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Troy Davis execution: Georgia pardons board denies plea for clemency

We should really abolish the death penalty. It's expensive and justice is blind. People have been murdered by the state on charges they were innocent of. If a person is wrongfully jailed they can be set free and compensated. If you execute an innocent person the only thing the state can do is go "oops!"

I wouldn't worry about it. The body count of innocents will always be much, much higher on the side where the CJS f*cks up and either wrongfully exonerates a guilty man or underprosecutes him, and he subsequently kills again.

To be sure, the CJS has a lot more blood on its hands for wrongful exonerations and underprosecutions, than it ever will for wrongful convictions in death penalty cases. If we are to argue against capital punishment on the grounds of human fallability, then we should also argue against the Great Writ of habeas corpus on the same grounds. After all, would it not be more prudent to retain custody of a defendant who is acqutted by a jury in a death penalty case wherein considerable danming evidence is presented during trial? What if he really is guilty and kills another innocent person subsequent to his release?

In the end, the law must choose in the face of objective uncertainty, even in matters of life and death. There is no way around this. The CJS could just as easily have acquitted Davis and released him back into society, only to have him shoot yet another police officer to death, or the CJS could have commuted his sentence to 'life without parole', only to have him murder an inmate or C.O. soon after being released into prison general population. In both instances, the CJS would have the blood of the innocent on its hands, no differently than they would for executing Davis after wrongfully convicting him (if that is even the case here).
 
It appears last I looked that the SC is going to at least look at the case and possibly order a stay.
 
If the governor doesn't pardon the execution, then the family should sue the state. Obviously, there are reasons to doubt his verdict.

Something should be done. This is entirely ****ed up. Most people like to argue that they are for the death penalty because with dna evidence and all that, nobody innocent will ever die... yeah right. They are refusing to make sure that they aren't killing an innocent man. This is entirely insane and disgusting. The supreme court obviously needs to get involved and make sure this **** doesn't happen.

Witness testimony is horrible evidence to boot. My sister used to work for the county and had her undergrad in psychology. She later decided to change her career and become a lawyer after talking to numerous people who were wrongly put away based on faulty witness testimony.
 
Of course he should. But it's highly unlikely that 50 eyewitnesses to a mass murder have any reason to lie. In the Troy Davis case, that doesn't seem to fit the circumstances of what happened.

We're lucky that in the last couple of decades DNA and forensics have made huge strides. Not to mention that it's more than likely you'll be on camera. It is "mainstream knowledge" now that eyewitness testimony is rarely credible. Usually people trained in law-enforcement and security are better at it than the rest of us. We just don't pay attention and when we're forced too (as in a robbery or rape), terror usually skews what we remember. Just my opinion.

DNA evidence doesn't prove guilt... it can help build a very creditable case though.
 
I am disappointed in my state today :(

Have you seen many protests?

It is very sad indeed. Killing a person won't make anything, especially not killing an innocent person. I think Georgia is making the death of an off duty officer a lot worse for the community. I am wondering what is wrong with the politicians in your state though. Why would they be against investigating his innocence? What hell? It's mind boggling and scary.
 
Something should be done. This is entirely ****ed up. Most people like to argue that they are for the death penalty because with dna evidence and all that, nobody innocent will ever die... yeah right. They are refusing to make sure that they aren't killing an innocent man. This is entirely insane and disgusting. The supreme court obviously needs to get involved and make sure this **** doesn't happen.

Witness testimony is horrible evidence to boot. My sister used to work for the county and had her undergrad in psychology. She later decided to change her career and become a lawyer after talking to numerous people who were wrongly put away based on faulty witness testimony.

Something was done. They won't do anything until the Supreme Court comes to a decision.
 
Something was done. They won't do anything until the Supreme Court comes to a decision.

Wow that's breaking news... they are really cutting it close.
 
Wow that's breaking news... they are really cutting it close.

from ABC NEWS
t 7:05 p.m., five minutes after his scheduled death, Davis' supporters erupted in cheers, hugs and tears outside the jail in Jackson, Ga., as supporters believed Davis had been saved from the death penalty. But Davis was granted only a temporary reprieve as the Supreme Court considers the decision.
 
this must be horrendous for both of the families involved.
 
