Today's Pueblo Chieftain publishes the editorial, "Deterring crime," on the case of Harry Carl Mapps.
Although sentencing an individual to death isn’t the most pleasant outcome the court can order, we continue to believe that the harsh punishment remains a strong deterrent for some inclined to commit violent crimes.
We would, however, suggest that the courts address the lengthy appeals process that often leaves an inmate on death row for 10, 15 or even 20 years before a sentence is carried out. Colorado’s Supreme Court ought to change the appeal rules to help expedite the whole process.
We recognize that those accused of a crime have the right to appeal their conviction. Heaven knows, a number of convicted criminals have been exonerated of their crimes through appeals.
Earlier coverage from Colorado begins with the preceding post. Related posts are in the deterrence and editorial category indexes. Also available, coverage of a megastudy of deterrence conducted by the National Research Council in 2012.
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