Posted by Sterling on 11/7/2011, 21:44:50, in reply to "Re: The Bad Girl and the trial of the century"
98.71.123.181
: Back to the present world: I have no idea if this
: would have made a difference in the Anthony trial, but
: eliminating the death penalty would probably make it
: easier for juries to find a person guilty "beyond
: reasonable doubt," knowing that there would still
: be a chance for a reversal if new evidence should come
: to light years later. (There are plenty of other
: reasons, in my opinion, for eliminating the death
: penalty anyway.)
:
:
As an anecdote on your observation concerning the death penalty, let me relate what my secretary said after the Anthony verdict. It was her opinion that she would never be chosen for a juror in a capital case, because she could not convict anyone of a crime that risked the death penalty with an opinion beyond a "reasonable doubt." She said that she could convict in a capital case only if they were guilty beyond ANY doubt, which is of course nearly impossible in the real world. Innocent people sometimes confess. Multiple eyewitnesses who all agree can still be mistaken. And although DNA has been useful in proving defendants not guilty, I would hate to gamble someone's life on nothing but test results.
I agree that there are many reasons to eliminate the death penalty, but surely the fact that, once carried out, it is irreversible must rank high.
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