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Show OMR) PobdsiB All arguments against the use of the death penalty are seriously flawed. In essence, they are rationalizations by persons reluctant to see the death penalty imposed. THIS IS the position taken by a University of Utah sociologist who, writing in the January issue of USA Today magazine, argues for a continuation con-tinuation of executions for first-degree murderers. "All life is not equally valuable," writes Dr. Marlene W. Lehtinen in an article entitled "The Death Penalty: A Life and Death Issue." Is-sue." "It is the quality of life that is of value and in need of protection." USA TODAY-formerly called Intellect-is published monthly by the Society for the Advancement of Education. "For the death penalty to have its greatest deterrent effectiveness, it must be a part of our cultural heritage," Lehtinen contends. "Systematically applied over time, it would create generational genera-tional effects." SHE CITES a Gallup Poll which found that 65 percent of the American public favored the death penalty. In Utah, she notes, the penalty is supported sup-ported by 80 percent. The assistant professor of sociology says the traditional methods of execution-electrocution, gassing, hanging, shooting-are sensationalistic and tend to promote a martyr image of the murderer. In some instances, she says, such as the Gary Gilmore case, the murderer is elevated elevat-ed to folk hero status. "SOCIETY COULD protect itself from this by abolishing the traditional means of execution," says the professor. profes-sor. "Injections of drugs would be more civilized and could be carried out in settings set-tings such as hospitals, which would allow utilization of certain cer-tain body parts for transplant and research purposes." Lehtinen maintains that while the death penalty has never been proven to be a greater deterrent to homicide than other punishments, it also has never been shown not to be. "PROVING THE effectiveness effec-tiveness of capital punishment. punish-ment. ..is problematical because this is not the only factor that affects the homicide rate," she says, listing such variables as population demography, unemployment rates, degree of urbanization and handgun ownership. Lehtinen also says statistics are insensitive to small variations that may be due to the existence of the death penalty. "If the degree of impact im-pact is not observed," she writes, "the variable has statistically sta-tistically insignificant effects." ef-fects." SHE FURTHER notes that deterrent effectiveness is masked because it has been used so infrequently and un-systematically. un-systematically. The sociologist argues that "rehabilitation does not work, but we have continued to believe that it can because it is more pleasant to believe that we are rehabilitating than it is to know we are punishing. "THE DEATH penalty does not cheapen life," Lehtinen says, "it increases the value of life and elevates the importance im-portance we attach to it." |