South Dakota can’t work up the courage to eliminate the costly and ineffective death penalty. The latest Legislative effort to stop inflating our machismo by killing confined criminals didn’t even call for a total ban, just limiting the death penalty to those who kill cops, prison guards, or firefighters, and even that sop to the police state died on a 13–20 vote in the Senate last month.
At least Virginia is showing some good policy sense. Yesterday Governor Ralph Northam signed a bill abolishing Virginia’s death penalty:
“It is the moral thing to do to end the death penalty in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said the governor.
…Virginia is the first state in what was the Confederacy to stop using the punishment. The commonwealth has executed more people than any other state since the first execution took place at Jamestown in 1608.
Opponents of the death penalty cite the high cost, the possibility of executing the innocent and the disproportionate racial impact. Black defendants are more likely to face death sentences, especially when victims are white.
“The death penalty is the direct descendant of lynching. It is state-sponsored racism, and we have an opportunity to end this today,” said Democratic Del. Jay Jones, speaking on the floor of Virginia’s House of Delegates last month [Whittney Evans, “Virginia Governor Signs Law Abolishing the Death Penalty, a First in the South,” NPR, 2021.03.24].
Virginia is the seventh state to drop capital punishment in the last twelve years. South Dakota remains one of 27 states continuing the barbaric practice of killing prisoners.
Apparently, President Biden also is no fan of capital punishment and has publicly declared that the US should end the federal death penalty. It would seem the most effective beginning to such a process on the federal level would be for Biden to simply use his pardon powers to commute the sentences of all existing federal death row inmates to a term that did not end in an execution.
My bet is that Biden meant business with his promise on this issue. And the good news is that Republican cannot thwart his efforts this time since the power is an exclusive presidential power. I recall how disappointed I was personally when Obama was unable to keep his campaign promise to close Gitmo. He tried, but Republicans were able to stop him. Go for it Joe!
Breaking: Mike Rounds sends threatening gun tweet to the President. https://www.joemygod.com/2021/03/gop-senator-sends-menacing-gun-tweet-to-biden/?fbclid=IwAR0X9Cpdl1Fm33EtqVecXgqnfKxFr80m5A-tM8f8z6N8g9CX8RuCtZOhvQE
Never mind that President Biden has not called for taking Sen. Rounds’ shotgun; never mind that the call for any make/model restriction was for assault weapons, never mind that Sen. Rounds also had a background check — the very thing being asked of the Senate to pass for all.
Nope, don’t let facts and details get in the way of fanning the armed insurrection flames, Sen. Rounds.
By the way, do you have a license for that dog?
“I don’t need no durned license! I’m from SD man”!!!
Joe
Nice link the one guy comment sums it up I can’t quit laughing …..”what’s going on in Sd…..”
Virginia: Unless you’re a baby that has committed no crime… death penalty still fully endorsed and often recommended for you… Who are the Barbarians again??
Red herring, Matt: punishing prisoners is a function of the state’s justice system. The state has no need to kill prisoners. Capital punishment does not serve justice, public safety, or budgetary concerns. Capital punishment is an improper exercise of the authority of the state. Do you disagree?
I do disagree. Keep the Death Penalty for those found guilty and sentenced. Justice and Public Safety are absolutely served. Worried about the cost? Set a date at the sentencing and actually follow thru .. allow for appeals done in a timely manner (not endless stall tactics and new trials – JUST appeals) and get it done swiftly.
Justice kavernmouth kaved on a promise to death rtow inmates that they could seek alternative methods of death in cases where drugs can cause unconstitutional pain and suffering. The first opportunity for an inmate to use this directive, all three libs voted to hear the appeal and all magats, including kavernmouth, ignored it. Now, Kavernmouth has Justice Sotomayor ripping him a new one. Last week it was Justice Kagan.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/05/sotomayor-kavanaugh-supreme-court-death-penalty.html
Interesting case as *8th circuit court of appeals told the inmate he should have appealed before there was any avenue for such an appeal.
Wrongly convicted prisoners are gaining release decades after they were sentenced to die. Justice shouldn’t be rushed and prosecutors, judges and others involved in sending innocent people to prison should not have immunity from prosecutions. Abolish the death penalty and no more innocent victims of malicious prosecutions will have to be put to death.
Uncle Tom Thomas does it again, possibly condemning an innocent man to death with twisted logic saying proof of innocence may not be enough to save defendants with poor quality defense.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-supreme-court-just-said-in-in-shinn-v-ramirez-that-evidence-of-innocence-is-not-enough