Sen. Hank Sanders said Tuesday he will be pushing for Alabama to halt executions when legislators get together in Montgomery Feb. 5.This will be the eighth time Sanders has made such a proposal. So far, the move has never been approved by either the Alabama Senate or House.
We hope this time is different.
While some of Sanders’ supporters in this move say the moratorium is necessary because the death penalty is immoral, that “two wrongs don’t make a right,” the fact that people are being executed on the rulings of an admittedly flawed legal system is more of a concern.
Since the advent of DNA testing and other modern forensic techniques, a number of death-row cases have been overturned. Other prisoners serving lengthy, even life sentences, have been freed on the new evidence.
Likewise, study after study has shown that all people are not equal in the eyes of the law — and that’s especially true when taking factors such as economic status and race into consideration.
We are in no way advocating that our justice system go easy on criminals, but the death penalty is an irrevocable act — if the courts make a mistake that is discovered after the execution, there’s no way to remedy the situation.
In fact, given the number of people who have been freed from prison on new evidence, it’s more likely than not that innocent people have been mistakenly executed in this country already.
That’s a horrible possibility to have to face.
Given the stakes involved and the fallibility of the legal system here, we hope other legislators follow Sanders’ lead this time and approve the moratorium.
