http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/16/opinion/acker-davis-death-penalty/index.html?hpt=op_t1

In this article about Troy Davis' scheduled death penalty, James Acker comments on the consequences, both negative and positive, that it can have on a society. He positions himself to the side sympathetic of victims of the death penalty, calling it "an ineffective criminal justice policy" that is also prone to make mistakes. However, he also interestingly points out the dark optimism of being put on death row: that a criminal's best hope to survive is to actually be put in a situation of high media coverage, otherwise their name would be lost within the other lists of criminals sentenced to life without parole. In this, a twisted side of society is revealed, showing our capacity to only focus on the flashy aspects of the world –good and bad– while the mediocre is washed away because it is simply just that: mediocre.