connieb
Senator
I think there should be higher standards for the evidence used in a death penalty case. But, some people deserve to die for their crimes. Those people in Connecticut I think who during a home invasion raped and murdered the mother and daughter and set the house on fire.. yep, death too good for them. The sniper killer in MD and VA a few years back - yep deserved to fry. Thank you VA for getting the job done that MD couldn't. Ted Bundy..... yep - electricity well spent.
BUT - it is applied unfairly, no doubt. And, people are convicted of capital crimes on too little evidence and it disproportionaly affects the poor and minorities, primarily because of the lack of access to adequate counsel. There is a real problem there that we need to address. And, I don't think a sentence by 12 fairly average people should be enough to hand down that sentence. I don't think that it should be left up to a single judge with re-election on his mind either. Perhaps we need death penalty cases reviewed throughly by experienced, independent prosecutors and defense attorney's.
BUT - it is applied unfairly, no doubt. And, people are convicted of capital crimes on too little evidence and it disproportionaly affects the poor and minorities, primarily because of the lack of access to adequate counsel. There is a real problem there that we need to address. And, I don't think a sentence by 12 fairly average people should be enough to hand down that sentence. I don't think that it should be left up to a single judge with re-election on his mind either. Perhaps we need death penalty cases reviewed throughly by experienced, independent prosecutors and defense attorney's.