Seven very long years ago I was on a high school debate team.  The topic of debate for the season was capital punishment.  For several months I researched and argued both sides of the issue.  How do I feel about capital punishment now?

To put it succinctly, I do not think that capital punishment is an effective deterrent of crime.  Nor is it cheaper than putting a person in jail for life.  However, the moral issues are far from clear in my head.  Should a person who kills be killed?  What if someone killed a loved one of mine?  I do not think the murderer's death would be the most important thing to me.  Is capital punishment just?

So when I heard that in Guangdong a new capital punishment law was passed, I quickly read the article with interest.  Apparently 1/3 of all convicted crimes in Guangdong are robberies or instances of “bag-snatching.”  The officials of Guangdong are sick of it and have changed the punishments for robbery.  Instead of a maximum of three years in prison for robbery, the sentences have been altered to a minimum of three years in prison along with the possibility of the death penalty.

And you thought cutting someones hand off for theft was harsh.