Tookie Gets Terminated!

[Kalalau]

Re: Tookie Gets Terminated!

A few years ago the Governor of Illinois commuted all the death sentences in that state to life in prison after a study showed that 30 % of the people under death sentence there were innocent of the crimes of which they'd been convicted. This was shown conclusively by DNA evidence. Our legal system is imperfect. Juries can err, judges can err, honest mistakes happen. The poor get court appointed attorneys who are typically overworked and under funded for expenses like hiring expert witnesses. Sometimes police and prosecutors even lie or suppress evidence. A failure rate of 30 % in a matter as serious as killing people is not acceptable. The failure rate must literally be ZERO, and the only way to assure this is to abolish the death penalty, otherwise the state involves us all to some degree or another in the shedding of innocent blood--murder. It is not as if life in a cell is a vacation by the beach, and, if it turns out that the convicted person is later proved innocent, he or she is still alive and can be at least partly compensated, made whole, for the evil the state did them.

[mapen]

Re: Tookie Gets Terminated!

If you think that those who support the death penalty do so out of "vengeance" and "blood lust", you're dead wrong.

For me, the death penalty serves "justice" and sends a message to society at large that there are dire consequences in store for those who commit the most heinous of crimes.

But I do agree with another that government is too much in our lives. There are too many people in prison for stupid reasons like smoking dope. What a waste of society's resources -- to spend $40,000/yr to lock up a dope smoker and utterly destroy his life. Prison should be reserved for people who pose a real danger to society.

But Tookie got what he deserved.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Tookie Gets Terminated!

there are dire consequences in store for those who commit the most heinous of crimes.

Unless you can afford the most effective attorneys - ain't that right, O.J.?

[MadAzza]

Re: Tookie Gets Terminated!

A few years ago the Governor of Illinois commuted all the death sentences in that state to life in prison after a study showed that 30 % of the people under death sentence there were innocent of the crimes of which they'd been convicted. This was shown conclusively by DNA evidence.

Cite, please.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Tookie Gets Terminated!

Cite, please.

Start here: http://sun.soci.niu.edu/~critcrim/wrong/tribpros.html
This will give you the links to the Chicago Tribune's January 1999 series/expose on wrongful convictions and flaws in Illinois' criminal justice system, which is what led the then-governor to put that state's death penalty system on hold.

[mapen]

Re: Tookie Gets Terminated!

A few years ago the Governor of Illinois commuted all the death sentences in that state to life in prison after a study showed that 30 % of the people under death sentence there were innocent of the crimes of which they'd been convicted. This was shown conclusively by DNA evidence.

I remember reading about this, but if I recall correctly, the death sentences were overturned because of a special circumstance. There was some kind of corruption or negligence in the Illinois system by some corrupted person or persons in the system that resulted in tainted convictions.

If true, then that "30%" statistic should not be used to attempt to argue that a large amount of death sentence convictions are in error. That statistic only applys to that tainted pool of convictions in Illinois.

[alohabear]

Re: Tookie Gets Terminated!

I found this article on the web that claims Tookie didn't start the Crips. Interesting read.

[alohabear]

Re: Tookie Gets Terminated!

In case you are interested on why Tookie went to prison ...read this blog from deadmaneating.com. This blog also speaks of what went on that day around the area.