I would agree that when it is irrefutable appeals go out the window and the condemned should be lead straight to either the gallows or firing squad. We could then do like China and send the convicts family the bill for the execution.
When a pretty lady comes running up to you. you know somethings wrong! I must say that this isn't really a bad thing.
But we can't just kill them without spending $10-20 million on protective custody, multiple appeals, and maybe even interrupting a governor for a handful of last minute pardon requests..... That wouldn't be civilized.... All sarcasm intended.... Sometimes the MORE civil a society thinks its becoming, the LESS civil it really is. We think we're more "civilized" having these big drawn out hearings, appeals, pardons (or at least requests, sometimes not even made by the criminals themselves), but what we really are doing is flattening the wheels of justice.
Todd, I can respect your opinion, but in cases like Castro and the Ft. Hood situation, where there is absolute guilt, as they were both caught red-handed, we need an "Express Lane" death penalty.
Who decides who gets to appeal and who doesn't? You get yourself into a very slippery slope when you deny one but not another. I agree the scumbags that are guilty of these kinds of crimes need to die and do so in a timely manner, but we need not do it to hastily and let the system work as it was intended. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
I think when you have a situation like either of those I mentioned, where you catch the criminal red-handed, it's pretty obvious. Scott Peterson case was a little more difficult, but situations where you catch the criminal red-handed or they confess, I believe should be handled differently, and more efficiently.
I understand both sides of this one. There is always a chance of evidence being "manufactured" by an overzealous cop or DA, so I would not want an "express lane", however, I don't think convicts should be able to drag it out 20 - 30 years either. One appeal per judicial level with time limits for preparation to me is acceptable.
I get where you're coming from but we have to be careful what rights we give up as a society. The appeals process is in place to protect the innocent. While assuring the government doesn't abuse it's authority. You mention those that confess, yet there are many instances where confessions were coerced out of someone that may or may not have been involved. We don't need to abolish or eliminate the process, but we do need to clean and speed it up. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
This is why I said in cases of ABSOLUTE GUILT, where the criminal is caught red-handed. And the Ft. Hood Shooter and Castro are both cases where they were caught red-handed. Give it to a grand jury of 12 to determine absolute guilt, if it is so determined, then bring out he noose..... Don't throw all the "What-if's" in, I'm not talking about a case like Aaron Hernandez where there is pretty strong circumstantial evidence, I'm talking about situations where a guy is in a shootout with police and is wounded in the process so there is NO DOUBT they have the correct guy.
