Jay Parini : In the eyes of the civilized world , murder is cruel and unusual punishment , best left to vigilante outlaws , the criminally insane and rogue states . Botched Oklahoma execution reminder that few civilized countries do this . He says state-sponsored killing fosters a culture of violence in U.S. Parini : Dickens , Tolstoy found death penalty repulsive , hypocritical , unchristian . Parini : The Supreme Court has ruled twice since the Civil War to uphold capital punishment for murder and other crimes.
Jay Parini : Botched Oklahoma execution reminder that few civilized countries do this . He says state-sponsored killing fosters a culture of violence in U.S. Parini : Dickens , Tolstoy found death penalty repulsive , hypocritical , unchristian . Parini : The Supreme Court has ruled twice since the Civil War to uphold capital punishment for murder and other crimes.