have. I would support the death penalty in those instances.
peter, I can respect your opinion, but when a jury sentences someone to death, they are doing so precisely BECAUSE they are not interested in rehabilitating him – it’s a signal that a line of barbarity has been crossed, and your life is now forfeit. If they intended any other signal, it would have been a sentence of life imprisonment.
I shed no tears for Tookie; if he rehabilitated himself, he’ll sleep in Heaven (or, if you prefer, he’ll sleep the sleep of the just); that’s between him and his God…but this is a man who killed in cold blood on more than one occasion.
A jury’s decision is not immutable, and it shouldn’t be. Juries are fallible and their decisions are subject to review. If, for example, exculpatory evidence was discovered after the verdict, then their decision should certainly be reversed. Rehabilitation, if it is genuine, is a different issue, but nonetheless there are cases where a jury’s decision should also be nullified. A jury makes a decision in the heat of the moment, and an appeal for clemency occurs many years later. People can change, and time can offer a perspective which a jury cannot have. It is for this reason that the governor (and the President) is given the right to pardon and to commute sentences.
Yes, but there is no reason to think the jury’s decision was not the correct one in this case…I refer you to the comments of Jason and dmac above…the fact that he has improved his life is wonderful for him – but at the risk of sounding like a hardliner (and on this issue I guess I am), I must say once again that rehabilitation is not the goal of the death penalty…
In any event, the arguments you make can apply to almost any death penalty case…I support the death penalty, others don’t – and like abortion, never the twain shall meet, in most cases.
BTW (slightly off-topic) the argument that some give for conservatives being pro-life at the beginning of life and pro-death at the end are ludicrous; such a viewpoint (and I’ve seen it before many, many times) makes the grotesque comparison between an unborn child and a murderer – and regardless of where you stand on the issues, that is an abomination…
Well, as I mentioned, I’m unfamiliar with the details of the case, but my (limited) understanding is that in addition to improving his own life, he improved the lives of others in a meaningful way. The inference is that society would be better with him alive (continuing to benefit others) than if he were dead. And if that is the case, why execute him?
True, rehabilitation is not the goal of the death penalty — but perhaps in this case, the death penalty was the wrong decision and life in prison would have been wiser.
I agree with you that there is no equivalence between abortion and the death penalty — however, you may recall that in the aftermath of the Terri Schiavo episode, none other than Rick Santorum expressed doubts about the morality of capital punishment…
Peter-
In this case, we’re not talking about a guy who was rehabilitated. We’re talking about a brutal, unrepentant murderer who founded a major gang which has been responsible for countless other brutal murders.
If you want a case that will bring a solid majority of conservatives into the pro-clemency camp… check out Cory Maye, recently sentenced to death in Mississippi. He had no previous criminal record; his home was invaded in the middle of the night (door literally broken down) by armed men; he retreated to his infant daughter’s bedroom, and shot one of the invaders when they came in after him. It turned out that the armed men were undercover police, executing a no-knock warrant (perhaps having cried “police” before entering, while he was still asleep) that was intended for the apartment next door. Cory Maye is black; the cop he shot and killed was white, and the son of the police chief; Cory Maye was sentenced to death. There are also significant questions about the adequacy of both his trial attorney and the one handling his appeals.
Just to relate this back to Decision ‘08, the governor of Mississippi is Haley Barbour. Does anyone know whether a governor actually has to wait until all appeals are exhausted before he issues a pardon?
Link didn’t work: here’s the link.
(Something screwy with the “comments live preview”… it shows as though there’s an unclosed quotation mark when there isn’t, and shows correctly when there is…)
Clint: no argument — I don’t know the specifics of the Wilson case, and I’m unfamiliar with Cory Maye — as a matter of principle, if there is someone who has genuinely rehabilitated and also performed substantial acts which have had tangible benefits for the community, I think a commutation can be justified — whether of not Wilson fits these parameters is something I do not know –
Peter-
I’d agree with your general principle, and I think it is generally how things work — clemency either for the reasons you describe, or because of substantial evidence of actual innocence (which most appeals don’t address) though politics does sometimes intrude (in both directions).
One thing you can say about the death penalty being a deterrent,
Tookie, will never kill anyone again.
Arnold had it right.
There was no evidence supporting clemency, as there was no remorse.
I watched Fox News this morning as the execution took place.
All the wailing and gnashing of teeth in the crowd…
Where were these folks when the four innocent people were murdered back in 79? Looking at some of the faces in the crowd, I would say that many were either in diapers or had not yet been born!
THE DEATH PENATLY DOESN’T DETTER MURDER YOU IDIOTS!!!!!!!!!
IT’S A CONFIRMED FACT! THE STATES THAT HAVE THE DP DO NOT HAVE ANY LOWER MURDER RATES THEN THE STATES WITHOUT IT!!!!
Also, you Texan barbarians would like to think killing someone and have their family grieve is “justice”, to which I say, you are tragically wrong
Tom, you almost had me convinced…just a few more words in all caps and a dozen more exclamation points, and maybe this barbarian would have flipped…
Mark, you’re missing the point, just look at what I said now how I said it. The death penalty does not detter murder. Choose to believe your fantasies that is does, but you’ll be wrong.
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