The Closure Myth

Following up on yesterday's post about victims' testimony in Kansas, here is a useful excerpt from MVFHR board president Bud Welch's testimony. After telling about losing his daughter Julie Marie in the Oklahoma City bombing and eventually coming to oppose the death penalty for Timothy McVeigh, Bud concluded:

You legislators hear a lot about the phrase, “Victims needing closure." I’m here to tell you, that is nothing but a myth perpetuated by politicians and news media. Six months after the bombing a poll taken in Oklahoma City of victims’ families and survivors showed that 85% wanted the death penalty for Tim McVeigh. Six years later that figure had dropped to nearly half, and now most of those who supported his execution came to believe it was a mistake. In other words, they didn’t feel any better after Tim McVeigh was taken from his cell and killed.