Friday, September 10, 2010

The Death Penalty: Guest Editorial, WAVE TV 6-3-10

June 3, 2010
Guest Editorial: WAVE-TV
The Death Penalty


By Donald Vish
Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

Aggravated murder cases in Kentucky show a disparity in treatment so inexplicable and so extreme that the legitimacy of the death penalty must be called into question.

In the last two years a serial killer, a child-killer rapist and a $1,000 hit man got life sentences while over the years some aggravated murderers got death. Why: A bad crime; a bad lawyer or bad luck?

Similar punishment for similar crimes is a cornerstone of criminal justice. Without it justice looks random and lacks credibility.

The governor needs to get to the bottom of this dysfunction before signing any death warrants. Confidence in our justice system depends on getting an explanation for a disparity that is now inexplicable-and unacceptable.

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