When the Church Does Right and the State Goes Wrong

There is absolutely no question that John Henry Ramirez did a truly evil, horrible thing. In 2004, he attacked and stabbed to death a man named Pablo Castro. Ramirez beat him and stabbed him 29 times, leaving him dead in the street -- all for the $1.25 in his pocket. Castro had nine children. I wanted to start this piece by remembering Ramirez's crime and Castro's death because death penalty debates all too often lose sight of the victim of the crime. In focusing on the state's procedural flaws or its unfair systems, we can neglect the terrible thing that happened and the shattered families who live with the pain of horrific loss.