Boggess

I think that Clifford Boggess should not have been executed because it seemed that it was something that he desired. Boggess seemed content with the fact that he was going to be killed. The execution did not act as a punishment but as a way for Boggess to move past what he did and gain forgiveness. While on death row, Boggess transformed himself into somebody completely different in order to feel accepted when he dies. I feel that knowing you are going to die allows a person to think about what they have done and apologize.  A better punishment would have been life in prison because he would have to contemplate his decisions for the rest of his life. The death penalty allowed him to contemplate his decisions for a shortened period and then it provided an escape for Boggess to move on and reach heaven. Whether or not his after life is pleasant, the death penalty allowed for Boggess to escape from his problems and believe that there was something better waiting for him after he died. The crimes that Boggess committed were awful and as a person I do not believe he changed from a murderer to a peaceful man while in prison. Even if he did not change, I do not believe he should be executed because nothing is gained by the execution. By sitting in prison, Boggess would not have been harming society and instead would have been providing artwork along with knowledge to other members of death row who could use some direction. The idea of an eye for an eye does not seem to be successful. Instead of allowing Boggess to develop in prison and provide artwork and religion to the community, he is eliminated and the lessons, ideals, and values that he has learned from his experiences are lost.  Overall, I think that nobody should be killed intentionally or by the death penalty because as bad as a person is they are still capable of providing knowledge and other things to other individuals.