General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I think there are acts that PERMANENTLY disqualify a person from participation in human society. [View all]pnwmom
(110,255 posts)grief suffered by the families of the wrongfully executed."
Exactly.
And of the grief suffered by innocent people, and their families, when the innocent person is too frightened of the possibility of the death penalty to demand a trial, and/or lacks the financial resources to fight the state.
We know someone this happened to. Thankfully, he owned a business and could sell assets to fund a defense. But what a nightmare. And the state held the death penalty over his head for six months, while he insisted on a trial. Imagine the courage for a an average, everyday, non-violent person to suddenly be thrust into that world -- and to be brave enough to take a chance on being convicted and facing the death penalty. How many innocent people plead guilty because the alternative is too awful to imagine?