PENNSYLVANIA DEATH PENALTY; PHILADELPHA INQUIRER; "LIFE IS A BETTER CHOICE"; THE "BIG PROBLEM": DNA ONLY AVAILABLE IN SMALL NUMBER OF CASES;

"Thanks to the increased use of DNA evidence, 265 people have been exonerated since 1989 of crimes they did not commit. Seventeen of the people who were wrongfully convicted spent time on death row.

That includes Nicholas Yarris, who spent 22 years on death row for a murder in Pennsylvania before DNA evidence proved he was not the killer. He was released in 2003.

If the execution process had been streamlined, as Rendell advocates, then Yarris might have been put to death for a crime he did not commit. Others have not been as lucky as Yarris, who "only" spent more than two decades behind bars after his wrongful conviction.

DNA testing also recently proved that Claude Jones did not murder a liquor store owner in 1989. Sadly, the DNA test was not done until after Jones had been executed in 2000.

It is not known how many others may have been wrongly put to death. The big problem is that DNA evidence is only available in a very small number of cases."

EDITORIAL: THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER;

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"Ed Rendell was half right when he talked about the problems surrounding the death penalty in his waning days as governor," the Philadelphia Inquirer editorial published on January 24, 2011 under the heading, "Life is the better choice," begins.

"Rendell called on the General Assembly to either streamline the process or do away with capital punishment," the editorial continues.

"Eliminating the death penalty is the part Rendell got right. Rendell's point that the lengthy appeals process effectively renders death row meaningless is understood. He signed 119 death warrants in his eight years as governor, but no one was executed.

Rendell's suggestion of swifter executions, however, is not the answer. In fact, such a move is in direct conflict with the main problem concerning capital punishment: A person can be put to death for a crime he did not commit. Speeding up the process could lead to more wrongful executions.

Thanks to the increased use of DNA evidence, 265 people have been exonerated since 1989 of crimes they did not commit. Seventeen of the people who were wrongfully convicted spent time on death row.

That includes Nicholas Yarris, who spent 22 years on death row for a murder in Pennsylvania before DNA evidence proved he was not the killer. He was released in 2003.

If the execution process had been streamlined, as Rendell advocates, then Yarris might have been put to death for a crime he did not commit. Others have not been as lucky as Yarris, who "only" spent more than two decades behind bars after his wrongful conviction.

DNA testing also recently proved that Claude Jones did not murder a liquor store owner in 1989. Sadly, the DNA test was not done until after Jones had been executed in 2000.

It is not known how many others may have been wrongly put to death. The big problem is that DNA evidence is only available in a very small number of cases.

Other evidence - including eyewitness testimony - has been shown to be unreliable. In fact, misidentification by eyewitnesses was the leading cause of 75 percent of the wrongful convictions later overturned as a result of irrefutable DNA evidence.

Rendell, who supports the death penalty, is right in saying the endless appeals process revictimizes victims' families and too often wastes money.

A 2009 study by the Death Penalty Information Center found states spend hundreds of millions of dollars on capital punishment, but police chiefs say the death penalty does little to reduce violent crime.

In fact, some states saw their murder rates go up after the death penalty was implemented.

New Jersey eliminated the death penalty in 2007. Pennsylvania should do the same. It will save taxpayers' money, and it may save innocent lives."

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The editorial can be found at:

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20110124_Inquirer_Editorial__Life_is_the_better_choice.html

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be accessed at:

http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith

For a breakdown of some of the cases, issues and controversies this Blog is currently following, please turn to:

http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2010/08/new-feature-cases-issues-and_15.html

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog; hlevy15@gmail.com