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DNA evidence clear Florida inmate after 26 years

Discussion in 'News & Current Events' started by Crabtownboy, Sep 13, 2009.

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  1. Crabtownboy

    Crabtownboy Well-Known Member
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    I cannot imagine how I would feel if I were this man.

     
  2. Magnetic Poles

    Magnetic Poles New Member

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    Just another reason we need a moratorium on capital punishment.
     
  3. matt wade

    matt wade Well-Known Member

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    Here's the thread where I'll be called a liberal since I don't support capital punishment...
     
  4. carpro

    carpro Well-Known Member
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    Since you insist...

    You're a liberal. ;)
     
  5. billwald

    billwald New Member

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    > Increasingly, DNA tests are uncovering evidence of shoddy police work and questionable prosecution tactics.

    Assumes facts not in evidence. The police probably did the best with what was available at that time.

    If I was accused of rape and murder and didn't do it I would demand a lie box test even if it isn't admissible because it might convince the DA.

    I am against the death penalty because it is cheaper to put a person in the slammer for life.
     
  6. preachinjesus

    preachinjesus Well-Known Member
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    The recent rash of exonerations should give us all pause. I have been against the death penalty for a long time. (I consider my position a whole pro-life position.) There is a terrible imbalance in our legal system based on the haves and the have-nots. We need a more just system.

    A second thing these recent cases remind that no matter the system, and I think we have the most just system in history, there is still injustice when man is in the mix. The only justice is from God, made available through Jesus Christ. That is my hope in the mix of this world. :)
     
  7. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    Haves and have nots have nothing to do with it. How silly, And no moratorium should be enacted however police investigations should be brought up to par. The truth is those who use this for an excuse would be against the death penalty even if all investigations were perfect.
     
  8. Crabtownboy

    Crabtownboy Well-Known Member
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    Not true Rev. I was pro the death penalty until it became obvious, through the release of people thought DNA evidence, that innocent people where been executed. That cause me to pause and think the issue through and I changed my position.

    It is true that it costs more to execute a person in American than to keep them in jail all their life. I guess you could say that a life sentence without parole is a slow death sentence.
     
  9. matt wade

    matt wade Well-Known Member

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    You are correct. Even in a perfect investigation, I would still oppose the death penalty. Thank God that David Berkowitz wasn't executed.
     
  10. Johnv

    Johnv New Member

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    Neither the cost of incarceration nor cost of execution should be a factor in determining the appropriateness of capital punishment.

    BTW, I'm not an opponent of the death penalty, but would not oppose replacing a death penalty with true life imprisonment (instead of the current parole eligibility that allows parole even in sentences of life without parole).

    Since a common argument against the death penalty is in regards to the sanctity of human life, I would only consider legal opposition to the death penalty if it is done in conjunction with legal opposition to all elective abortions.
     
    #10 Johnv, Sep 14, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 14, 2009
  11. Timsings

    Timsings Member
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    You have described several situations mentioned on threads here as "reality". Well, for this man and others, the reality is that they have spend years in prison for crimes they did not commit. There is plenty of blame to go around: prosecutorial misconduct and/or mistakes, police misconduct and/or mistakes; bad and/or inexperienced defense counsels. All of these soil the reputation of those attorneys and police officers who are trying to do their jobs with a high level of integrity.

    The idea that wealth is a factor is another reality that you seem to want to ignore. Money talks, and . . . . Finally, since human beings are involved there is always the possibility that a given investigation will yield the wrong (i. e., innocent) suspect.

    I am absolutely opposed to the dead penalty, and the recent exonerations have confirmed my position. I don't want a moratorium. I want an end to any executions.

    Tim Reynolds
     
  12. Magnetic Poles

    Magnetic Poles New Member

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    Haves and have nots have a lot to do with it. Texas, the state with the most executions, will indeed assign you an attorney if you can't afford one. But guess what? The attorney assigned may deal in family law or bankruptcy. You are not guaranteed to get an attorney who specialized in capital cases. Is that equal justice under the law? I think not.
     
  13. go2church

    go2church Active Member
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    Thank the Lord they didn't kill him! Stop capital punishment!
     
  14. targus

    targus New Member

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    I confess to being of two minds where it comes to the death penalty.

    In general I do not care for it and feel that life without parole is a reasonable punishment.

    At the same time I think that some crimes so shock the conscience to an extent that nothing less than death can serve justice.

    As to DNA evidence - it seems to me to be a two edged sword. If DNA evidence is so compelling it would seem that it could also prove most convincingly guilt as well as innocence.
     
  15. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    They have confirmed nothing. Wealth does more to protect the guilty than to protect the innocent. Executions are biblical and just.
     
  16. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

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    So does your logic make you feel good that Charles Manson and his bunch received a life sentence instead of the death penalty?

    By the way, one of your heros, Bill Clinton, presided over several executions while governor of Arkansas.
     
  17. gb93433

    gb93433 Active Member
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    Is poor representation and lawyers who are inebriated in the courtroom biblical too? Is gaining a political advantage through "convictions" biblical too?

    Let us know when you come with a perfect system that has no flaws.
     
  18. gb93433

    gb93433 Active Member
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    In America an execution costs the taxpayers many more dollars than a sentence of life in prison.
     
  19. matt wade

    matt wade Well-Known Member

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    It does make me feel good that David Berkowitz wasn't executed. How many people has he been a witness to since he was saved?
     
  20. preachinjesus

    preachinjesus Well-Known Member
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    One might well examine those who have sat on death row or are currently on death row. The overwhelming majority will be from lower class backgrounds...and there is a larger minority representation, though not by a lot. In a survey taken in the early 1990s about 90% of those on death row couldn't afford to hire a lawyer.

    With these factors and the growing genetic exonerations in place I think it is high time to review our legal reasons for a death sentence.
     
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