After last night I think this is a fair question. The ultimate goal if we are to use capital punishment is ensuring that no innocent person is ever executed. I feel it is much better to release a guilty person than to execute an innocent person. Overall I'm quite conflicted on capital punishment---I do believe that some cases warrant it as a punishment, but more often than not I do not feel it is properly carried out. And as I grow older I am less inclined to support it at all.

 

Cases like last night should under no circumstances happen. There was too much doubt there for an execution to have occured. My problem is exactly how do you reform it where you ensure that an innocent life is not executed? As of right now the only thing I can definitely think of is DNA must be a requirement.

I like the DNA requirement. Capital Punishment actually doesn't bother me. I don't want to see innocent people killed and something has to be done to ensure the correct person receives the death penalty.

 

As for last night, I was bothered but not just because Troy Davis was executed. I was bothered by the 24 hour Troy Davis activists. Maybe if people would have shown the same passion about his innocence a long time ago he may still be alive. People kept saying the judicial system failed yesterday but IMO the American people failed Troy Davis by not caring and trying to get involved until it was too late.

I like the DNA requirement. Capital Punishment actually doesn't bother me. I don't want to see innocent people killed and something has to be done to ensure the correct person receives the death penalty.

 

As for last night, I was bothered but not just because Troy Davis was executed. I was bothered by the 24 hour Troy Davis activists. Maybe if people would have shown the same passion about his innocence a long time ago he may still be alive. People kept saying the judicial system failed yesterday but IMO the American people failed Troy Davis by not caring and trying to get involved until it was too late.

Troy Davis was nothing more than a cause to those people. If he was in prison serving a life sentense most of those people wouldn't even know who he was, nor would the rest of us. Is it better for an innocent man to spend the rest of his life in prison?

 

If you put a DNA requirement on captial punishment where does it end? Do you also put it as a requirement for a life sentence?

Last nights case was smoke and mirrors put on by the defense, CNN ran an article yesterday speaking with the prosecutor and he debunked several of the facts that you have not heard reported on Troy Davis. For example, did you know that the ballistics experts concluded that the same gun that killed the officer was used by Troy Davis at a party to shoot another man. That's just one of the many facts the media is all but ignoring in their war on things conservative. Troy Davis also received a habeus corpus review of all new evidence the defense was harping on last night a federal judge for the U.S. southern district court in Georgia along with an appeal of that decision. Troy Davis was not cheated by the legal system. I won't say for sure he did it, but he had over 22 years and countless appeals to try and get just one judge to commute his sentence. Also the prosecutor has not spoken on this case before yesterday since the death penalty was handed down. So for 20 years the defense has spun this case in the media without any response. However, when the prosecution did speak it was in Davis' appeals and every time they won., that should speak volumes.

Troy Davis was nothing more than a cause to those people. If he was in prison serving a life sentense most of those people wouldn't even know who he was, nor would the rest of us. Is it better for an innocent man to spend the rest of his life in prison?

 

If you put a DNA requirement on captial punishment where does it end? Do you also put it as a requirement for a life sentence?

It ends right there. A life sentence is reversible. Pretty black and white for me.

Last nights case was smoke and mirrors put on by the defense, CNN ran an article yesterday speaking with the prosecutor and he debunked several of the facts that you have not heard reported on Troy Davis. For example, did you know that the ballistics experts concluded that the same gun that killed the officer was used by Troy Davis at a party to shoot another man. That's just one of the many facts the media is all but ignoring in their war on things conservative. Troy Davis also received a habeus corpus review of all new evidence the defense was harping on last night a federal judge for the U.S. southern district court in Georgia along with an appeal of that decision. Troy Davis was not cheated by the legal system. I won't say for sure he did it, but he had over 22 years and countless appeals to try and get just one judge to commute his sentence. Also the prosecutor has not spoken on this case before yesterday since the death penalty was handed down. So for 20 years the defense has spun this case in the media without any response. However, when the prosecution did speak it was in Davis' appeals and every time they won., that should speak volumes.

