The American Catholic covered President Obama’s “historic” visitation of a prison and the President’s commutation of 46 prison sentences. They also examined harsh sentences in the United States including the death penalty. I was interviewed for this piece to discuss capital punishment and why it is not only unnecessary but also dangerous.
American Catholic writer, Mark Pattison wrote,
No one could agree more than Marc Hyden, founder of Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, albeit for different reasons than might be argued by the bishops.
“The conservative case against the death penalty is incredibly simple,” Hyden said. “The death penalty risks innocent lives, it costs more than prison. I don’t think there’s anything pro-life about giving the state the power to kill its citizens. What do you get out of this program? You get the quintessential big, broken government program.”
Hyden cautions against questioning his conservative bona fides, as he used to work for the National Rifle Association. He said he’s welcomed at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Tea Party and Republican Party events. “I’m mobbed by conservatives who thought they were the only conservatives who were against the death penalty,” he said.