We should really abolish the death penalty. It's expensive and justice is blind. People have been murdered by the state on charges they were innocent of. If a person is wrongfully jailed they can be set free and compensated. If you execute an innocent person the only thing the state can do is go "oops!"

Rarely even that, as the state has little impetus to investigate whether they executed the wrong person.
 
Rarely even that, as the state has little impetus to investigate whether they executed the wrong person.

I would say they have plenty of reason not to investigate such a disaster.
 
Rarely even that, as the state has little impetus to investigate whether they executed the wrong person.

It often does execute the wrong person, which is one of many reasons why there should be no death penalty.
 
I mentioned it earlier...

*cough*

this is truly cruel and unusual punishment

its like those Chuck Norris Missing in action films where some sadistic NVA officer plays Russian Roulette with some POW. they should exhaust all the appeals months in advance rather than strapping the guy down, pulling him up etc

but I do have issues with the death penalty and this is one reason
 
It often does execute the wrong person, which is one of many reasons why there should be no death penalty.


I actually doubt many innocent people get executed. when mistakes are made its usually the case of the lesser of two scumbags getting whacked. LIke the getaway driver in a murder robbery getting the needle rather than the gunman. Or a gang banger who didn't fire the fatal shot in a gangland gunfight but merely missed when someone died
 
this is truly cruel and unusual punishment

its like those Chuck Norris Missing in action films where some sadistic NVA officer plays Russian Roulette with some POW. they should exhaust all the appeals months in advance rather than strapping the guy down, pulling him up etc

but I do have issues with the death penalty and this is one reason

It's all procedure. They could not appeal to the Georgia SC until the Parole board issued is judgement, and it could not go to the US SC until the Georgia SC had ruled. Interestingly, the US SC issued a stay for an execution already this week.
 
I actually doubt many innocent people get executed. when mistakes are made its usually the case of the lesser of two scumbags getting whacked. LIke the getaway driver in a murder robbery getting the needle rather than the gunman. Or a gang banger who didn't fire the fatal shot in a gangland gunfight but merely missed when someone died

Innocent folk do get executed and your bolded sentence seems to agree with this. If executing innocent people is below a certain percentage, then is that good enough reason to keep executions going? If so, what percentage would that be? What's the appropriate threshold for killing innocents to maintain executing the guilty?
 
I actually doubt many innocent people get executed. when mistakes are made its usually the case of the lesser of two scumbags getting whacked. LIke the getaway driver in a murder robbery getting the needle rather than the gunman. Or a gang banger who didn't fire the fatal shot in a gangland gunfight but merely missed when someone died

They where saying that in some undefined period of time, 175 death row convictions have been overturned based on DNA evidence. That was from TV, and I do not know if that was since DNA evidence was available, or some shorter period of time. Take it for what it is worth.
 
It's all procedure. They could not appeal to the Georgia SC until the Parole board issued is judgement, and it could not go to the US SC until the Georgia SC had ruled. Interestingly, the US SC issued a stay for an execution already this week.

the games make this thing awful

I have no real love for the DP but I have no problem with a family member whacking someone who killed a love one
 
Innocent folk do get executed and your bolded sentence seems to agree with this. If executing innocent people is below a certain percentage, then is that good enough reason to keep executions going? If so, what percentage would that be? What's the appropriate threshold for killing innocents to maintain executing the guilty?

I should have said sometimes those not legally sufficiently guilty get executed rather than innocent people
 
They where saying that in some undefined period of time, 175 death row convictions have been overturned based on DNA evidence. That was from TV, and I do not know if that was since DNA evidence was available, or some shorter period of time. Take it for what it is worth.

apparently the system works

most of those people have serious records

its almost non existent that someone with a clean record gets a DP for their first offense even if its murder
 
apparently the system works

most of those people have serious records

its almost non existent that someone with a clean record gets a DP for their first offense even if its murder

You are moving the goalpost now. No one is arguing they are good people, only that some/many may not be guilty of the crime they got the death penalty for.
 
I should have said sometimes those not legally sufficiently guilty get executed rather than innocent people

Doesn't matter what you call it. The same question still needs an answer. What percentage of "not legally sufficiently guilty" people should be allowed to be wrongly executed by the state is acceptable to you to maintain executing the "legally sufficiently guilty?"
 
You are moving the goalpost now. No one is arguing they are good people, only that some/many may not be guilty of the crime they got the death penalty for.

that's what I said
 
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