States Divided On Life-And-Death Questions

More States Are Reconsidering Capital Punishment -- And Reaching Very Different Conclusions

(CBS)  A Georgia board Monday denied condemned killer William Earl Lynd's clemency bid, paving the way for him to likely become the nation's first inmate put to death since the U.S. Supreme Court held that lethal injection is constitutional last month.

CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann reports 14 other executions are scheduled in the next six months across America.

And they all unnerve Kirk Bloodsworth, who in 1984 was charged with the unthinkable: the rape and murder of 9-year-old Dawn Hamilton.

Found guilty, Bloodworth was innocent. He says now, "It was pending doom. I knew this thing was going south in a hurry and I was on a freight train to death row."

He lost eight years of his life, as well as his mother, who was his biggest believer.

"I had to go to see her body in handcuffs and shackles for five minutes .. and go back to prison," he recalls through tears.

In 1993, Bloodsworth was freed, becoming the first death row inmate exonerated by DNA.

Wrongful convictions such as his are one reason why lawmakers in five states are seriously debating repealing capital punishment.

But five other states have moved in a very different direction -- passing laws that expanded death row to execute people convicted of a crime other than murder.

In particular, child rapists are being sought for inclusion. Louisiana has two of them on death row, both of whose victims lived.

The Supreme Court will soon decide whether these states can execute them.

Says Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz, "For the very worst child rapists, juries should have before them as a permissible option the most serious punishment."

But no one wants to get it wrong.

Just last Friday, North Carolina freed Levon Jones, America's 129th exonerated death row inmate.

"Now I am not a mathematician, says Kirk Bloodsworth, "But that would give me pause."

The system that once had his number faces new life-and-death questions.

[algoresarse]

t has nothing to do with punishing convicted murderers. Its about how we sentence people on imperfect evidence and bad science. I feel sorry for all of you who can gleefully call for the death penalty when you know mistakes are made and innocent people are on death row (and most likely have been executed)

Posted by pfd572 at 08:47 AM : May 07, 2008
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and how about guilty murderers that got away due to political correctness..manipulation of evidence and loopholes in our justice system...I AM SURE WE HAVE A LOT MORE OF THOSE THAN THE ''INNOCENT'' ONES..

[algoresarse]

Posted by pfd572 at 08:47 AM : May 07, 2008
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you dont know the difference between a cold=blooded murderer and a fetus??? and its hard of for you which is to save and which is to exterminate????

[algoresarse]

lgore...if someone disagrees with you on any position is it automatic for you to call them a liberal? Its not a dirty word you know, in fact you can thank liberals for many of our rights and freedoms. To not support the death penalty doesn''''t automatically mean you are pro-choice. Not all liberals feel that way, just as not all conservatives feel the Constitution is only for the elite. You''''re only making a fool out of yourself when you make the statements you repeat.

Posted by pfd572 at 08:44 AM : May 07, 2008
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saving murderers and killing fetus is a big LIBERAL AGENDA..and how come you are so defensive about that word ''liberal''?

[algoresarse]

Posted by panhandlpete at 09:04 AM : May 07, 2008
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the difference is the other committed a crime against another person and society (which they continue to victimize financially not unless you dont want to join the hypocrite crowd and adopt one or PAY FOR THIER KEEP) and the other is a defenseless individual who has not committed one sin nor crime against anybody

[panhandlpete]

Why are there so many hypocrites in our society today? I have yet to understand how one "life", whether it be that of a murderer or an unborn fetus" has more moral value over the other. Granted the deeds done are quite different as one has yet to live while the other has lived an inappropriate societal existence. THOU SHALT NOT KILL! If one believes christian teachings, and supports legalized killing (war & executions & abortions), then the bottom line equals HYPOCRITE.

Call me liberal, or whatever name fits, but I vote for a positive use of "life" rather than exterminating it. I highly question all the "religious" teachings that are flooding our society today........seems like the middle ages all over again.

