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Over the past three decades, the proportion of executions nationwide performed in Texas has held relatively steady, averaging 37 percent. Only once before, in 1986, has the state accounted for even a slight majority of the executions, and that was in a year with 18 executions nationwide.
But enthusiasm for executions outside of Texas has dropped sharply. Of the 42 executions in the last year, 26 were in Texas. The remaining 16 were spread across nine other states, none of which executed more than three people. Many legal experts say the trend will probably continue.
Indeed, said David R. Dow, a law professor at the University of Houston who has represented death-row inmates, the day is not far off when essentially all executions in the United States will take place in Texas.
Outside of the Bible Belt, outside of Texas, there is a change in public attitudes about executions because of the time and expense of capital litigation – and the possibility of wrongful convictions.
60%? I thought they invented the electric couch. Now you’re making me think that they invented electric bleachers.
Texas don’t need you anyhow
Question: Just what does the image of a black man being lynched by a white mob have to do with legal state-ordered executions? Despite your left leanings, that is below you.
Texas justice is Texas justice is Texas justice – #3.
More so than most other states, Texas also refuses to reopen cases when DNA testing proves innocence. Texas justice.
But, we all understand your need – after all, today is National Whiner Day.
I guess we shouldn’t be surprised when folks don’t see a historic connection to lynchings and legal executions – later overturned in retrospect. An exercise in futility if there ever was one.
Of course, the press doesn’t use the word “lynching” anymore when bigots brutally murder someone over their color or creed. It’s a “hate crime”.
That just means local law enforcement actually has to do something about it because they’re afraid the Feds will step in.
I figure Eidead preferred to use an old-timey lynching photo because it’s less gory than a recent photo, say, of a Black man dragged to death behind a pickup truck.
Strange fruit.
Lady Day got that right.
Its the ONLY state, that IF you get the DEATH sentence, you WILL DIE.. and they are not going to WAIT 10 years AFTER THE FACT to do it.
Oh, horseshit.
I, unfortunately and not much longer, live in Texas. And do I have news for you. You’re wearing blinders. It’s not just about the (admittedly corrupt, hang-em-high) “justice” system sending ordinary criminals off to die more often than is done in other places. There truly are more candidates for execution here, which is a major part of the reason why the judges and juries have become so callous. The parade of senseless, remorseless psychopathic slime through the system would make Gandhi turn pro-DP after watching long enough…
Texas has the largest percentage of vile, evil, vicious, subhuman scum I have ever seen. Every state has turned out some bad ‘uns, but this place has an assembly line going. The courts here have seen some of the worst atrocities ever heard of in American history. This promotes a ‘get-tough’ mentality that the gets abused, by being inflicted on the relatively undeserving. The consequent hatred and resentment of the forces of law, in a classic vicious circle, result directly and indirectly in more crime and more violent crime, further justifying the Draconian attitudes of those in the justice system.
Violence and stupidity both are so common in Texas as to be commodities. And with such high levels of each, naturally you will have higher numbers of people who exhibit BOTH.
The number of “people” on Death Row in Texas is not, as too many are eager to falsely imply, due to nothing more than kangaroo courts dealing harsh sentences to a body of defendants that are no more violent than those encountered in other states. That’s a crock of shit. Equal weight must go to the violent criminals of Texas, who are, indeed, worse than most.
For those who are all that concerned about the DP, and Texas’ dominance in it’s application, a little independent investigation will open your eyes. Check out the residents of Death Row, and why they’re there.
You will find that there are very, very few indeed whose guilt is in even the slightest doubt. And the crimes they committed are, by and large, particularly unforgivable.
I’ve said it before, and will continue to say it:
If we exempted from the death sentence ONLY those persons who were convicted on nothing more than eyewitness testimony and / or circumstantial evidence, then NONE of the people who have been unjustly convicted would ever have been at risk of being executed – EVERY ONE who has turned out to be innocent of the offense that got them on Death Row was convicted without tangible physical evidence connecting them to the crime. All the others – the VAST majority – were not.
So, again, if the objection to the DP is that innocents might die, then forbidding it without physical evidence would prevent that happening. And even the most rabid fan of the DP doesn’t want to see factually innocent people executed.
But the remainder of them, by their own deliberate, heinous acts have waived all right to ever again be regarded as human beings. They should die, and as soon as possible.
Commute the sentences of the eyewitness and circumstantial cases to life without parole and then clean house of the remainder, and not one innocent person will be mistakenly executed, but justice will be done and the human gene pool will be notably improved.
#9 – I have spent some time in Texas and agree with most of what you say about the quality of it’s population.
I would submit that Florida exceeds Texas in the “Sub-Human scum” department. Every deadbeat dad, parolee, serial welfare mother, shyster, con man and Gypsie Roofer east of the Mississippi eventualy ends up in the state of Florida.
West of the Mississippi, these people end up in Vegas, Phoenix and Texas.
#3
For starters, Wetback is the new Nigger.
He’s correct about Florida. We have more than our fair share of scumbags down here.
