On Sun, 12 Jan 2003 11:42:30 +0100, Bart Buitinga wrote: > How much difference one man can make in American politics has been > wonderfully demonstrated by gov Ryan, who is first to break the myth that > the American justice system would be infallible. I sure hope this will > reach Tx, too. And before a next war starts, because quite similar to the > undeserved faith of many Americans in the deterrant effect of capital > punishment, their call for the "war on terrorism" is of the same category, > ill-based categorical measures with doubtful effect and a high level of > cruelty.
The criminal justice system makes frequent mistakes. Poor people are often poorly defended by their court appointed lawyers. Gov Ryan in Illinois who was elected as a supporter of capital punishment was led to make a careful review of all the cases of prisoners on death row in his state by the fact that DNA evidence had conclusively proved that several persons awaiting execution were innocent. In fact, such a high percentage were proved innocent that it became deeply troubling. How could so many innocent persons have been convicted and sentanced to death? A careful and systematic review of capital cases led to the conclusion that almost all defandants were poor and that the cases against them relied heavily on the testimony of informers or on "confessions" made under duress that were later retracted. Surely some of the convicted were in fact guilty as charged, but which ones? Also deeply troubling is the fact that defendants who can afford to hire their own lawyers are almost never sentanced to death. Sam Ewalt Croswell, Michigan, USA -- Arachne V1.70;rev.3, NON-COMMERCIAL copy, http://arachne.cz/