[pfd572]

It has nothing to do with punishing convicted murderers. Its about how we sentence people on imperfect evidence and bad science. I feel sorry for all of you who can gleefully call for the death penalty when you know mistakes are made and innocent people are on death row (and most likely have been executed)

[pfd572]

algore...if someone disagrees with you on any position is it automatic for you to call them a liberal? Its not a dirty word you know, in fact you can thank liberals for many of our rights and freedoms. To not support the death penalty doesn''t automatically mean you are pro-choice. Not all liberals feel that way, just as not all conservatives feel the Constitution is only for the elite. You''re only making a fool out of yourself when you make the statements you repeat.

[pfd572]

NAVYVET: I was discussing abortion. I was discussing the death penalty. I guess you could reverse that question to people who are against abortion and ask them how they can condemn one and heartedly endorse the other.

[algoresarse]

the only way we can get the liberals to agree with this is if we start calling these murderers....a ''FETUS''

[algoresarse]

THERE IS NOTHING DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE NAZI INVASION OF POLAND IN 1939 AND THE BUSHIT NEOCON INVASION OF IRAQ IN 2003!

START WAR CRIMES TRIALS NOW!

AMERICA STAND UP OR SHUT UP!

Posted by bluestardad at 08:06 AM : May 06, 2008
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in nazi germany..MORONS LIKE YOU were executed for speaking against hitler

in this country now...MORONS LIKE YOU are given the right to talk your sh*t NO MATTER HOW OUTRAGIOUS IT IS..

[algoresarse]

Your arguments are so stupid.

Posted by rudy654 at 02:44 AM : May 06, 2008
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its better than your argument..WHICH IS NONE...

[mjvw2]

Go Georgia Go

[maba7]

Ambiguity. To execute even one innocent person really is state sanctioned murder.
But then, look up Joseph E Duncan III and his lifelong escapades. Execution, in lieu of retroactive abortion when he was in his teens, would have saved numerous children from trauma and several lives.
Apparently our justice system cannot cope with a sociopath and he is just one of multitudes.

[navyvet77]

Until we abolish the death penalty we cannot call ourselves a civilized society.

Posted by pfd572 at 02:23 AM : May 06, 2008

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If you think that the death penalty is uncivilized then what would you call abortion? 50 million abortions and counting. Just how civilized is that?

[bluestardad]

THERE IS NOTHING DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE NAZI INVASION OF POLAND IN 1939 AND THE BUSHIT NEOCON INVASION OF IRAQ IN 2003!

START WAR CRIMES TRIALS NOW!

AMERICA STAND UP OR SHUT UP!

[grammawhamma]

If we execute a murderer...we are no different (in a sense)from him/her. Life in prison is a punishment, maybe to some, worse than death. But life in prison should mean just that...you stay there until you are dead and it should be no picnic while you are there.

[rudy654-2009]

the real question rest on lawyers and bleeding heart liberals


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Posted by obamawhama at 08:21 PM

Your arguments are so stupid.

[pfd572]

Until we abolish the death penalty we cannot call ourselves a civilized society. Not when we KNOW we are in danger of executing innocent people and may have already.

[pfd572]

Proud bleeding heart liberal here. As long as there is the chance an innocent person could be executed the death penalty should be abolished. It is naive and arrogant to assume not one innocent person has been executed, when 129 death row inmates have been exonerated. How many were executed without benefit of science or a good lawyer? As the D.C. Madam showed by her suicide, life in prison would probably be considered a harsher punishment in the long run, anyway. Its pretty dim-witted to think it could never happen to you or someone you love, just look at the victims in these stories, most are just everyday people just like you. So its up to you Congress, Supreme Court, prosecutors and self-centered, right-wing, ultraconservative, overconfident, reckless fools.

[ubrew12]

Right wingers don''t seem to get it.

If you execute someone who''s innocent: you are a murderer, and should be (by law) put to death.