My bad on that and I did misread the 300/18 on Death Row vs. Prisoners in general. Thanks for a graceful way of noting that.
I put a bit of effort
into getting some more complete numbers, since mixing up numbers from various things I've read on this is part of why I misread the OP. Errr... Sorry
on that. Death Penalty Information Center
It's a bit shocking and this list also confirms the 18 on DNA basis...but the total since 1973 and the reinstatement of the Death Penalty according to that is 141. That's the number actually cleared, acquitted or pardoned (Not simply having sentence reduced to Life) after being sentenced to Death and serving time on a Death Row.
The above facts pose an enormous mixed issue for someone like me on feelings toward capital cases but I still have to say the DP is right. It's just a broken system we have right now and it's broken at virtually all levels. Death Row just being the worst for it being irreversible.
@ Boncho
In general to what is done with murderers, which really is the only class of crime outside treason I see that should ever fit the death penalty (anything else..literally, anything else...encourages MAKING it murder by killing victims, since it won't add to the penalty if caught
),
what is the alternative to do with those people? Is it any better or more right that we kill them by warehousing until old age wears them to death?
That is literally life without parole in it's simplest terms. It's a death sentence by other and more expensive, long term means....but everyone can
tell themselves it really isn't somehow.
