Poll: Capital Punishment (Dallas, Fort Worth: sex offenders, crime, attorneys)

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by Chicken_of_Bristol

Yes, however.....it is used WAY too often in Texas.

It should be reserved for the worst of the worst, only. In Texas, it is basically a general punishment.

We should be more like Japan in our use of capital punishment.

Not really. Here's the statute regarding what qualifies for the death penalty in Texas, Capital Murder:

Sec. 19.03. CAPITAL MURDER. (a) A person commits an offense if the person commits murder as defined under Section 19.02(b)(1) and:
(1) the person murders a peace officer or fireman who is acting in the lawful discharge of an official duty and who the person knows is a peace officer or fireman;
(2) the person intentionally commits the murder in the course of committing or attempting to commit kidnapping, burglary, robbery, aggravated sexual assault, arson, obstruction or retaliation, or terroristic threat under Section 22.07(a)(1), (3), (4), (5), or (6);
(3) the person commits the murder for remuneration or the promise of remuneration or employs another to commit the murder for remuneration or the promise of remuneration;
(4) the person commits the murder while escaping or attempting to escape from a penal institution;
(5) the person, while incarcerated in a penal institution, murders another:
(A) who is employed in the operation of the penal institution; or
(B) with the intent to establish, maintain, or participate in a combination or in the profits of a combination;
(6) the person:
(A) while incarcerated for an offense under this section or Section 19.02, murders another; or
(B) while serving a sentence of life imprisonment or a term of 99 years for an offense under Section 20.04, 22.021, or 29.03, murders another;
(7) the person murders more than one person:
(A) during the same criminal transaction; or
(B) during different criminal transactions but the murders are committed pursuant to the same scheme or course of conduct;
(8) the person murders an individual under 10 years of age; or
(9) the person murders another person in retaliation for or on account of the service or status of the other person as a judge or justice of the supreme court, the court of criminal appeals, a court of appeals, a district court, a criminal district court, a constitutional county court, a statutory county court, a justice court, or a municipal court.
(b) An offense under this section is a capital felony.
(c) If the jury or, when authorized by law, the judge does not find beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty of an offense under this section, he may be convicted of murder or of any other lesser included offense.

[car957]

Originally Posted by BobTex

I voted "Yes, however"

My however is to be as follows:

--- executions should be public (televised is OK to accommodate the masses but there should be a large present audience)

--- especially heinous crimes deserve especially slow and painful deaths (the Apaches had some excellent methodologies)

--- victim's families should have the option to initiate punishment

--- last but not least is expedited appeals process so that execution must occur within 6 months of sentencing.

Texas is not very good at jurisprudence. Between former Williamson County DA Ken Anderson withholding evidence on a case overturned after an innocent man spending 20 years in prison, the Dallas County DA working to overturn wrong convictions, and the still undecided but highly contested death of Todd Willingham, our State needs to set the bar much higher before execution occurs.

Frankly the DAs in this state have way too much power and zero accountability.

[Trainwreck20]

In a perfect law system, then I would favor it; however, given the chance for errors, I have a hard time really getting behind it.

[ctk0p7]

Originally Posted by BobTex

I voted "Yes, however"

My however is to be as follows:

--- executions should be public (televised is OK to accommodate the masses but there should be a large present audience)

--- especially heinous crimes deserve especially slow and painful deaths (the Apaches had some excellent methodologies)

--- victim's families should have the option to initiate punishment

--- last but not least is expedited appeals process so that execution must occur within 6 months of sentencing.

I hope your conditions for execution were a joke. I would hate to see that type of behavior here. It reminds me of something seen in a third world country, very uncivilized.

[Zepheyr]

Originally Posted by ctk0p7

I hope your conditions for execution were a joke. I would hate to see that type of behavior here. It reminds me of something seen in a third world country, very uncivilized.

