Death row inmate seeks mediation service

On the blog, "Grits for Breakfast", an story dealing with a death-row inmate who wants to use the prison's mediation service to seek healing with his victim. This inmate committed a hate crime in which he shot another in the face, however his victim survived the attack. Just eight days away from his death sentence, this criminal wants to seek restoration with his victim. His attorney is seeking to do away with his death sentence all together. This blog points out that victim's rights tend to only apply to scenarios where the victim is seeking justice through vengeance, which seems to be a good point. If the victim is wanting this mediation and is willing to cooperate, I do not think the government should be able to deny him that right because of what they think the punishment should be. The victim is who the government is supposed to be representing and protecting by issuing this punishment of death, and if the victim has a desire for healing through a mediation process, the government should not stand in their way. The government would, in fact, be doing a disservice to one of its own citizens in that. The government obviously was quick to jump at the opportunity to convict this shooter of a hate crime and send him to death row, why should it be any different for them to seek reconciliation if that is truly what the victim here wants?
The author of this blog asks on what grounds the victim should be denied this right of reconciliation through mediation, and I think that is a great question. What, in the law, could the judicial system use to prevent this victim from receiving the mediation in question? However, I wish the blog writer had entertained some of the possible trains of thought for the judicial system, as to help us, the readers, gain a greater understanding of the situation as a whole. If the decision is as obvious as the blogger makes it seems, it should be easy to refute any of the likely trains of thought that the judicial system may entertain.

http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2011/07/victim-rights-restorative-justice-and.html