“There is nothing more irreparable than death”

The following is a reflection from one of our volunteers on their experience going door-knocking.

My views on the death penalty are straightforward. People and our systems are flawed; therefore no one should have the mandate to cause irreparable harm. There is nothing more irreparable than death, I worry about what it means to give our imperfect state such a merciless and irreversible option.

During my door knocking, I met Iffan (real name redacted for privacy reasons) on work release scheme after serving jail time for drug abuse. He explained that he resorted to drugs in a time of desperation. The last thing he needed was to be imprisoned. This lack of compassion is rife in our punitive system, and the death penalty is the epitome of it. You cannot learn from your death, cannot be better after your passing, cannot make amends.

We are told that the death penalty is a necessary evil to keep our society drug free when, in reality, it is the comprehensive education on the harms of drug abuse along with providing assistance and social services to those most at risk that do the most to prevent the spread and proliferation of drugs. The death penalty is unnecessary and cruel. Most would make the decisions Iffan did in his circumstances and would deserve compassion.