The agent, Abdelbaset Ali Mohamed al-Megrahi, is terminally ill so his release is for "humane" reasons.
Aside from the obscenity of releasing a mass murder, this serves as a great example of what criminal justice really means in Europe.
It is a relevant consideration for Americans, since opponents of the death penalty often use Europe's ban on the death penalty as a reason we should ban it.
The release of al-Megrahi illustrates the problem with the philosophy underlying the left's view of criminal justice: it is a soft-on-crime approach, with shorter sentences (he was only sentenced to a minimum of 27 years in prison for his conviction in the killing of 270 people) and more lenient view on releasing prisoners.
Abandoning the death penalty is likely to be the first step in weakening criminal penalties across a range of crimes, that life without parole as the substitute for the death penalty will also come under assault, and all "lesser" crimes will eventually have weakened criminal penalties.
One of the most effective ways to reduce crime is to keep criminals behind bars. And the death penalty for the most heinous of crimes can help raise the penalties for all other crimes, which helps keep violent criminals behind bars and off the streets.
So the next time someone uses Europe as an example for abandoning the death penalty, remember the Lockerbie case.
One of the most effective ways to reduce crime is to keep criminals behind bars. And the death penalty for the most heinous of crimes can help raise the penalties for all other crimes, which helps keep violent criminals behind bars and off the streets.
So the next time someone uses Europe as an example for abandoning the death penalty, remember the Lockerbie case.
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