U.S. Supreme Court Forbids Execution of Rapists of Children.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/25/scotus.child.rape/ I spport this ruling, not only because I feel that the death penalty in general is unnecessary to prevent crime, and punish criminals, but also because sex crimes, as heinous as they are, do not merit capital punishment. After sufficient rehabilitation, some sex offenders may ever be released back into society, just as long as they are continued to be monitored by the state. Also I suspect that the application of the death penalty, in this instance could also be disproportionately used against people of colour. I believe that the legislation allowing for the execution of rapists was drawn up following Reconstruction, because the white southerners feared freed slaves might try to seduce there women. During segregation, blacks were lynched for even flirting with a white woman. Can you imagine what would happen if they arrested one suspected of raping one? Also if statutory rape is treated as equivalent to unconsensual sexual relations, a black man could even be killed for volutarily having sex with a white maiden. People wrongly convicted of murder are sometimes executed. We do not need to destroy the lives of wrongly convicted sexual predators as well. Castrate them maybe, but not execute them.