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To: Solon who wrote (3588)	3/20/2002 9:49:55 AM
From: J. C. Dithers	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 21057

Thanks, but "wrongful convictions" are not the issue... In fact, raising this issue in a DP debate is the ultimate in circular reasoning. I believe that Tim, Bill and others have already pointed out that a high rate of overturned convictions in capital cases only proves how well the system of checks and balance is working. In the U.S., the usual time between conviction and execution is 10 years. During this time each case is extensively reviewed at many levels of the judicial system. The first result of a conviction in a trial court is an automatic appeal. There are many grounds for subsequent appeals. John Wayne Gacy, the mass murderer, filed over 500 appeals. No other accused person in our system receives the meticulous, scrupulous reexamination of their case than someone sentenced to death. The fact that many cases are overturned in the course of this lengthy process validates its effectiveness and fairness. Could an innocent person still be executed? Anything is possible. The probability is infinitesimally small. The adjudication of a death penalty case represents the best and fairest example of a justice system that human beings are capable of creating. In my opinion, the majority of Americans still favor the death penalty (polling is far from an exact science). I read recently that there is agitation in France for a return to the death penalty, in the face of rising crime rates. I also read that nearly 50 percent of Swedes indicate support for capital punishment. I would not be at all surprised to see a swing of the pendulum back in favor of the death penalty within advanced societies other than the U.S. BTW, I never said I was a "student" of crime. Only a "buff," or amateur.