Archive for February 28th, 2007

2007.02.28

Death Penalty

Talking with The Defiant One tonight brought up an interesting idea concerning the death penalty. Personally I’m not for the death penalty, but then again I’m for overhauling our criminal system. Still, I absolutely understand why people are for it (except for politicians who use it for their own gain). I even find myself for it in some cases. It makes me something of a hypocrite but I can live with that.

Anyways, the discussion came to what should happen when an innocent (proven innocent, not assumed innocent) person is found guilty and is executed. Because sentencing someone to death is an absolute (there’s no reversing this once done) punishment, how can it be made as serious an option as possible? How can it be used less glibly (not that it is in most cases)? The Defiant One came up with this idea and I concur.

If we are to keep the death penalty, then if an executed person is ever found to have been actually innocent the prosecution -the ones that ask for the death penalty- should be tried for murder. By “prosecution” I mean the person who authorizes the lawyers to press for the death penalty. This could be the prosecution team, the General Attourney in charge of the case, etc.