There are many reasons for the abolition of the death penalty. These include the
immorality of capital punishment, its ineffectiveness as a deterrent, the
possibility of executing an innocent person and the cost. Another important,
but often overlooked reason is the effect that it has on the people who carry
out and witness an execution. This is highlighted by the Equal Justice USA
campaign.
Corrections officials, haunted by the experience of putting
people to death have committed suicide, turned to alcohol or drugs or suffered
mental and physical health problems.
Executions traumatise clergy, jurors and journalists, many
of whom have had symptoms of anxiety, nausea and nightmares caused by the
stress of witnessing executions or having to decide as a juror whether a person
is guilty or not.
The families of the executed person, particularly if they
witness the execution, also suffer tremendously and find it difficult to come
to terms with their loss.
Supporters of the death penalty say that it brings closure
to the victims family. This may be true in some cases, but as the campaign
says:
The death penalty’s impact
reaches far beyond the victim and the executed. All who cross its path shoulder
the burden of participating in the death of a human being, while the system
creates a whole new set of victims who are left to grieve in silence.
http://ejusa.org/learn/secondary-trauma/
