Devastating report in "60 Minutes" about the high number of prisoners in Dallas County

[question everything]

released based on DNA evidence, the most recent one only last week, after 27 years.

All, under the "diligent" former prosecutor Wade (yes, from Roe. v. Wade) who just wanted conviction at any cost

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/02/60minutes/main4065454.shtml

And, yes, the current prosecutor agrees that some innocent people may have been executed.

It is hard for me to accept that after all these stories, that many still support the death penalty.

What was devastating also was that had this latest victim, James Woodard, been willing to "admit" his guilt, he may have had a chance at being paroled some years earlier, but he would not do this.

The only thing positive about Dallas County - they've kept all the evidence even in the oldest cases, so it was possible to go back and check for DNA match. Opening old cases also showed how Wade and his deputies miscarried justice by hiding evidence that could have, at least, provided a reasonable doubt.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. As I said in another thread, the only situation I might support it is not murder

is not aggravated assault or any of the myriad of other crimes it is applied to

I will consider it ONLY in two cases...

High Treason (that demonstrably led to the dead of thousands)

War Crimes that can and are proven, like conspiracy to engage in aggressive warfare and crimes against peace

By the way... neither of these situations will have any effect on prevention... the crimes are just so horrific (can you say millions of dead with war crimes?) that they might have to be considered.

Of course the level of proof in either of these two crimes is actually higher than in murder class I

[a kennedy]

2. Was crying through this whole story.....

if I was James Woodard and was after 27 years in prison I would want to kill someone now!!! What restitution is he going to get??? This is just a shame. :cry: :cry: :cry:

[question everything]

3. Of course, we've heard about the actual release earlier last week

but the details of how Wade and his deputies miscarried justice... and we were not at home, were listening to the report on the radio and it was shocking. So I can imagine having the visual to go with it were really bad.

[spanone]

4. i wonder how many 'guilty' have been executed...

[onethatcares]

5. the saddest thing about the entire thing,

some people will just say those that were executed "needed killing anyway". that's the shame of it all.

[Liberal_in_LA]

6. bump