I was thinking the same thing. Coupled with the other goofball's idea of inmates only being allowed to read books of a religious nature (heh) and we're starting to sound like Iran.

[Chicken_of_Bristol]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Not really. Here's the statute regarding what qualifies for the death penalty in Texas, Capital Murder:

Sec. 19.03. CAPITAL MURDER. (a) A person commits an offense if the person commits murder as defined under Section 19.02(b)(1) and:
(1) the person murders a peace officer or fireman who is acting in the lawful discharge of an official duty and who the person knows is a peace officer or fireman;
(2) the person intentionally commits the murder in the course of committing or attempting to commit kidnapping, burglary, robbery, aggravated sexual assault, arson, obstruction or retaliation, or terroristic threat under Section 22.07(a)(1), (3), (4), (5), or (6);
(3) the person commits the murder for remuneration or the promise of remuneration or employs another to commit the murder for remuneration or the promise of remuneration;
(4) the person commits the murder while escaping or attempting to escape from a penal institution;
(5) the person, while incarcerated in a penal institution, murders another:
(A) who is employed in the operation of the penal institution; or
(B) with the intent to establish, maintain, or participate in a combination or in the profits of a combination;
(6) the person:
(A) while incarcerated for an offense under this section or Section 19.02, murders another; or
(B) while serving a sentence of life imprisonment or a term of 99 years for an offense under Section 20.04, 22.021, or 29.03, murders another;
(7) the person murders more than one person:
(A) during the same criminal transaction; or
(B) during different criminal transactions but the murders are committed pursuant to the same scheme or course of conduct;
(8) the person murders an individual under 10 years of age; or
(9) the person murders another person in retaliation for or on account of the service or status of the other person as a judge or justice of the supreme court, the court of criminal appeals, a court of appeals, a district court, a criminal district court, a constitutional county court, a statutory county court, a justice court, or a municipal court.
(b) An offense under this section is a capital felony.
(c) If the jury or, when authorized by law, the judge does not find beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty of an offense under this section, he may be convicted of murder or of any other lesser included offense.

I know the law.

Regardless, it is used WAY too often. And the fact that this state kills more people than any other is proof of that. Section 19.03(a)(2) is far too broad.

[Chicken_of_Bristol]

Originally Posted by ctk0p7

I hope your conditions for execution were a joke. I would hate to see that type of behavior here. It reminds me of something seen in a third world country, very uncivilized.

To many Americans, Texas is the US's "third world country."

[eric3781]

Originally Posted by Chicken_of_Bristol

I know the law.

Regardless, it is used WAY too often. And the fact that this state kills more people than any other is proof of that. Section 19.03(a)(2) is far too broad.

How is Section 19.03(a)(2) too broad?

Message to criminals: Don't commit murder or you will fry. Pretty concise to me.

If we use the death penalty way too often, I'd say that we have a murder problem, not a judicial problem.

[eric3781]

Originally Posted by Chicken_of_Bristol

To many Americans, Texas is the US's "third world country."

Those aren't real Americans. Those are gutless pathetic husks that merely occupy lands that could technically be classified as "America", but in reality are soviet socialist states. Talk about third world, yeesh

Texas is the real America. Get with the program.

[BobTex]

Originally Posted by car957

Texas is not very good at jurisprudence. Between former Williamson County DA Ken Anderson withholding evidence on a case overturned after an innocent man spending 20 years in prison, the Dallas County DA working to overturn wrong convictions, and the still undecided but highly contested death of Todd Willingham, our State needs to set the bar much higher before execution occurs.

Frankly the DAs in this state have way too much power and zero accountability.

All this is covered by an appeals process and judgement by a jury of our peers who are much more privy to information that the "public". DA's are accountable to the voting public! Granted this is not immediate accountability!

This Dallas County person (you said DA but I feel you may mean this judge) whom you are championing , is it District Judge Larry Mitchell?

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To those that question whether my original post is serious, I am "dead" serious !