Since the re-introduction of the death penalty by the United States in
the 1970's, can you give me 5 examples where there is a strong doubt
as to the actual guilt of individuals who have been executed?
Many Thanks
DPRK007

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Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 13 Aug 2005 14:02 PDT

"Doubt" can mean a lot of different things depending on who you ask.
The group TRUTH IN JUSTICE claims that 16 people have been executed in
the United States who were innocent. They identify them as Brian K.
Baldwin, Cornelius Singleton and Freddie Lee Wright of Alabama; Thomas
M. Thompson of California; James Adams, Willie Darden and Jesse Tafero
of Florida; Girvies Davis of Illinois; Griffin and Roy Roberts of
Missouri; Odell Barnes, Robert N. Drew, Gary Graham, Richard W. Jones
and Frank B. McFarland of Texas; and Roger K. Coleman of Virginia.

TRUTH IN JUSTICE
'Group says 16 executed in U.S. were probably innocent'
http://www.truthinjustice.org/prob-innocent.htm

Does this suficiently answer your question?

regards;
tutuzdad-ga

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Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 13 Aug 2005 14:06 PDT

The ''Reasonable Doubts', which was produced by Equal Justice USA, a
project of the Hyattsville-based Quixote Center, which is organizing a
national effort for a moratorium on executions, suggests almost the
exact same thing - that 16 innocent men have been executed since the
reinstatement of the death penalty.

Innocent People Executed, Group Suggests
http://www.crimelynx.com/innexec.html

Awaiting your thoughts on these articles.

tutuzdad-ga

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Clarification of Question by dprk007-ga on 13 Aug 2005 14:07 PDT

excellant (more than three time what I was looking for!!)

Please post as official answer.

DPRK007

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Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 13 Aug 2005 14:07 PDT

"The ''Reasonable Doubts'.." Should have read: "The 'Reasonable Doubts' report..."

Dear dprk007-ga:

The group TRUTH IN JUSTICE claims that 16 people have been executed in
the United States who were innocent. They identify them as Brian K.
Baldwin, Cornelius Singleton and Freddie Lee Wright of Alabama; Thomas
M. Thompson of California; James Adams, Willie Darden and Jesse Tafero
of Florida; Girvies Davis of Illinois; Griffin and Roy Roberts of
Missouri; Odell Barnes, Robert N. Drew, Gary Graham, Richard W. Jones
and Frank B. McFarland of Texas; and Roger K. Coleman of Virginia.

TRUTH IN JUSTICE
'Group says 16 executed in U.S. were probably innocent'
http://www.truthinjustice.org/prob-innocent.htm


In addition, The 'Reasonable Doubts' report, which was produced by
Equal Justice USA, a project of the Hyattsville-based Quixote Center,
which is organizing a national effort for a moratorium on executions,
makes a strikingly similar claim - that 16 innocent people have been
wrongfully executed since the reinstatement of the death penalty.

Innocent People Executed, Group Suggests
http://www.crimelynx.com/innexec.html

Thank you for bringing your question to us. I look forward to next time.

tutuzdad-ga



* strategy *

EXECUTIONS

EXECUTED

INNOCENT

NOT GUILTY

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Clarification of Answer by tutuzdad-ga on 13 Aug 2005 14:29 PDT

Thank you for your generosity. I most CERTAINLY appreciate it!

tutuzdad-ga

Other advanced western countries outside the USA have also had to confront
and take positive action to correct miscarriages of justice that may or may not
involve the death penalty.  
Without opining on the death penalty itself as a maximum penalty, 
empirical evidence in Canada and UK shows that a "sound process" is not enough
to ensure justice. 
In 1993, US Supreme Court Chief Justice Rehnquist wrote the majority opinion
in a case known as Herrera that said it was not unconstitutional  to execute
a person as long as the process was deemed fair, even when new evidence of 
innocence emerges after the conviction.

http://www.justicedenied.org/jdhistory.html

To be fair to Rehnquist, "not unconstitutional" is NOT EQUAL to "approval".
  
In Canada, through the tireless efforts of James Lockyer and his team, several
infamous cases of wrongful convictions have been highlighted.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Lockyer
 
Steven Truscott
Sentenced in 1959 at the age of 14 to the then mandatory death penalty for 
capital murder in a child sex slaying.
http://www.mapleleafweb.com/education/spotlight/issue_59/background.html

David Millgaard
Sentenced in 1970 at the age of 16 to life for murder in a knifepoint
sex slaying. He spent 23 years in prison and was not paroled because
he would not
confess and show remorse. He was eventually exonerated by DNA evidence
that pointed directly at a known serial rapist --who used knives, and lived
in the immediate area.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/milgaard/

And in the UK too....
Derek Bentley, Guildford Four, Birmingham Six

http://www.innocent.org.uk/cases/derekbentley/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/237296.stm

http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/bennettr/doublej.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_Six