The early release of the Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds has finally been announced after days of trailing in the media.
As with the release of Train Robber Ronnie Biggs earlier this month on compassionate grounds, I have found myself morally torn as to whether this is the ‘right’ thing to do.
Part of me feels that criminals (which is what they both are) should serve they’re time as sentenced, meaning that both Ronnie Biggs and al-Megrahi would die in prison. People against their release (mainly some victims families) have said that as they did not show compassion to their victims, so neither should we vicariously through the state show compassion.
In an episode of The West Wing (Take this Sabbath Day) the US President, Jed Bartlet, agonises about whether to pardon a prisoner who is about to be executed.
Whilst chatting with his personal aide, Charlie, whose mother was killed in the line of duty, there comes one of the most poignant and insightful pieces of TV dialogue I have ever heard:
Bartlet: What happened to the guy who shot your mother?
Charlie: They haven’t found him yet, sir.
Bartlet: If they did, would you want to see him executed? Killing a police officer is a capital crime; I figure you must have thought about it.
Charlie: Yes, sir.
Bartlet: And?
Charlie: I wouldn’t want to see him executed, Mr President. I’d want to do it myself.
I don’t know what I would think if a member of my family was murdered but it probably wouldn’t be too different from the thoughts of Charlie. That is why we must leave decisions of justice to the state.
In the cases of Biggs and al-Megrahi the decisions made to release them on compassionate grounds were probably the right ones. We, through the state, have shown compassion to them because we are better than they are.
