The chief prosecutor of St Louis is preparing to release a report that took two years to develop that may show that convicted murderer Larry Griffin, executed in 1995, was innocent of the crime. Griffin always maintained his innocence, filing appeals and asking the Governor for assistance, until he was executed by lethal injection in 1995.
None of the almost 1,100 persons have executed since 1977 when Gary Gilmore was executed by firing squad in Utah has been found to have been innocent, but the Innocence Project has developed DNA evidence that resulted in the exonerations of 204 current inmates, including 15 who had served time on death row. There are currently about 3,600 persons on death row in the US. Even a one percent error rate means that 36 innocent persons are going to be eventually executed.
A careful review of the criminal justice system clearly shows possible human and factual errors at every stage including witness identification errors, false confessions by mentally or emotionally disturbed persons, poor police work, inaccurate or false positive lab work and the withholding of key evidence from the defense. Even fingerprint evidence has been called into question because no scientific study that supports the claim that no two persons have the same fingerprints has ever been done. Fingerprint experts have widely differing standards for analyzing fingerprints, making the testimony very subjective. Several lab technicians had been arrested for perjury, effecting hundreds of cases, where they falsely testified that evidence linked the accused to the crime.
Sooner of later it will be proven that an innocent person has been executed, it is just a mater of time. What will be our reaction to the news that our criminal justice system has killed an innocent person? My concern is that we will be willing to accept a one percent error rate in the execution of innocent persons in order to execute the ninety nine percent that are guilty. The need for vengeance and revenge is still strong in our society, the only developed nation that still has the death penalty. Commuting all existing death penalties to life without the possibility of parole and making that sentence our most severe punishment would allow the opportunity for inmates to prove their innocence and be released from jail.
What are your feelings about the death penalty? Would your change your mind if it was proven that an innocent person has been executed?
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Comments: 12
I have hotbutton issues I do think the death penalty should be used for, but that's at an emotional level. Recognizing that mistakes can be made and we most likely really can never be 100% sure of guilt on 100% of cases - and are most likely nowhere close to that currently, I'd have to agree that innocent people can and probably are being executed, and that is not ok with me.
they just never made it to trial.
We had a guy rev his engine and the cops felt threatened that he was going to ram them.
He died of 15 gunshot wounds.
The death penalty is barbaric in such circumstances -- it was barbaric to begin with.
Having stated my opinion, however, I understand and appreciate the other side on this issue. It is not neatly black/white and I certainly can appreciate the scruples of those uncomfortable with responsibility in the death of an innocent.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention Duane.