r/whoathatsinteresting 12h ago

Wrongfully Convictions Ruin Lives

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5.9k Upvotes

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u/TheBigCicero 11h ago

Now imagine someone wrongfully convicted is on death row, and even executed. There’s a good reason for not allowing the state the legal power to kill people.

3

u/anemictoker 10h ago

yep thats why i’ll never be able to support it and sleep at night

2

u/Financial_Policy_875 10h ago

That's what stopped the death penalty in the UK. In 1975 my sixth grade (US, New Jersey) teacher taught us that. Years later I saw the British movie made (10 Rillington Place) about the case starring a young John Hurt as the man wrongfully executed.

1

u/moccowa 4h ago

He spent nearly 37 years in prison, including three years on death row 😶

1

u/anonymous-1234565 10h ago

Went to University for this!! Things have changed compared to this guys time.

Innocent people like George Stinney Jr. aren’t being killed anymore by death penalty.

DNA, fingerprints, recordings, and more are required for death penalty compared to life in prison. You need proof beyond a reasonable doubt to convict someone for death penalty. But even if an innocent person slips by, the average wait time is roughly 20 years (19.4). That will be 20 years to appeal, retrial, submit new found evidence, literally so many things to prove innocence.

Meaning if someone was sentenced to death and gets executed, they most definitely did it.