Quoting jammer2:

I just read the story of the Texas judge on trial because she refused to hold the clerks office open for a death row appeal because the office hours are from 8 till 5, even though the state law provides for keeping the appeals office open after being informed an appeal is on the way. The man was executed that night.
Has it really reached the point where any excuse will do to execute a person?
I was all for capital punishment until DNA testing started proving how many innocent men and women were sitting in jail for crimes they didn't commmit, more than a few on death row.
And the real schocker was when states started passing laws that no further DNA testing would be accepted after a conviction,EVEN IF THE TESTS PROVED INNOCENCE!!!
There are so many cases of men sitting for years and then being exonerated that I feel a moratorium on executions should be in effect, at least where DNA evidence is involved.
I'm no bleeding heart liberal, but a death sentence is so serious that every effort should be made to BE SURE the right person is being punished.
We've gotten so carried away with the letter of the law, we forget that justice is the goal of law.
Good example is the man that was sentenced to prison for failure to maintain child support payments, even after DNA testing proved the child was not his! The courts rationale: He agreed to make payments long before DNA testing, so he was obligated to continue paying no matter what, because his agreement was a `contract`with the state. The man was unemployed and making partial payments from his unemployment checks.
Where is the justice in that?

I just read the story of the Texas judge on trial because she refused to hold the clerks office open for a death row appeal because the office hours are from 8 till 5, even though the state law provides for keeping the appeals office open after being informed an appeal is on the way. The man was executed that night.
Has it really reached the point where any excuse will do to execute a person?
I was all for capital punishment until DNA testing started proving how many innocent men and women were sitting in jail for crimes they didn't commmit, more than a few on death row.
And the real schocker was when states started passing laws that no further DNA testing would be accepted after a conviction,EVEN IF THE TESTS PROVED INNOCENCE!!!
There are so many cases of men sitting for years and then being exonerated that I feel a moratorium on executions should be in effect, at least where DNA evidence is involved.
I'm no bleeding heart liberal, but a death sentence is so serious that every effort should be made to BE SURE the right person is being punished.
We've gotten so carried away with the letter of the law, we forget that justice is the goal of law.
Good example is the man that was sentenced to prison for failure to maintain child support payments, even after DNA testing proved the child was not his! The courts rationale: He agreed to make payments long before DNA testing, so he was obligated to continue paying no matter what, because his agreement was a `contract`with the state. The man was unemployed and making partial payments from his unemployment checks.
Where is the justice in that?