Statesman Editorial Board on Death Penalty Doubts

The Editorial Board of the Austin American Statesman published an editorial on September 12th ("It's Hard Not to Have Death Penalty Doubts") regarding Perry's assertion during the September 7th Republican debate that his conscience has never been troubled by the large number of inmates put to death in Texas during his time as governor.  Over applause from the bloodthirsty audience, Perry explained his reasoning: "The State of Texas has a very thoughtful, a very clear process in place (in) which when someone commits the most heinous of crimes against our citizens, they get a fair hearing, they go through an appellate process, they go up to the Supreme Court of the United States, if that's required." 

To those of us who, like the Statesman's Editorial Board, have grave doubts with regard to the infallibility of our criminal justice system, this kind of blithe certainty sounds, at best, disingenuous.  In fact, Perry's record displays a marked unwillingness to even consider cases where breakthroughs in forensic science may have cast new light on the appeals of death row inmates.  Although the editorial only hints at the facts surrounding the 2004 execution of Cameron Todd Willingham, it is widely known that in 2009 Perry replaced key members of the Texas Forensic Science Commission two days before they were scheduled to meet to discuss new evidence that may have led to Willingham's posthumous exoneration.

The editorial's author attempts to stay away from inflammatory statements while dealing with a subject that is highly emotional for many people. Thus, it seems that the author hopes to reach readers who are still on the fence regarding the death penalty.  Rather than stake a hard position on the death penalty itself, the author casts doubt on Perry's apparent absolute certainty, and invites readers to consider the implications.  This approach lends credibility to the author, in that many people tune out the more strident voices in an already heated debate.  Through a measured presentation of facts, critique of Perry's own public statements, and a judicious call for more public scrutiny, the author ably shifts an emotionally fraught topic toward a hopefully more dispassionate dialogue.