Summary

Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is often the subject of controversy. Opponents of the death penalty commonly argue that life imprisonment is an effective substitute, that it may lead to irreversible miscarriages of justice, or that it violates the criminal's right to life. Supporters commonly insist that the penalty is justified, at least for murderers, by the principle of retribution, that life imprisonment is not an equally effective deterrent. Some arguments revolve around empirical data, such as whether the death penalty is a more effective deterrent than life imprisonment, while others concern more abstract moral judgements.

Background

Texas has life without parole. In a capital trial, the jury decides the sentence, Life without Parole or the death penalty. The Governor needs a favorable recommendation from the Board of Pardons and Paroles in order to be able to grant clemency. The governor is not obligated to follow the recommendation of the Board. The Governor only has the power to grant a thirty day reprieve.

As of September 2005, Texas has conducted over 1/3 of the 982 executions in the United States. Only one commutation of a death sentence for humanitarian reasons has been granted since the death penalty was reinstated.

Only one inmate has ever been granted clemency, Henry Lee lucas in 1998. Also, Texas has only exonerated one inmate in the past ten years, Ricardo Guerra, who spent fifteen years on death row when he was exonerated in 1997.

Innocence

There have been investigations conducted by The Houston Chronicle and The Chicago Tribune that concluded that three innocent people in Texas were executed: Carlos De Luna, Cameron Todd Wilingham and Ruben Cantu. Eight innocent people have been exonerated and released from Texas death row since the 1970's, including, most recently, Ernest Willis in 2004.


Video on Carlos De Luna innocence case

Additional Links

www.deathpenaltyinfo.org
www.texasabolition.org
www.texasmoratorium.org
www.tcadp.org