The Cellar - View Single Post

DanaC · 05-09-2004, 06:01 PM

46.3% of state and federal inmates are black? Thats terrifying

"Between 1973 and 2002, 102 inmates on death row have been exonerated and freed. The most common reasons for wrongful convictions are mistaken eyewitness testimony, the false testimony of informants and “incentivized witnesses,” incompetent lawyers, defective or fraudulent scientific evidence, prosecutorial and police misconduct, and false confessions. In recent years, DNA played a role in overturning 12 of these wrongful death row convictions."

So.....without DNA testing ( a fairly recent addition to the legal eagles arsenal) thats at least 12 people who would have been wrongfully executed. One wonders how many people each year who didnt have access to such methods have been killed wrongfully. The fact that so many deathrow inmates have been exonerated suggests to me there are likely also many who havent been exonerated and yet have been wrongfully convicted.

I mean......it's great if you happen to be one of those who have a good legal team working on your behalf, but from what I have read some states ( like Texas) are less than thorough in ensuring appeals are available and fully supported.

If the UK had had the death sentence over the last twenty years I know of at least 10 Irishmen who would likely have been hung for offences they were later proved to be innocent of. I simply do not trust the state , the judges, the jury or the legal system as a whole not to fuck it up and kill an innocent, either by accident or design

05-09-2004, 06:01 PM	#8
DanaC We have to go back, Kate! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Yorkshire Posts: 25,964	46.3% of state and federal inmates are black? Thats terrifying "Between 1973 and 2002, 102 inmates on death row have been exonerated and freed. The most common reasons for wrongful convictions are mistaken eyewitness testimony, the false testimony of informants and “incentivized witnesses,” incompetent lawyers, defective or fraudulent scientific evidence, prosecutorial and police misconduct, and false confessions. In recent years, DNA played a role in overturning 12 of these wrongful death row convictions." So.....without DNA testing ( a fairly recent addition to the legal eagles arsenal) thats at least 12 people who would have been wrongfully executed. One wonders how many people each year who didnt have access to such methods have been killed wrongfully. The fact that so many deathrow inmates have been exonerated suggests to me there are likely also many who havent been exonerated and yet have been wrongfully convicted. I mean......it's great if you happen to be one of those who have a good legal team working on your behalf, but from what I have read some states ( like Texas) are less than thorough in ensuring appeals are available and fully supported. If the UK had had the death sentence over the last twenty years I know of at least 10 Irishmen who would likely have been hung for offences they were later proved to be innocent of. I simply do not trust the state , the judges, the jury or the legal system as a whole not to fuck it up and kill an innocent, either by accident or design Last edited by DanaC; 05-09-2004 at 06:03 PM.