Within a Whisker of Death

On Monday the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles commuted the sentence of Alexander Williams, a schizophrenic man convicted of raping and murdering a young girl. Though Williams’ crime was certainly heinous, we commend the parole board for making the right decision and commuting his sentence to life in prison without parole.

This is just the latest of many cases that have led people to question the use of the death penalty. Although Williams’ guilt in the case has never in much doubt, the jury that originally sentenced him to death was unaware that Williams was a schizophrenic and had been subjected to physical abuse by his mother for many years.

Due to his mental illness, Williams doesn’t have the ability to comprehend that his actions were wrong—negating any retributive argument in favor of the death penalty in this case. To make matters worse, Williams was only 17 when he committed the crime. People under 18 are called “minors” for a reason—they don’t have the maturity to be tried as adults, regardless of the horror of their crime.

Since 1973, at least 98 people have been convicted and sentenced to death in this country, only to be freed later when evidence has shown them to be innocent. Not included in this number are the people who were executed and evidence was subsequently exposed implying their innocence.

The American justice system, like any other system, can never be perfect. While that hardly makes all punishment unjustified on the claim that errors might be made, it is a good reason not to invoke the ultimate punishment, the only sentence that can never be overturned.

Life in prison without parole is a preferable punishment to the death penalty; it allows the justice system to partially rectify its mistakes. Even if errors are only discovered years after the fact, it is far better to vindicate a living person than to exonerate a corpse.

We express deep sorrow for the family of the victim of this horrible crime, Aleta Carol Bunch. But as has been said many times before, nothing can bring Aleta back, nor will executing her killer right any wrong. Life in prison will prevent him from ever having the chance to commit a crime again.