LEGAL INCOMPETENCE
Topic 1 :
'Which
states have the highest incident of serious
legal error in death penalty cases?'
Percentage of death penalty cases with serious,
reversible judicial error between 1973 and 1995:
|
Kentucky |
100% |
Florida |
73% |
|
Maryland |
100% |
North Carolina |
71% |
|
Tennesse |
100% |
Arkansas |
70% |
|
Mississippi |
91% |
Nevada |
68% |
|
Wyoming |
89% |
South Carolina |
67% |
|
California |
87% |
Utah |
67% |
|
Montana |
87% |
Illinois |
66% |
|
Idaho |
82% |
Nebraska |
65% |
|
Georgia |
80% |
Louisiana |
64% |
|
Arizona |
79% |
Pennsylvnia |
57% |
|
Alabama |
77% |
Texas |
52% |
|
Indiana |
75% |
Missouri |
32% |
|
Oklahoma |
75% |
Virginia |
18% |
|
A major error is defined
as instances of wrongdoing by authorities that substantially undermine the
reliability of a death sentence. Such tactics include police officers coercing
a false confession; prosecutors withholding evidence that would exonerate a
suspect; incompetent defense lawyers (including one in North Carolina who
slept during the trial); juries stacked by prosecutors who are biased against
black defendants; and judges who ignore the law or give incorrect
instructions to juries about when a crime warrants death. |
More info at spectatoronline.com
© 2002
Legal Inc - Death Penalty
Broughton High School