Wrong Man executed in 1983 murder case AKA Texas law fails once again

[MercZ]

[QUOTE=Crazy Ivan;35968978]
This is a good example of the extreme worsts of the American Justice System, but it hardly undermines the larger number of correct and just convictions. It also I think hardly means that the death penalty should be suspended on behalf of the "faulty" system if only because many people still do agree that there are crimes so mind boggling and vile that death is the only correct response. Taking into account the -very- lengthy appeals process that goes into actually arriving at a death penalty (Texas has exemptions. Express lane HO!) the number of "wrongful" executions is relatively low and even "righteous" executions are more often than not reduced to life sentences long before they are administered.[/QUOTE]

The state of Texas has already been criticized a number of times over the way they hand down executions, and there's already been a couple more I believe who are believed to have been handed a death sentence with a flawed legal process. There's been initiatives studying the way the legal system is done in Texas, particularly in the criminal pathway and the way death penalties are decided, and it's generally found that mistakes are happening a lot more than it should be to be just left up to a case of "oh it's a rare thing" like you are trying to put out.

Never mind that most court positions in Texas, right up to the Criminal Court of Appeals, are popularly elected (and declaring their party to boot) which gets people trying to push some nutty concept of being "touch on crime" rather than trying to respect court of law. There's no excuse for this nonsense in a "developed" country.

[Boxbot219]

[QUOTE=Crazy Ivan;35968978] Taking into account the -very- lengthy appeals process that goes into actually arriving at a death penalty [B]the number of "wrongful" executions is relatively low[/B] and even "righteous" executions are more often than not reduced to life sentences long before they are administered.[/QUOTE]
This is more than enough of a reason to abolish the death penalty.

Anything more than 0% innocent lives being taken by the death penalty is absolutely unacceptable. I don't care if only 5% of all executions are mistakes, or 1%, or even 0.0001%. If the death penalty can possibly cause collateral damage it needs to be removed.

[Snake7]

[QUOTE=The Baconator;35967260]But but but all civilized and freedom loving countries have the death penalty! It'd be crazy not to hav-

oh

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/azyiK.png[/IMG][/QUOTE]

Don't let Texas see that.

"What, number five? USA should always be number one!"

[ayejayjay]

Death penalty makes me sick to my stomach. I want it removed.