Post by Anja Nieser on Sept 19, 2006 16:29:53 GMT -5
New Report Alleges Problems with Death Penalty
A just-released report claims that Florida's death-penalty system is full
of problems with fairness, accuracy and racial disparity in sentencing.
The report was released by a group of Florida lawyers and jurists whom
critics say are left-wing activists who have always opposed capital
punishment. Florida is one of the leading states to impose the death
penalty and to execute those sentenced to death.
The group studied the system for more than 18 months and claimed they
found numerous problems, including a number of inmates they claim are
innocent sitting on death row, numbers showing killing a white victim
brings a higher likelihood of the death penalty, lack of funding for
attorneys handling death row appeals, and a process that only requires a
majority of the jury voting for death instead of a unanimous vote.
One police chief, who wished to remain anonymous said that if Florida
began to impose the death penalty mostly on people who killed blacks, then
there would be more blacks awaiting execution.
"Since the vast majority of homicides are intraracial as opposed to
interrational, the study group appears to be deceptive," he said.
"Blacks usually kill blacks, Hispanics usually kill Hispanics, and white
usually kill whites. Once liberals looked at the race of the killer; but
when that didn't work and was proven inaccurate, they started complaining
about the race of the victim," he added.
The police veteran with a masters in administration of justice says it's
really a trick. If you sentence more people to death for killing blacks,
you'll have more blacks on death row and the system will be labeled
racist. If you sentence more people who kill whites, you'll have more
whites on death row, but people will call it racist because on white
receive justice.
"It's a cynical, devious trick by people who oppose capital punishment no
matter who is involved," he said.
Another Florida official claims the study involved death row inmate who
were convicted years ago, and that jury members, witnesses, and even
presiding judges on some of those cases are now deceased.
"While they released their report, they failed to release their study's
methodology," he said.
Team members of the study group included a circuit judge and state
attorney. Funding for the study came from the American Bar Association and
the European Union, although the group has yet to answer questions about
European Union interest in US jurisprudence.
(source: The National Ledger; Jim Kouri, CPP is currently 5th
vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he's a
staff writer for the New Media Alliance)
A just-released report claims that Florida's death-penalty system is full
of problems with fairness, accuracy and racial disparity in sentencing.
The report was released by a group of Florida lawyers and jurists whom
critics say are left-wing activists who have always opposed capital
punishment. Florida is one of the leading states to impose the death
penalty and to execute those sentenced to death.
The group studied the system for more than 18 months and claimed they
found numerous problems, including a number of inmates they claim are
innocent sitting on death row, numbers showing killing a white victim
brings a higher likelihood of the death penalty, lack of funding for
attorneys handling death row appeals, and a process that only requires a
majority of the jury voting for death instead of a unanimous vote.
One police chief, who wished to remain anonymous said that if Florida
began to impose the death penalty mostly on people who killed blacks, then
there would be more blacks awaiting execution.
"Since the vast majority of homicides are intraracial as opposed to
interrational, the study group appears to be deceptive," he said.
"Blacks usually kill blacks, Hispanics usually kill Hispanics, and white
usually kill whites. Once liberals looked at the race of the killer; but
when that didn't work and was proven inaccurate, they started complaining
about the race of the victim," he added.
The police veteran with a masters in administration of justice says it's
really a trick. If you sentence more people to death for killing blacks,
you'll have more blacks on death row and the system will be labeled
racist. If you sentence more people who kill whites, you'll have more
whites on death row, but people will call it racist because on white
receive justice.
"It's a cynical, devious trick by people who oppose capital punishment no
matter who is involved," he said.
Another Florida official claims the study involved death row inmate who
were convicted years ago, and that jury members, witnesses, and even
presiding judges on some of those cases are now deceased.
"While they released their report, they failed to release their study's
methodology," he said.
Team members of the study group included a circuit judge and state
attorney. Funding for the study came from the American Bar Association and
the European Union, although the group has yet to answer questions about
European Union interest in US jurisprudence.
(source: The National Ledger; Jim Kouri, CPP is currently 5th
vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he's a
staff writer for the New Media Alliance)