So far the criminal justice system has failed the victims of the school shooting in Parkland Florida, the seventeen persons killed and the seventeen persons injured and their families. The shooter in this case Nikolas Cruz should have received capital punishment not life imprisonment. In order for the criminal justice system to work properly these shooters of mass killings when arrested for their crimes and put on trial must get the death penalty, the system needs this deterrent effect granted the deterrent effect won't stop all the mass shootings but it will stop some at least many of these shooters are not suicidal and so the system making it clear that such shooters will be forfeiting their life will stop some of them. I understand the state jury decided the facts in this case didn't support a sentence of the death penalty but it sure seemed by media accounts that the jury put undue weight on the terrible upbringing and the mental illness of the defendant. I don't understand why this case isn't also being tried federally the Department of Justice routinely reviews failed state prosecutions to determine if federal prosecution is warranted a lot of cop shootings undergo this review for federal charges. The DOJ has a history of charging people responsible for mass shootings federally not necessarily prosecuting them but there is no legal impediment to doing so. The DOJ charged John Allen Muhammed with multiple federal crimes some carrying the death penalty for his role in the ten shootings in the Washington D.C area in 2002 ultimately Virginia tried the defendant and he got the death penalty which was carried out. I sympathize with Nikolas Cruz he had a terrible upbringing no one should have had his upbringing and he was mentally ill probably the result of the terrible life that he had to endure and he didn't receive the help that he could have received to deal with that mental illness where it wouldn't have been a serious problem for him. Just an aside note many Americans ask why do we need abortion in this country one absolutely compelling reason is so that people like Nikolas Cruz don't have to endure the life they actually endure, anti-abortion people say this that and the other thing shouldn't be but that doesn't change the reality that it is the only thing good people can realistically do is try to help the troubled women not bring a child into the world, Nikolas Cruz's mother was incapable of providing a good environment to raise a child so she shouldn't have had any! Disregarding this tangent on abortion, the fact that Nikolas's early environment did not support the development of a healthy person in areas other than physical health and the fact Nikolas was severely mentally ill does not excuse him from being held criminally liable for his actions. He knew the difference between right and wrong he knew what he was doing was wrong. He hid his rifle and all his ammunition from the family that was trying to help him, at the time of the shooting he wore a shirt carrying the school's emblem (intent to escape getting caught for a plan to do a really bad thing), after the shooting he ditched the rifle and ammunition and using subterfuge blended in with the students to facilitate his escape. Yes he is mentally ill, you could see it in his manner in videos in the media videos of the trial he seems devoid of feeling but being mentally ill isn't a defense, other people have rights and just because a perpetrator has emotional and psychological inclinations to commit crime means he or she shouldn't be held accountable what if a perpetrator is high on drugs which impairs a person's judgment and makes that person more inclined to violence should not that person be held accountable, absolutely victims have rights and just because a perpetrator is in a state where they are under a temptation even a strong one to commit violence means that they can get away with it this would not be right, victims rights take priority. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooter out of hate, revenge and a twisted disturbed mind killed fourteen young men and women in high school that had their whole lives ahead of them, lives full of an abundance of wonderful things and making the world a better place and killed three teachers who were great human beings working in jobs where they tried to help high school students have rewarding years in high school and become prepared to be responsible and productive adults and this shooter gets to have his life albeit a limited life being that it will be in a prison but from a justice and goodness standpoint the system failed here this shooter should lose his life over this no if, ands or buts for the evil he has caused here!
