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The murder case against Joel Courtney demonstrates why it's useful to have the death penalty on the
The defendant, who now has pleaded guilty to aggravated murder for killing young Brooke Wilberger in
2004, had steadfastly refused to lead authorities to where he had left the body.
A Benton County grand jury charged him with aggravated murder, and District Attorney John Haroldson
announced he would seek the death penalty. But all along, he held out the possibility that he would take
the death penalty off the table in return for Courtney pleading guilty and telling authorities where he
Plea negotiations along those lines finally proved successful, and on Monday Haroldson was able to
announce Courtney's plea, his sentencing to life without possibility of parole, and the recovery of
Brooke's remains.
An execution would have been fitting. But that turn of events would have been in the indefinite future
The appeals likely would have run their course for 10 years or more. The Oregon judicial system has
shown no interest in bringing death penalty cases to a conclusion. We have 32 men on death row - one
Given the system, this is the better outcome. The Wilberger family gets closure on the horrible fate of
their daughter, and the killer faces day after day behind bars for as long as his life holds out.
DA Haroldson, a former Linn County deputy prosecutor before taking the same job in Benton County
and then winning election as the DA, deserves credit for handling this case. Under the circumstances he
MANILA, Philippines – Crime and drugs are social ills that need to be stamped out, say Rodrigo Duterte
and Alan Peter Cayetano as they seek the two highest positions in the land in 2016.
Duterte used a peace and order platform before, when he first ran for Davao City mayor in 1988. He
later earned a reputation for his iron-fisted approach to criminality. Davao City now enjoys a state-of-
the-art crime response center and was named 9th safest city in the world in 2015.
On Tuesday, January 4, Cayetano announced that their tandem would push for an increase in police
salaries to P75,000 to P100,000 – 5 times the current wage of the lowest-ranking police officer and even
more than the salary of the PNP chief.
Theirs is the only tandem that highlights the fight against criminality and drugs as a major part of their
platform.
Does the current state of crime and drugs in the Philippines warrant such attention? Rappler takes a
look at recent statistics.
Criminality
The number of reported crimes has been rising, while the ability of the police to solve crimes has
decreased.
The PNP however had previously explained that the spike in statistics did not necessarily represent a
worsening peace and order situation. One reason for it could be the underreporting by local police units
in previous years.
In 2015, for instance, the number of reported crimes soared by 46% in the first 5 months compared to
the same period the previous year, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The same trend was observed in 2014. By the end of the first 5 months of that year, crime incidents rose
by 18% compared to 2013 numbers.
2012 2013 2014
2. President-elect Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday said his proposal to reimpose death penalty was not
just for crime prevention but also for retribution.
“Hindi iyan to deter. Whether you like to commit a crime or not, that’s not my business. Iyong death
penalty to me is the retribution. Magbayad ka sa ginawa mo sa buhay na ito,” Duterte said in a speech
during inauguration rites of Senator-elect Manny Pacquiao in Sarangani. He said death penalty as a
deterrence to commit crime “is one school of thought.” But he said he has a different view.
“The death penalty might be a deterrence to prevent or matakot siya to commit a crime but that is one
school of thought. The other school of thought is iyang death penalty hindi iyan pantakot,” Duterte said.
During the campaign period, Duterte has repeatedly said that would reimpose the death penalty. The
incoming President also wanted public hanging of convicted criminals.
Duterte has been criticized by some sectors particularly human rights group for calling the reimposition
of the death penalty. The Church has also opposed this move.