Post by SoulTrainOz on Jun 19, 2006 18:48:55 GMT -5
Lawyers, journalists find issues include political motivations,
representation for defendants, public opinion
Daniel Stone, The Daily Texan
A conference of lawyers and journalists came together Friday to debate the ongoing issues related to the death penalty. The sometimes difficult relationship between the two professions was discussed, as well as Texas' position as the country's leader in death penalty sentences.
Since 1982, 366 people have been executed in the state of Texas, which is more than any other state in the U.S., according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Friday's panel focused on the prevalence of executions in the state.
At the center of the conversation, the six panelists discussed the case of Ricardo Aldape Guerra who was sentenced to death in 1982 for the alleged murder of a Houston police officer. Scott Atlas, Adalpe's lawyer, described how the inmate was exonerated after the later re-evaluation of evidence.
Jo Ann Zuniga , a journalist who reported on the case, said it caused shockwaves throughout the community.
"It's one of the few death penalty cases I had ever reported on where I had a shred of doubt whether they did it or not," Zuniga said.
The panel used Adalpe's case to highlight other issues connected to the death penalty, such as the political motivations behind it, poor legal representation for low-income defendants and the increasing public apathy concerning the death penalty.
"There are several factors that affect that [high death penalty] number - one mainly being a political factor. Judges in the state are elected and having a supposed soft stance on crime can lose you an election," Atlas said.
Houston accounts for more than 100 of the 450 people on death row right now, said Robert Owen of the UT School of Law and the Capital Punishment Clinic.
Robert Pitman, a U.S. magistrate judge, said whatever the motivations, judges are still directly elected by the people.
"Judges here in Texas reflect the public's values. The vote makes the culture's values a certainty," Pitman said.
The panel agreed the legal representation for those on death row were often of poorer quality because of inmates being from a low-income status.
"You will definitely see the difference between those who have a million dollars to spend versus nothing," Pitman said.
The conference also focusd on the death penalty issue on a social level, and the growing apathy in Texas that is partly because of a lack of coverage by media outlets.
"The notoriety has definitely worn off. People just don't seem to care. They usually reserve five spots for press at executions and usually only two show," said Mike Graczyk, an Associated Press reporter who covers death penalty executions and cases.
The conference provided an opportunity for lawyers and journalists to understand each other and to establish better communication, which may not always exist, said Cynthia Cohen, an organizer for the event.
"One hard thing about being a journalist is that you can't always tell the full story. In particular, lawyers are very difficult to get a hold of," said Graczyk.
"We wouldn't be so hard to get a hold of if you wouldn't blow things so out of proportion," quipped Bill Allison, a UT law professor.
Source : The Daily Texan
www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2006/06/19/Unive
representation for defendants, public opinion
Daniel Stone, The Daily Texan
A conference of lawyers and journalists came together Friday to debate the ongoing issues related to the death penalty. The sometimes difficult relationship between the two professions was discussed, as well as Texas' position as the country's leader in death penalty sentences.
Since 1982, 366 people have been executed in the state of Texas, which is more than any other state in the U.S., according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Friday's panel focused on the prevalence of executions in the state.
At the center of the conversation, the six panelists discussed the case of Ricardo Aldape Guerra who was sentenced to death in 1982 for the alleged murder of a Houston police officer. Scott Atlas, Adalpe's lawyer, described how the inmate was exonerated after the later re-evaluation of evidence.
Jo Ann Zuniga , a journalist who reported on the case, said it caused shockwaves throughout the community.
"It's one of the few death penalty cases I had ever reported on where I had a shred of doubt whether they did it or not," Zuniga said.
The panel used Adalpe's case to highlight other issues connected to the death penalty, such as the political motivations behind it, poor legal representation for low-income defendants and the increasing public apathy concerning the death penalty.
"There are several factors that affect that [high death penalty] number - one mainly being a political factor. Judges in the state are elected and having a supposed soft stance on crime can lose you an election," Atlas said.
Houston accounts for more than 100 of the 450 people on death row right now, said Robert Owen of the UT School of Law and the Capital Punishment Clinic.
Robert Pitman, a U.S. magistrate judge, said whatever the motivations, judges are still directly elected by the people.
"Judges here in Texas reflect the public's values. The vote makes the culture's values a certainty," Pitman said.
The panel agreed the legal representation for those on death row were often of poorer quality because of inmates being from a low-income status.
"You will definitely see the difference between those who have a million dollars to spend versus nothing," Pitman said.
The conference also focusd on the death penalty issue on a social level, and the growing apathy in Texas that is partly because of a lack of coverage by media outlets.
"The notoriety has definitely worn off. People just don't seem to care. They usually reserve five spots for press at executions and usually only two show," said Mike Graczyk, an Associated Press reporter who covers death penalty executions and cases.
The conference provided an opportunity for lawyers and journalists to understand each other and to establish better communication, which may not always exist, said Cynthia Cohen, an organizer for the event.
"One hard thing about being a journalist is that you can't always tell the full story. In particular, lawyers are very difficult to get a hold of," said Graczyk.
"We wouldn't be so hard to get a hold of if you wouldn't blow things so out of proportion," quipped Bill Allison, a UT law professor.
Source : The Daily Texan
www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2006/06/19/Unive