| With our system of jurisprudence and the right to due process (appeals and appeals and appeals), I don't think the rate of executions is going to change significantly. Even if executions increase by 100%, then only 2% of murderers will receive capital punishment.
DNA has exonerated a disturbing percentage of convicted murderers. Do you remember the Republican governor of Illinois suspended executions because so many on death row were found innocent?
Too many people are convicted erroneously, and too few actually receive the death penalty, so my position is to dispense with capital punishment. A collateral benefit would be saving many millions of dollars each year. An attorney friend mine specializes in death penalty appeals and he is paid by the state; he lives quite comfortably. I think we should make him find a new line of work. |