Why capital punishment is problematic

While I felt neither sympathy nor inclination to question the execution of Tookie Williams earlier this week, another case I just ran across demonstrates the biggest problem with capital punishment in this country — the relative ease by which miscarriages of justice can occur and the frequency thereof. While I fall into the camp that believes capital punishment, per se, is a legitimate action by the state, I continue to be convinced by cases like Cory Maye that there are far too many bad applications of it to allow it to continue at the present time.

Indeed, the only “lesson” that seems to be taught by the Maye case is that if cops burst into your house on a no-knock drug warrent, and you’re frightened for the life of yourself and your daughter, don’t do anything to protect said lives (like shooting at the mysterious intruders) — especially if you’re black.

Let’s summarize: Cops mistakenly break down the door of a sleeping man, late at night, as part of drug raid. Turns out, the man wasn’t named in the warrant, and wasn’t a suspect. The man, frightened for himself and his 18-month old daughter, fires at an intruder who jumps into his bedroom after the door’s been kicked in. Turns out that the man, who is black, has killed the white son of the town’s police chief. He’s later convicted and sentenced to death by a white jury. The man has no criminal record, and police rather tellingly changed their story about drugs (rather, traces of drugs) in his possession at the time of the raid.

Mistakes happen. Sometimes there are tragic results from those mistakes. But when that turns into further intentional miscarriages of justice, it points to fundamental problems that need to be addressed before we allow ourselves (as the state) to kill people because of it.