Death Penalty #1: Clifford Boggess

In general I disagree with the death penalty and feel like killing people for killing people is pointless and accomplishes nothing.

In the case of Clifford Boggess I think he should not have been executed. Clifford had a traumatizing childhood being put up for adoption, his parents getting divorced and then being given away again by his adoptive parents. He was not a murderer by nature, but society failing him and the lack of nurture he received turned him into a murderer. He wanted to go to college and have a successful life but when road blocks got in his way he had no family to turn to for money and no one who loved him so instead he resorted to killing people so he could have the life he wanted. Clifford did not have any resources or support like the rest of us have to help us get through hard times in our lives even his uncle, who wasn’t a saint himself, would bash Clifford and say he was an awful human being. Can anyone really survive a childhood like Clifford’s without turning out harmed in some way?

Although Clifford struggled with and somewhat forced his religion towards the end of his life he found a love for painting and expressing himself through an outlet rather than letting his anger come out. I don’t think he could be a functioning member of society but in the many years he spent in prison he did manage to control and focus his anger on something that bettered the community and himself.

Clifford Boggess, like anyone else, does not deserve to die. Just because the system failed Clifford doesn’t mean they should kill him. Despite the setbacks in his life he was able to improve the life he was given and focus the negatives in his life into something good. I think a more fitting punishment for Clifford Boggess is life in prison without the possibility of parole. We can’t fight against murderers by doing the same thing we condemn them for and expect the anger in our society to cease. There needs to be a better way to make sure children are not failed and are given the proper tools to lead a healthy regular life.