#9 There truly are more candidates for execution here, which is a major part of the reason why the judges and juries have become so callous. The parade of senseless, remorseless psychopathic slime through the system would make Gandhi turn pro-DP after watching long enough…
That answers the rhetorical question I was going to ask:
Does the higher number of executions make Texas a safer place to live?
My biggest problems with the death penalty are not from a philosophical standpoint. They are very practical in nature. The two biggest objections I have are:
1) Killing of innocents. I think Katberos has a very good suggestion about requiring physical evidence for any trial where the prosecution is seeking the death penalty. Eyewitness testimony is just about the worst form of evidence in existence. Check the count on the number of people who’ve seen UFOs or the image of the Virgin Mary or Jesus in their morning toast.
2) I think it should be fair across all races and socioeconomic statuses. I know this will invoke a rant from the anti-PC guard cat Katberos. But, I really do think that it must be fair. If one can point to statistics that show that no one who could afford their own lawyer has ever been executed, which was true for one state, then it is not fair. I realize the percentage of criminals will not accurately reflect the demographics of the rest of the population. However, the demographics of the executed should match the demographics of those charged with capital crimes. That should be a reasonable test. I hope that would be a satisfactory requirement, even for the anti-PC likes of Katberos.
OK, now let’s get that triple blast of fish breath. What do you say Cat?
according to Nationmaster.com, in the US:
– 42 persons / 1 mln inhabitants get murdered
– 0.23 persons / 1 mln inhabitants get executed
Now, is Texas looking worse than the other states, or maybe smarter?
#9—3HC==great rant, yet reasonable too. Nice balancing act.
#14—It would be “nice” if EVERYTHING was fair, but all the law requires is due process. To say that each step of the legal process must be reflected evenly across racial groups would mean there are no social consequences for social group norms. Blacks may fair worse in the legal system because they lack education? So, defining what is fair at each step requires a statistical regression that would take longer than an appeal to figure out.
No–stop the death penalty on eye-witness testimony, jail snitch testimony alone (ie, hard or circumstantial evidence also required) AND get the appeal process regarding DNA fricking streamlined, and due process will have been granted, fair or not.
Don’t mess with Texas … we execute unless your daddy knows the governor.
#14 – I thought he was simply..thc the ingredient ?
#13 – Yup ! I suppose that’s why he’s temporary ?
#9 – #10 – I have kin down there…naahh..no reflection there.
#11 – That’s more geographical. Some of my best friends are from Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and on..
[Message deleted – See Comment Guidelines. – ed.]
Texas leads the way in executions huh. Its too bad they missed one; then he escaped to
Washington DC.
As a long-time Floridian, I must agree – Florida is certainly a contender for the title.
• • • • • •
#14 – M Scott
“I think it should be fair across all races and socioeconomic statuses. I know this will invoke a rant from the anti-PC guard cat Katberos. But, I really do think that it must be fair. If one can point to statistics that show that no one who could afford their own lawyer has ever been executed, which was true for one state, then it is not fair. I realize the percentage of criminals will not accurately reflect the demographics of the rest of the population. However, the demographics of the executed should match the demographics of those charged with capital crimes. That should be a reasonable test. I hope that would be a satisfactory requirement, even for the anti-PC likes of Katberos.”
I’m anti-PC, Scott – not anti-minority. I strongly exhibit a hereditary trait that I received from certain of my ancestors – the Irish ones to be exact – that trait being a powerful dedication to justice, in the abstract and in practice.
I am all for slamming evil people down so hard they bounce, but even moreso, I reserve a special degree of hatred for those who, whether by design or neglect, allow their fellow man to be punished for that which he does not bear responsibility. I’ve been on the dirty end of that stick myself, and if there’s anything I’m likely to crusade for, that would be it.
Unfortunately – and yes, it is due to the
Dark SidePC forces – the DP has been unfairly and disproportionately applied on racial lines. All other factors being equal, white Death Row inmates are fast-tracked to the gallows, ahead of blacks. The odds of actually being put to death are disproportionately greater for whites.Across America as a whole, a capital murder by a white is more likely to receive a death sentence than a black; and among those already sentenced to death, the odds of the execution actually being carried out is greater for whites.
The DP unfairly applied, by race?
As Rod Steiger’s character, Chief Gillespie, said in In the Heat of the Night (1964), (a powerful anti-racism film, BTW) “Yeah. OH, YEAH!!”
As an illustration, from 1927 to 1963, the Feds executed 34 criminals. 27 of them were white. Janet Reno didn’t approve of the racial breakdown of those sentenced to death when she entered office, so, in ’95 she instituted guidelines “to ensure consistency and fairness” that tripled the rate of the DP being sought against white defendants. She rigged the game so that US attorneys are required to run potential DP cases past a special committee at DoJ, then the Attorney General decides whether the prosecutor should seek capital punishment. A 2000 study showed that prosecutors asked the department to let them seek the death penalty for 36% of eligible white criminals, compared to 25% of blacks and 20% of Hispanics. Racially-sensitive Miss Reno recommended in turn capital prosecution for 38% of whites, 25% of blacks, and 20% of Hispanics. DP expert Kevin McNally, from the Resource Counsel Project, said it “could be” affirmative action. “It’s entirely plausible that the department would overreact because of criticism of the racially disproportionate population on the federal [death] row.” Criticism from PCers is what he meant.
