THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Wednesday, January 15, 1997           TAG: 9701150005
SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A14  EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Letter 
                                            LENGTH:   31 lines

PUT TEETH INTO, DON'T ABOLISH, THE DEATH PENALTY

I must take exception to the Jan. 12 letter calling for repeal of the 21-day rule and abolishing the death penalty.

The writer says that killing a person (the death penalty) makes us killers, too. Factually, she is correct. But killing and murdering are most certainly not the same thing, and a murderer who has been properly tried and convicted should be put to death. One needs only to look at modern crime statistics to see that this country has missed the boat as far as crime and punishment are concerned. Yes, we do have capital punishment, but complex legal ramifications make it impractical to pursue in most cases.

The letter writer also states that the death penalty is not a deterrent. I agree in that, as it stands, the death penalty has no teeth and is therefore nothing to be feared. The 21-day rule is an attempt, and a good one, to end the mountains of legalese and the infinite appeals that have become standard in these cases.

The fact is, a death penalty not hamstrung by policy does deter most crimes of violence. A look at Saudi Arabia's policy of public execution will verify that cases of violent crime and theft are extremely rare.

The United States will have to either quickly implement a swift, severe system of punishment or face the worsening of the already apparent consequences of a society gone soft on the criminal. Take a look at any newspaper. We quite probably are too late.

RICHARD WELLS

Virginia Beach, Jan. 12, 1997