Commission comes up with death penalty recommendations (MA)

[MaineDem]

BOSTON -- A commission appointed by Gov. Mitt Romney has come up with a proposal for a death penalty statute, relying heavily on DNA evidence in murder cases, that is "as infallible as humanly possible," according to news reports.

Romney is scheduled to unveil the commission's reports at a Monday news conference at the Statehouse, and aides to the governor said the report will be the basis of a bill filed later this spring that will attempt to bring the death penalty back to Massachusetts for the first time in 20 years.

"There is no other existing death penalty system, or one proposed to date, that is even close to this in the number of safeguards and overriding reviews," Joseph L. Hoffman, an Indiana University law professor and co-chairman of the commission, told the Boston Herald.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/05/03/commission_comes_up_with_death_penalty_recommendations/

[displacedtexan]

1. Haven't these people seen "The Life Of David Gale?"

Don't want to be a spoiler for those who haven't seen the film. Anyone concerned about the death penalty issue should run to the video store!

[chelsea0011]

2. Romney has nothing better to do. Mass. Governors have no power.

He is left with things like asking the legistature to come up with a death penalty plan that will be a completely unenforcable death penalty law that will put no one to death. No chance that anyone couldn't be anything but guilty? Is he kidding? Then, he can go back to "work" trying to stop gay marriage. And when he can't do that, complain about the Democratic Convention siting. Nice job if you can get it.

[Tellurian]

3. Romney is trying to sneek in a State Law to reaffirm PATS ACTII

http://infowars.com/print/ps/patriotact_deathpenalty.htm

[Tracer]

4. There is no groundswell in Massachusetts for the death penalty.

It's all about the Mittster and his right-wing plans.

No one has been executed in Massachusetts since 1947 and there won't be any executions anytime in the future either.

Mitt is pretty much alone on this one.

[Tellurian]

6. Many states and communities have written legislation rebuking PA I

Romney is pushing to have a State Law in place in concert w/Pats Act 2 to avoid any conflict later on if PA2 goes through..

[0007]

5. ...for a minute I thought the headline was talking about the

911 Investigating Committee. (I know where I'd start.) LOL!!

Back to reality. Mitt Rommey has the same DNA as junior. I think the folks in Massachusetts are a little too intelligent to let this mutt dictate his beliefs.

[Tellurian]

8. Headline freeping is the new Republican tool...

Have the editors gone too far?

[PROGRESSIVE1]

7. I doubt that "Murderous" Mitt will get the Death Penalty...

reinstated. MA has not cared for it as of late.

[Kadie]

9. Here is another article:

Massachusetts weighs formula to reinstate death penalty
Recommendations include unprecedented safeguards for defendants

Pam Belluck, New York Times
Monday, May 3, 2004

Boston -- A commission appointed by Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has come up with what it considers the first virtually foolproof formula for carrying out the death penalty, and Romney is expected to use the plan to try to bring back capital punishment to the state, where it was abolished two decades ago.

One of the major recommendations is raising the bar for a death penalty sentence from the normal legal standard of guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt" to a finding of "no doubt about the defendant's guilt." The commission has also proposed that a defendant in a capital case be given the option of facing two separate juries -- one to try him and, if he is convicted, a second to sentence him.

The commission's 10 recommendations, which are to be released in a report today, are intended to counter increasing skepticism about the death penalty.

A spokeswoman for the Republican governor said he would not comment on the report until it was released. The commission's proposals include several ideas that experts say are unprecedented, and other ideas that have been tried but not so comprehensively. The plan is sure to be controversial, and even death penalty supporters said they had concerns about the viability of some of the ideas. On the other hand, even some death penalty opponents acknowledged that the plan would reduce the possibility of wrongful death sentences and racial disparities in sentencing.

more... http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/05/03/MNG5S6EO451.DTL

[Tellurian]

10. Look at part of the language in the proposed bill:

The entire text is supposed to be released sometime today..


"The death penalty would be sought only in the "worst of the worst" murders, the report said: torture murders, political terrorism murders, murders of police officers or others in the criminal justice system, and murders of multiple victims."

"The physical evidence required in each case would have to "strongly corroborate the defendant's guilt," connecting the defendant to "the crime scene, the murder weapon or the victim's body."

How can they say the dna is fool proof?? If the dna is tampered with, as in a mistaken report...and the dna is mistakenly or purposely registered as positive..

Nope, no good! Too much latitude there for abuse of the system.

[genius]

11. The writer didn't see the resolution that passed the Democratic Exec BD

yesterday (California Democratic Party Executive Board). It calls for a legislated moratorium to last until it can be conclusively determined that no individual on death row, or likely to be sent to death row, is innocent and until we can ensure that no one will receive a death sentence as a result of his/her race, socio-economic status or geographic location.