Thursday, January 3, 2008

Death row inmate for 32 years gets 4th sentencing hearing

The longest serving death row inmate in Texas has received his fourth sentencing hearing. This case is an example of the extreme failure rate of the capital sentencing system in the U.S.

read more | digg story

Does anyone reading this story think that the money expended in the case a wise investment? Is it fair to the victims' family and to the defendant (and his family)? Most reasonable individuals can see that the goals of retribution and deterrence are undermined by cases such as this one.

It is time to bring rationality to the entire criminal justice system. Such as step would include accountability in how the death penalty process works and how much it costs. As with other public policies, a cost benefit analysis should be part of the process. The dollars and energy invested in this case could have been directed at effective crime control policies.

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