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WILL THE STATE OF TEXAS EXECUTE AN INNOCENT MAN? TRUE SLANT

MARCH 23, 2010
Mar. 23 2010 Will the state of Texas execute an innocent man? The Skinner case from Texas is omnipresent in news coverage this week. Will the state of Texas execute a Death Row inmate who has proclaimed his innocence, and who has persuaded lots of smart people that a wrongful conviction occurred? Or will Texas uphold the standard of finality woven in to the fabric of the criminal justice system? Finality proclaims that after a jury and judge have spoken, it’s time to close the case and move on to so many others needing attention. Learning about any criminal prosecution in depth usually takes months or years for a conscientious journalist. The files proliferate, and the information is often contradictory. I lack that huge amount of time to study the Skinner conviction before his Wednesday execution–a dying date for sure unless the United States Supreme Court intervenes. I (and others who study the causes of wrongful convictions) can offer Texas officials simple advice, however, if they want to halt the death penalty machinery and commission an in-depth review of the Skinner conviction. Generally, do NOT prosecute and do not execute inmates if *The arrest is based entirely on eyewitness testimony, which is often no more accurate than chance. *The arrest is based entirely on testimony from jailhouse informants, who often expect favorable treatment in exchange for their helpfulness. *The arrest is based entirely on a coerced confession or a supposedly voluntary admission of guilt. *The arrest is based entirely on findings from a police forensic laboratory with outmoded equipment and/or poorly trained personnel. This is not complicated stuff. The Texas officials in charge of executions need to be right the first time, because for a death row inmate a second time might never come. The simple advice is this: Do NOT. http://trueslant.com/steveweinberg/2010/03/23/will-the-state-of-texas-execute-a-prisoner-whomight-not-have-committed-the-crime/