Programados para ser obsoletos

Dead Man Walking

 The movie "Dead Man Walking" questions the capital punishment from the very beggining to the end and as a spectator, I am sure that capital punishment, although it is said to be a way of justice, is just the idea of it, not the solution.

 Mathew was responsible for killing a couple of teenagers after having raped the girl, and of course the victim´s parents wanted him to pay for that as their son and daughter were taken away from them because of him, so they claimed for execution. The thing is that their child won't be back from death with them whatever desition they make, so taking another life away won't make any difference rather than to calm the desire of releasing pain and anger. Killing him would probably add more pain to them, as they would have to carry the weight of the responsibility of depriving someone from living.

 Parents seem to believe in the Retributive Theory of punishment: as he killed their children, he has to be killed. Does it sounds logical to kill a murderer for that reason and in that way becoming one? If they kill Mathew, they would be now the ones who decided to take someone's life away, leaving aside the fact that they would take that desition because they believed Mathew deserved it while their innocent children don't.

 While the sister was getting to know Mathew and when he was regreting his actions, the victim´s relatives were seeking for revenge demanding the capital punishment on him. Mathew was not going to have the possibility of "paying" for what he has done as he would no longer exist. He would get a punishment that won't be understood by himself as he would be dead.

 The punishment to be applied has to be severe, as he killed a boy and raped a girl who was later killed too, but making him die is not fair and is not punishment enough. He has to live with the guilt and everyday try to compensate for what he did.