TIME FOR REAL DETERENCE?

With the sad news of Ms Emerson's both untimely and totally unnecessary demise I, for one, consider the time appropriate for some real deterence to those who willfully prey upon others. Consider that if the punishment truly could equal the crime, less instances of these horrific crimes would occur.
It was not that long ago that certain counties or municipalities who had both hardened and dedicated law enforcement kept crime at bay. This was due in large part of their efforts and because they had the total backing of their court system.
Currently, Brian Nichols has yet to be tried because we have allowed the system to override the best interests of the state in the name of individual rights. Does anyone believe that Mr Hilton is innocent? Better, does anyone truly believe we need to support him the rest of his life?
While I am a proponent of gun ownership and believe in the right of self defense, arming one's self is not always the answer to deterence. The answer , I believe, is swift and highly visible punishment.
One of the most vivid memories of my youth was when my father and I happened by a group of men digging a ditch. Seeing that they were bound and being watched by an armed deputy sheriff, I asked why these men were doing this. My father simply stated that when people break the law, they have to be punished and unless I wanted to end up like these men I had better not break the law. That memory has served me well.
Have we become a society that is so bent upon insuring the rights of perpetrators that we have lost sight of the victims? Less than a century ago within our borders public hangings took place. When found guilty we did not wait twenty-five years for appeals to run their course, we simply expected sentences to be carried out expeditiously.
With the advance state of technology for law enforcement and DNA testing we should be able to quickly carry out punishments within reasonable time frames, not after they have been forgotten.
My condolences go out to the Emerson family and to all victims of these totally unnecessary crimes.