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In reply to the discussion: Hillary Clinton Comes Out Against Abolishing The Death Penalty [View all]markpkessinger
(8,392 posts). . . there is absolutely no way, under our legal system, to ensure that only the "truly deserving" are given death sentences. Some like to argue that it should be used "only in cases where there is a 100% certainty of guilt." Problem is, 100% certainty doesn't exist, even with DNA (there have been cases of misconduct and improper handling of samples at DNA labs). What's more, if, in addition to finding or not finding guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt," courts were to be required to determine the relative certainty of guilt, this would cause an absolute nightmare in our court system, as defense lawyers would argue (rightly, in some cases), that if there is doubt sufficient to question the use of the death penalty, then arguably there is doubt sufficient to question the verdict itself.