USA! USA! USA!

[tubeswell]

Well the way I look at it, the prosecution were possibly only a little bit smarter than the guy who was given a reprieve. (And having had that thought, I probably serve to undermine the legal system somewhat as well, albeit in a different way.) There is so much room for slippage in bureaucracies, that in spite of whether their intentions were good or bad - its amazing anything gets done at all. Thankfully the attorney's were smarter.

[KLA2]

She was evil, she needed to be destroyed.

Hey! I'm evil!

Yeah, but you're OUR evil!

Oh, C'mon. Just misunderstood! :wink:

[KLA2]

Guy was released from prison after second guy was picked up for additional murders.

Yes, wring. You have me there. I stated:

“I support capital punishment (why can't we just call it "killing people" when the crime is vile enough and there is virtual certainty of who committed it. (Not going to get into detailed definitions, or I will be typing for a week.)”

This assumes that the justice system is both technically and ethically correct. Not making forensic errors; not railroading innocent patsies. Sadly, it seems, too much of that has happened in both the US and Canada, as well as … many other countries. (DNA evidence is now bringing this to light.)

That is the greatest indictment of capital punishment I can think of, and a reason I would support its ban.

On the other hand, would you prefer a “quick and merciful” death, or life in the hellhole of a prison for a crime you did not commit? The former for me, I think.

It has been said that it is better for nine guilty to go free than for one innocent to be imprisoned. Warm and fuzzy, unless those nine released go on to commit vile crimes, including revenge against those who testified against them. No easy answers here, for me.

It has been said that all the great audit failures (on the part of accounting firms) were ultimately failures of ethics, not competence. I agree with that.

The same seems to be true in the (modern) justice system.

wring, and others, I agree if there is any cause for a reasonable doubt, capital punishment is wrong.

[wring]

You realize, of course, that our system of justice requires "guilt beyond a reasonable doubt" to find the person guilty in the first place, right?

[KLA2]

You realize, of course, that our system of justice requires "guilt beyond a reasonable doubt" to find the person guilty in the first place, right?

Yes. Pretty much "Catch 22" for me until the justice system becomes ethical and competent.

I guess you got me.

[Мастер]

No perfect system. You can try to improve it as much as you can, but the nature of crime is such that they are often committed in lonely places with not many people watching. In the presence of uncertainty, the only way to make sure you never let a guilty person get off is to imprison everyone, and the only way to make sure you never lock up an innocent person is never to lock up anyone. Everything in between is a trade off.

But certainly, the death penalty does seem to make it harder to correct errors . . .

[tubeswell]

Hmmm... yes, rehabilitation doesn't always work

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/4 ... nvictions/