Need Help

[Sam]

Hey I am writing a paper though I am not completely a supporter of the death penalty I lean more towards this side but I have a question.. what about those who are not guilty but are found guilty and sentenced to death. This is the main argument that my teacher is throwing to me and I have nothing to back it up.. any ideas?

Thanks -Sam

[blakely]

If they are later found to be wrongly convicted through the appellate process, what about it? It only proves the system works as it is intended to. As to allegations that innocent people have been executed, that is a blatant lie. The abolish movement out and out lies about the facts of cases.

[Anony+]

Sam said:

Hey I am writing a paper though I am not completely a supporter of the death penalty I lean more towards this side but I have a question.. what about those who are not guilty but are found guilty and sentenced to death. This is the main argument that my teacher is throwing to me and I have nothing to back it up.. any ideas?

Thanks -Sam

Doesn't seem like you have anything to back up-- your teacher does.

Tell your teacher that there have been VERY few people who have been convicted and sentenced to death, who were later determined to be innocent.

Tell your teacher that due to the levels and levels of appeals (direct appeal, state habeas with 2 levels of appeals, and federal habeas with 2 levels of appeals -- that's at least 7 courts reviewing the conviction and sentence) afforded to death row inmates, along with the extra scrutiny given to those cases by the judges who review them, that those innocents have been found, exonerated, and let off of death row (or released entirely).

Tell your teacher that there has never been proof of an innocent executed.

Tell your teacher that if he/she thinks there has been an innocent executed, that THEY have something to prove to YOU.

Allison

[blakely]

And if she throws some names out at you of people who have been portrayed as innocent but executed, come back here. They never read the actual opinions to see how guilty the sob's really are.

[beej76]

Sam said:

Hey I am writing a paper though I am not completely a supporter of the death penalty I lean more towards this side but I have a question.. what about those who are not guilty but are found guilty and sentenced to death. This is the main argument that my teacher is throwing to me and I have nothing to back it up.. any ideas?

Thanks -Sam

Google a couple of names - Ruben Cantu and Larry Griffin. Both dead, so it's hard to go back and do a lot of investigating, but those are probably who she's talking about and are good cases to know.