>>>>Jim, every year, prison guards and other prison employees are either killed or injured by those doing time for first-degree murder.
>>>
>>>So that possibly is an instance where the death penalty could continue to apply. I'm assuming that there would be direct video evidence of the perpetrators doing the deed.
>>>Although, since it happens even with the death penalty in place, I don't see how that would make any difference. Other than to salve the "need" of death penalty proponents.
>>
>>We have a lot of death penalty (and 'lifers' in states w/o death penalty) that have video/audio/DNA/mass number of witnesses that prove beyond a shadow of a doubt their guilt.
>>
>>There have been and I'm sure there will continue to be questionable cases, but the grand majority of death penalty cases in this country in recent history have irrefutable evidence.
>
>
>The reason executions were suspended indefinitely in Illinois (by a Republican governor, I mention only in passing) is enough people were wrongfully sent to death row. The "irrefutable" evidence was later refuted by DNA evidence and/or the confession of the real killer. The most appalling part to me was that in many cases there was malfeasance by overzealous prosecutors who were more interested in their conviction rates than justice. They railroaded suspects they had good reason to believe were innocent, withheld evidence from the defense attorney(s), and so on.

I wouldn't mind legalizing toasting attorneys who railroad someone into the death penalty. Same for anyone perjuring themselves to do it.

Of course, I wouldn't mind seeing lawyers in general used to backfill the San Andreas fault either.