That alone speaks volumes to me...

Last nights case was smoke and mirrors put on by the defense, CNN ran an article yesterday speaking with the prosecutor and he debunked several of the facts that you have not heard reported on Troy Davis. For example, did you know that the ballistics experts concluded that the same gun that killed the officer was used by Troy Davis at a party to shoot another man. That's just one of the many facts the media is all but ignoring in their war on things conservative. Troy Davis also received a habeus corpus review of all new evidence the defense was harping on last night a federal judge for the U.S. southern district court in Georgia along with an appeal of that decision. Troy Davis was not cheated by the legal system. I won't say for sure he did it, but he had over 22 years and countless appeals to try and get just one judge to commute his sentence. Also the prosecutor has not spoken on this case before yesterday since the death penalty was handed down. So for 20 years the defense has spun this case in the media without any response. However, when the prosecution did speak it was in Davis' appeals and every time they won., that should speak volumes.

I saw all of that too. To me, this thread isn't for Davis---that's just what got me thinking about it this am. It's about what I feel is a need to completely ensure that we don't execute the innocent. I personally don't think that is always done.

That alone speaks volumes to me...

 

I haven't read enough to know either way, and I doubt you have either. Unless you witnessed the trial have seen all the evidence we are in no place to know. But those that lead the prosecution feel sure, countless appellate courts that have read the documents dozens of times feel sure, they are in much better position than any of us to know what really happened. All we see is the one sided case put on by the defense in the media, hoping for sympathy for their cause.

I haven't read enough to know either way, and I doubt you have either. Unless you witnessed the trial have seen all the evidence we are in no place to know. But those that lead the prosecution feel sure, countless appellate courts that have read the documents dozens of times feel sure, they are in much better position than any of us to know what really happened. All we see is the one sided case put on by the defense in the media, hoping for sympathy for their cause.

As I said, my intention of this thread is more to discuss whether or not we need capital punishment reform or abolition. I'll discuss the Davis case if you'd like in another thread.

I saw all of that too. To me, this thread isn't for Davis---that's just what got me thinking about it this am. It's about what I feel is a need to completely ensure that we don't execute the innocent. I personally don't think that was done last night.

 

How many appeals should he get? How many courts should have to look at the evidence and decide it's enough? There have been at least 25 judges review evidence in this case, and every single one of them felt Troy Davis was guilty.

How many appeals should he get? How many courts should have to look at the evidence and decide it's enough? There have been at least 25 judges review evidence in this case, and every single one of them felt Troy Davis was guilty.

Notice my edit to the original post...

As I said, my intention of this thread is more to discuss whether or not we need capital punishment reform or abolition. I'll discuss the Davis case if you'd like in another thread.

 

Fair enough, then I would say no. The system is in pretty good shape as it is. Anytime you are sentenced to death right then and there you can an automatic appeal where the entire record of your case is reviewed by the courts. Then on top of that most death row inmates file appeals for well over a decade before they are executed. If you go before dozens of judges in the state and federal system and not one can find anything to overturn your conviction or at least set aside the death sentence I feel pretty confident in the system. It's not perfect, but how do you make it better than that?

Fair enough, then I would say no. The system is in pretty good shape as it is. Anytime you are sentenced to death right then and there you can an automatic appeal where the entire record of your case is reviewed by the courts. Then on top of that most death row inmates file appeals for well over a decade before they are executed. If you go before dozens of judges in the state and federal system and not one can find anything to overturn your conviction or at least set aside the death sentence I feel pretty confident in the system. It's not perfect, but how do you make it better than that?

I think requiring DNA evidence is a good start. What are the consequences of that?

I think requiring DNA evidence is a good start. What are the consequences of that?

 

There isn't always DNA in every case and DNA can be misleading too, if you come to my house today and fall and scrape your knee, should traces of your DNA on my porch be used to convict you tomorrow if the murder succeeds in not leaving any DNA?

I think requiring DNA evidence is a good start. What are the consequences of that?

I believe that this is a good idea but I also believe that justice was served in both executions last night .