I am unfamiliar with the specifics of the legislation, but the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette has a blistering editorial against the so-called “Streamlined Procedures Act†which was passed by Republicans in the U.S. Senate. The editorial points out that “since 1973, 119 death-row inmates have been exonerated because of new evidence. Some came within weeks and even days of dying.” The legislation limits or eliminates federal review of death penalty cases, creates new procedural hurdles, and set arbitrary time limits on appeals.
The editorial states:
But apparently the fear of killing an innocent person isn’t enough to keep politicians from proposing outlandish tough-on-crime legislation. The so-called “Streamlined Procedures Act†sounds like a euphemism from a satirical novel or something covering trade disputes. It is neither. It is, rather, legislation that would allow faster executions in a country that has at least 119 reasons to fear efficiency in matters of death.
Killing the innocent is, in my mind, the real reason to oppose the death penalty — or at least make sure death penalty cases are as close to fool-proof as possible. I don’t have any moral qualms with the State killing an individual who has taken the life of a fellow citizen. The problem is making sure the judicial system has a zero error rate in determining whether the prosecution’s allegations are accurate. The Journal Gazette points out that there are at least 119 documented cases where the judicial system got it wrong. More “efficiency” is going to lead to a greater error rate. Allowing the State to murder the innocent in the name of efficiency is a horrible idea.
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