This Is Why I'm Against Capital Punishment

Troy Anthony Davis. You've probably never heard of him. He is scheduled to be executed in Georgia this week for the 1989 murder of a Savannah police officer. Black suspect. White police officer victim. Georgia. These very elements make the outcome a forgone conclusion.

But there's a twist. His conviction was based solely on eyewitness testimony. There was no physical evidence linking him to the crime, and a murder weapon was never found. Of the nine eyewitnesses, SEVEN have subsequently recanted their testimony, stating they were coerced by the police.

And where does the District Attorney, David T. Lock, stand on this issue? He says that just because a witness recants previous testimony, it doesn't necessarily mean that all of their testimony was a complete fabrication.

Whatever happened to justice in this country? There is certainly more than "reasonable doubt" in this case. One would think it would make the authorities pause before they execute an innocent man. But no, the execution mongers are marching on, determined to do the deed.

Since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976, 124 death row inmates have been exonerated for their alleged crime. Last year, the Houston Chronicle did an expose proving that an innocent man was put to death in Texas.

The philosophical debate against capital punishment argues that we are not God, and it is not our place to take a life, no matter how heinous a crime. And that is very true. But on a more practical level, I argue that capital punishment is wrong because the justice system frequently makes mistakes. You can't correct that mistake if someone wrongly convicted of a capital crime is six feet under.

You can voice your support for clemency in this matter by clicking here.