An editorial in the July 30, 2009, issue of the Iola Register pointed out that serial killer John Robinson, sentenced to death in 2002 for murdering three women, has not yet been executed; in fact, his attorney filed an appeal that week asking for a new trial for Robinson. Said the Register, “Robinson’s case is a perfect illustration of why the death penalty doesn’t work to deter other criminals or to deliver promised punishment to the guilty in a timely fashion.”
“Kansas continues to pay the very high cost of feeding and defending him as appeal follows appeal. Perhaps he will be executed sometime. When that headline finally does appear, readers will scratch their heads and ask, ‘Who? What did he do? When?’
“In truth, the way Kansas and most other states handle their death penalty cases saddles taxpayers with millions in extra expenses without a single compensating benefit. It is far better to toss monsters like Robinson into a cell and throw away the key. Costs much less, hurts the criminal more because it kills all hope, and is just as powerful a deterrent.”
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