Does the death penalty bring closure?

A federal jury has sentenced Boston marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to death.  In the wake of that sentence, a CNN article is asking whether the sentence will provide closure to victims--and it's turning to Luther College associate professor of psychology Loren Toussaint for his answer.

Toussaint has been studying the topic of forgiveness, which he told CNN can be powerful: "It's a way of saying, 'I'm going to take my life back because I'm getting swallowed up by hatred...It's an act of transformative empowerment ... that allows someone to move forward."

The process of forgiveness can be long and difficult, and experts warn that it can't be rushed. But Toussaint said there's a risk to making forgiveness contingent on whether you feel justice has been served. It may take years before you get the outcome you want, if you get it at all. "So you're waiting, and you don't necessarily enjoy any relief," he said.

For the complete CNN article, click here.