Lemme hear ya say, “well, DUH!“
Well done Katberos. I knew you wouldn’t let me down. I don’t care what group is the victim of discrimination, whites, blacks, greens, greenbacks, lack-o-greenbacks, whatever. I just want fairness.
Capital Punishment has no effect on crime. The US is the only advanced country in the world which still practices it, and the US also has the highest murder/crime rates of any advanced country in the world.
Canada abolished the death penalty in 1976 and it’s murder rate has been virtually unchanged since. It is about one-third that of the US, similar to other western countries (2 murders per 100,000 people, versus the US’s 6 murders per 100,000).
It’s time the US joined the civilized world.
#23 – Canucklehead,
It is, of course, a very good point that the death penalty has never been shown to have any effect on crime. I think you may also be missing another point though. Religiosity is correlated with higher crime. In countries with a higher percentage of people that are religious, crime tends to be higher.
So, the correlation may not be to the death penalty but to the fact that the U.S. is quickly becoming the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of the Christian States of America.
Here’s the data on religiosity and crime.
http://tinyurl.com/3exqpp
http://tinyurl.com/lcv4n
“Join the civilized world” is just a combination plate of insult and thinly-veiled peer pressure, two invalid reasons for doing, or not doing, anything.
Too many variables exist to enable extracting ANY statistically valid correlations from the available data. Many of those other countries have, for example, life sentences that stick. We don’t. They also generally have a noticeably lower incidence of the sort of horrendously brutal and violent crimes that we as Americans see with comparative regularity.
No, to ditch the DP requires something more than “it doesn’t work”; funny, but it was quite a deterrent a while back, when criminals believed they would be caught, and if caught, they would be executed. Now, it’s common “knowledge” that if you commit a capital crime: (a) they ain’t gonna catch you, and (b) even if they do, you’re gonna be kept alive on appeal for 20 or 30 years. It doesn’t matter a bit if those beliefs are based on fact or not. Premeditated crimes – not crimes of passion, crimes of opportunity and / or impulse, but deliberate ones – ARE deterred, but IF AND ONLY IF THE PERPETRATOR BELIEVES THAT HE WILL BE CAUGHT AND PUNISHED.
And the perception among criminals – thanks in no small part to the tireless efforts of the anti-punishment crowd – is that they can get away with it, so, no – the deterrent effect is lacking.
Sorta like taking a perfectly working Swiss watch, removing the back, and taking a sledge hammer to it – then pointing at it and saying “See? I TOLD you it doesn’t work!” The DP opponents’ actions are responsible for the loss of deterrence that they then, ingenuously, use as an argument for doing away with it.
I personally don’t give much of a tinker’s damn any more whether it deters murder psychologically or not; but executions, as we’ve been over before here on this blog, physically deter 100% of all additional murders by the party executed. When not executed, some kill again. When executed, they do not. Net result = fewer innocent people die at their hands than would otherwise. Fact.
So don’t try telling me it doesn’t have any deterrent effect.
Try showing me any benefit to society that comes from feeding and housing (and providing opportunities for more crimes) people who are to be completely isolated from society anyway.
We’d have a happier, safer America if Karla Faye Tucker and Ted Bundy and Gary Gilmore and Aileen Wuoronos and John Wayne Gacy were still breathing? Oh, OK. If you say so. As Woody Allen said to Joan Collins, “Coulda fooled me.”
You know what I think should be punished by the death penalty? Being dumb enough to join the army.
Texas? Oh my god, they killed Kenny. You bastards!
(apparently the other 40% took place in South Park, CO.).
Hey, nobody’s forcing anyone to live in Texas. Oh wait, weren’t many of the Katrina refugees relocated there, from New Orleans? So I guess the gov’t IS forcing people to live there. Could be why the percentage went up recently. Ya think?!
Well at some point I expect all the other states will simply out source their execution backlog to Texas. That way they’re off the hook for “supporting the death penality”. And Texas will get a great new tax funded business. Perhaps Bush & Cheney can start a new eco-friendly corporation there called “Soylent”. The bodies go in, the crackers come out.
And yet here in TX there are folks who walk from murder charges against a slimy dirtbag, their only defense being “the SOB needed killin'”
If memory serves, a recent trial in Midland resulted in a “not guilty” verdict for a woman who did just that to an abusive live-in “spouse.” And that’s no joke.
http://tinyurl.com/2ncw2m
This is another example of those that had much rather keep it stirred up between the races rather than to ever allow the races to meet halfway.
When someone at DU offers fake news such as this we are force to conclude that maybe “Eideard” is a representative of hate and not the story.
Sounds like the rest of the US isn’t carrying their weight. Y’all need to step up to the plate and not make Texas do all the heavy lifting.
Ghawd knows New Jersey wouldn’t get any worse if they had a few legal executions.