I think all executions should be public. I think the consequences of crimes worthy of capital punishment should be on display both for other criminals and for the people of the democracy to see and come to terms with. I can't really understand the position of being in favor of capital punishment but not being willing to witness a just execution. By "willing" I don't mean "eager". Anyone *eager* to witness an execution in my mind is at the very least a little sick, or too filled with vengeance.

At the same time, I don't feel they should be required viewing, either. Nor should they be performed on the town common where people innocently looking out their window might see. It should be open to the public, yet you should have to make the conscious decision and effort to go and see one. The only people who should in any way be coerced into seeing an execution should be other criminals convicted of lesser violent crimes. It could be a part of their sentence to have to witness an execution in an effort to disuade them from perhaps ending up there after they are released from prison.

I think we should not be afraid to face up to the consequences of our laws and system of government. If you do not support the laws or the government, the process of democracy is there to assist you in changing it. I do not know if executions being open to the public would increase or decrease support for capital punishment (although I suspect it would decrease it), but in the end it doesn't matter to me. As citizens of a democracy, we can't be afraid to face up to the reality of what our decisions bring about. If this were a dictatorship, I wouldn't be for public executions. If you have no say in the matter, you have no responsibility to face up to the consequences (you might have a responsibility to *stop* the executions, if we're talking about unjust executions.) But if you support capital punishment and live in a democracy that has it (which, I think pretty much means you live in the US) you should be allowed to view an execution. It may change your mind about supporting the process. You may view them just as a check on the process, to make sure it conforms to the ideal of justice, and isn't just cruel punishment. There could be any number of reasons you'd choose to witness an execution. But it should be a choice available to you.

-- Dave