Chris_Halkides
Penultimate Amazing
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2009
- Messages
- 12,581
two drawbacks
“The numbers show that the death penalty has dangerous effects on the criminal justice system that go far beyond the already significant risk of executing innocent people,” said DPIC Executive Director Robert Dunham. “Innocent people confess to crimes they didn’t commit to avoid the possibility of being executed. Suspects, both innocent and guilty, who are threatened with the death penalty if they do not cooperate with law enforcement provide false testimony that sends innocent people to jail, often for decades. The data suggest that the misuse of the death penalty as a coercive interrogation and plea bargaining tool poses a far greater threat to the fair administration of the criminal laws than we had previously imagined.” Death Penalty Information Center.
One problem with the death penalty is in its use as a threat, as discussed at the link above. A second problem is that there have been at least two individuals who were executed partially on the basis of forensic evidence that is nearly universally thought to be wrong, namely Cameron Todd Willingham and James Otto Earhart. Erroneous beliefs about arson were used in the former case. Comparative bullet lead analysis was used in the latter case, and Jeffrey Deskovic wrote a good summary. That is not to say that they were the only two people who might have been wrongfully executed.
“The numbers show that the death penalty has dangerous effects on the criminal justice system that go far beyond the already significant risk of executing innocent people,” said DPIC Executive Director Robert Dunham. “Innocent people confess to crimes they didn’t commit to avoid the possibility of being executed. Suspects, both innocent and guilty, who are threatened with the death penalty if they do not cooperate with law enforcement provide false testimony that sends innocent people to jail, often for decades. The data suggest that the misuse of the death penalty as a coercive interrogation and plea bargaining tool poses a far greater threat to the fair administration of the criminal laws than we had previously imagined.” Death Penalty Information Center.
One problem with the death penalty is in its use as a threat, as discussed at the link above. A second problem is that there have been at least two individuals who were executed partially on the basis of forensic evidence that is nearly universally thought to be wrong, namely Cameron Todd Willingham and James Otto Earhart. Erroneous beliefs about arson were used in the former case. Comparative bullet lead analysis was used in the latter case, and Jeffrey Deskovic wrote a good summary. That is not to say that they were the only two people who might have been wrongfully executed.
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