Alaskan Death Penalty

The subject of the death penalty has again reared it's ugly head in our state capitol of Juneau. The local newspaper has started a poll. You can go to www.juneauempire.com and express yourself. The question can be found at the bottom of the page. There is also a place to express your feelings more completely on the link that asks you to explain your answer further. The following is my expanded explination.

The following is an excerpt from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America social statement on the death penalty. For the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, following Jesus leads to a commitment to restorative justice. This commitment means addressing the hurt of each person whose life has been touched by violent crime. Restorative justice makes the community safer for all.

It is because of this church's ministry with and to people affected by violent crime that we oppose the death penalty. Executions focus on the convicted murderer, providing very little for the victim's family or anyone else whose life has been touched by the crime. Capital punishment focuses on retribution, sometimes reflecting a spirit of vengeance. Executions do not restore broken society and can actually work counter to restoration.

This church recognizes the need to protect society from people who endanger that society: removing offenders from the general population, placing them in a secure facility, and denying them the possibility of committing further crime (i.e., incapacitating them). Our challenge is to incapacitate offenders in a manner that limits violence, and holds open the possibility of conversion and restoration.

The full statement can be found at: http://www.elca.org/What-We-Believe/Social-Issues/Social-Statements/Death-Penalty.aspx

I personally do not believe the state has the authority to take the life of another. Before becoming a pastor I worked in juvenile corrections, I am fully aware of the difficulties of working with troubled individuals and am fully aware that those for whom the death penalty is an option have often left a trail of violence and victims. What the death penalty fails to address is perpetrator is often a victim of social injustice whose death does nothing to help build a better society. The deterrent argument, the strongest in the pro-death penalty’s list of justifications, has been proven to be of no significant worth and in some cases produces counter results.

Pastor Dan Bollerud
Christ Our Savior Lutheran, Anchorage
bollerud@gci.net