This is an address on the issue of the Death Penalty on the subject of opposing it. Given a great deal of statistical evidence which we have come across, we have arrived at the inevitable conclusion that our legal system as it is now is simply not capable of fully and properly handling court cases as severe as that the death penalty would come into play. Thus, we make our argument that the legal system is simply incompetent in this area of discussion.
History has spoken for itself, as in the not-too-distant past, there has been a disturbingly high percentage of death penalty cases with serious judicial error. The chart presented here gives the exact stats on this disturbing trend.
click to see chart
Researchers Hugo Bedau and Michael Radelet claim that they discovered 23 instances of
wrongful executions between 1900 and 1986...
Study shows that 66% of Death
Penalty Cases are overturned.
Since 1973, 85 death-row prisoners
have been exonerated and freed across the nation.
The prisoners spent an average
of 7.5 years on death row prior to being released.
See the chart below.
To quote the original caption from abcnews.com to the above image,
"Since 1973, 85 death-row prisoners have been exonerated and freed across the nation. The prisoners spent an average of 7.5 years on death row prior to being released. New DNA evidence played a substantial factor in establishing the innocence of eight freed prisoners. Source: Death Penalty Information Center (ABCNEWS.com / Magellan Geographix)"
This map/chart is an accurate representation of the number of freed death row inmates in each state which has freed them. No particular interval of time in which this occured was cited on ABCNEWS, however, so we cannot give a 100% accurate interpretation of exactly what this chart is trying to tell us. But it pretty much speaks for itself.
Legal theorists contend that the cases for capital punishment cases are stronger than ever today. Now that DNA testing can virtually assure that the condemned is the perpetrator of the crimes.
Source:Eugene H Methvin (Reader's Digest),
"Death Penalty is fairer than ever"
Wall Street Journal, May 10, 2000.
Other Links:
Quoted Opinions on this topic from a few noted individuals.
Representation of the Lower Class(Monetarily speaking.)
Miscellaneous Links:
"Life
After Death Row" (abcnews.com)