Senator Waterman has introduced SB 122 which “permits a family member of a victim to view the execution of a convicted person, and permits the superintendent of the state prison to exclude persons from viewing the execution if the number of witnesses would unduly crowd the viewing chamber.” According to Leo Morris, Senator Wyss is introducing similar legislation.
I guess I don’t agree with Mr. Morris that this would be “an important addition” to Indiana’s victim rights. I don’t particularly oppose the measure, but I view criminal matters as being between the State and the criminal. Certainly the victims have been wrong, but as a theoretical legal matter, that’s not the important issue. The issue is that the criminal has committed a transgression againt the sovereign. The civil law, on the contrary, is the proper forum for individuals who have been wronged by one another. Because I view the criminal law in that manner, I cannot get too excited about victims rights — though, like I said, I don’t necessarily oppose such provisions. I think it’s probably overkill to have two different Senators introducing the same legislation on this issue. Maybe Senator Wyss’s has some important distinctions.
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