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“In Texas, a 44 year-old man was executed Thursday, despite arguments he was too mentally impaired to be put to death." (Democracy Now!)
The U.S. is the only Western democracy to still have a death penalty, and Woods is the 24th person executed by Texas this year, up from 18 executions in 2008.
His execution raises a larger debate over the death penalty, and some say the public attitude may be changing in Texas. We take a look at perspectives on this possible shift from The New York Times, Vanderbilt University News, The Guardian and others.
First, The New York Times explains the role of the state in interpreting executions like the Woods case.
“The debate reflects the gray area left by the Supreme Court in 2002, when it ruled that the mentally impaired were not eligible for the death penalty but left it up to state courts to interpret which inmates qualified as impaired.”
In a Vanderbilt University VU Cast, an expert outlines potential problems with the death penalty.
“The biggest problem with the death penalty is that mistakes are made because there is not adequate funding of defense attorneys, because prosecutors are sometimes overzealous, because juries don’t understand their instructions, and a whole host of other reasons, people are sentenced to death when they should not be.”
UK’s The Guardian says that the public mood may be swinging in the conservative state.
“Even in Texas they are having their doubts. The state that executes more people than any other by far. . . is seeing its once rock-solid faith in capital punishment shaken by overturned convictions, judicial scandals and growing evidence that at least one innocent man has been executed.”
In addition, The Guardian says that attitude in Texas may be changing in part to political and financial reasons.
“But really what we are seeing is a change in attitude amongst the Texas public in some cases. District attorneys report that jurors are now more reluctant to impose death sentences. They’d rather go for life without parole. District attorneys themselves are less likely to pursue it, partly because they don’t want the political and financial costs of failing to secure it.”(CBS 11 video)
The Chicago Tribune reports that fewer Texas inmates are being sent to death row, perhaps because of other reasons, including a scandal-ridden system, that according state Senator Eddie Lucio.
“'It isn't life without parole that has weakened the death penalty,' Lucio said. 'It is a growing lack of belief that our system is fair.'”
Our researchers at Newsy found it difficult to find media coverage on continued or growing support of the death penalty. The Web site ProDeathPenalty.com gives one reason why this may be.
“For the most part, people who support the death penalty do so quietly, in their own minds and feel no need to do so in any public fashion. It is the law and they expect it to be carried out.”
So what do you think about the death penalty? And do you think public support is on the decline?
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