Reader: If the death penalty prevented crime, shouldn't Texas be murder-free?

Last week, we interviewed ACLU of Colorado executive director Nathan Woodliff-Stanley about the death penalty, which, in his view, makes society less safe, not more so. Our readers had a wide variety of views on this topic -- including the following commenter, who weighs in on Texas, the state that...

By Michael Roberts

October 14, 2013

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Last week, we interviewed ACLU of Colorado executive director Nathan Woodliff-Stanley about the death penalty, which, in his view, makes society less safe, not more so. Our readers had a wide variety of views on this topic -- including the following commenter, who weighs in on Texas, the state that executes more people than any other.

Sean Gruno writes:

If it was such a deterrent then wouldn't Texas, with their glee in executing people, be the safest state?

For more memorable takes, visit our Comment of the Day archive.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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