The state of Washington rarely executes people. And thus it’s possible, for inmates on death row doing twenty or more years preparing for such a fate, that they may instead die of other causes.
Ohio State University Professor Douglas Berman wonders if, to proponents of the death penalty, this outcome is justice:
I could imagine some death penalty fans pleased by this kind of news: another convicted murderer no longer is on the planet and the state no longer has to pay the expenses for keeping this killer alive or for litigating any of his claims that his death sentence is illegal or otherwise flawed. And yet, I could also imaging death penalty fans feeling some disappointment because this news means another murderer escaped the formal punishment of death and in essence served a life without parole sentence.
What do our readers out there think?
I think that lawyers make names and purposely disrupt the system to thwart justice. It is very rare for a capital murder case to be a case of mistaken identity. Those caught, convicted and sentence to die, should be summarily executed. Preferably within two weeks if not sooner. There is no reason the state supreme court cannot monitor the entire proceedings of a capital murder case, so as to render an opinion very quickly. Let’s quit allowing murderers to continue on in life, after their victims are long dead and forgotten by the society the crime of cold blooded murder harms.
Its an industry….same goes for deportation “courts”, they are staffed by attorneys that “earn” ? about 110K a year – there are father and son and mother and daughter “Hearing Officers”….its “feather bedded” to the max and the public expense is staggering….if you ask they will tell you a story about how the “accused” must be afforded all their rights, blah blah blah……guess who occupies the various legislative bodies that create these mammoth monstrosities…? Lawyers.
They profit by delay delay delay…..there are 70 thousand convicted illegal aliens incarcerated in US jails awaiting deportation….most of us reading this will be long dead before this ever happens.
The only thing that matters is that the convicted killer is never turned loose and allowed to kill again.
We can’t bring back the people they’ve already killed – we CAN ensure the killer never forgets where they are and why. That is justice in a way, as is dying in jail from old age while waiting to die. They’re dead either way…a good thing.
How many times do we catch drunks driving impaired, turn them loose to drink/drug and drive again? The latest is the local woman who killed a man while driving without a license to drive and she is turned loose again. Why? Where is the justice?
Sharon O’Hara
I was pro death penalty for most of life . No pun intended . But have changed my view, No longer serves as a deterrent in my opinion because of the way our judical system works , or in many cases fails to work. But also because of recent cases that have been over turned in cases of rape and other crimes , where people were serving long sentences based on eye witness testimony . DNA proved the eyewitness and other information had been distorted . We are not perfect . put in prison with no chance for parole as Sharon says .
The problem with the long waits until sentence is carried out, is that it is caused purposely by lawyers. They cannot stop justice, but they get a “win” when justice is delayed. We would be better off jailing lawyers for delay tactics. They bill the taxpayer, for thwarting the will of the people and Justice.
it is justice if the state murders a convict? Are we still living in Old Testament days?
It is a violent means for a violent society. We are barbaric. We have the most murders, the most guns and we still have state sponsored murder… and we think we are the “good” guys! lol.
Hey, if it’s good enough for Iran, Syria, N. Korea, China, you know, those human rights kinda countries, then we should do it too.
End capitol punishment today.
“It is a violent means for a violent society. We are barbaric. We have the most murders, the most guns and we still have state sponsored murder… and we think we are the “good” guys! lol….”
We are absolutely barbaric in the sense we don’t care about the rights of the innocent citizen – we only care about the criminals, the ones who commit crimes against the very people and society that protects them and punishes the innocent non criminal.
We appear to be the only country in the world who seem to worship at the feet of non justice…we fail to protect our citizens – but we do a fine job of protecting the law breakers and criminal element..
Sharon O’Hara
Unfortunately given our national history of racism and the convictions based on faulty “eye witness” identifications, I can seldom support the death penalty except in the rare instances where there is direct and irrefutable evidence positively linking a killer or sexual predator to the crime. Once that bar is established they should be taken directly from the sentencing to their execution.
The last time that I checked there had been 114 death row inmates released after serving as long as 30 years on death row and were exonerated by modern DNA testing had they as many before them died while on death row there would have been no justice for anyone! If in fact a person held on death row for years and dies prior to execution justice has been done. They were justly denied their freedom and died having never been free again. As a footnote of the 114 released from death row all but four were minorities.If you visit the Justice Project and read the truth about the convictions of these people.
I’m sorry about past mistakes – including in this country – the past crime of making women slaves to the males in their family and without rights if and when they married.
But – women now have the vote and can even own property.
We can all move on.
Anyone of any race, color or sex who commits a crime against people in society should pay for that crime to the fullest extent of that law, including the death penalty.
Sharon O’Hara