Thread by @PatinkinMandy

Stop the execution of Julius Jones. At 19 years old, he was convicted of a murder he says he did not commit. He's lived on death row for 21 years, held in solitary confinement for 23 hrs a day and is allowed one hour of sunlight a day. Please read thread. change.org/p/julius-jones…

Julius was a 19-year-old student athlete with a promising future, attending the University of Oklahoma on an academic scholarship. It is clear that Julius’ lawyer did not adequately defend him, and that explicit racial bias played a significant role in the process.

Eyewitnesses place Mr. Jones at his parents’ home at the time of the murder, miles away from the crime scene. Mr. Jones’ co-defendant admitted to being involved in the crime and is now free after testifying against Julius. He was heard bragging that he “set Julius up.”...

Mr. Jones’ co-defendant matches the only eyewitness description of the shooter based on the length of his hair. Newly-discovered evidence shows that at least one juror harbored racial prejudice that influenced his vote to convict and sentence Mr. Jones to death...

One juror reported telling the judge about another juror who said the trial was a waste of time and “they should just take the n***** out and shoot him behind the jail.”

"Eighteen people have been proven innocent & exonerated by DNA testing in the United States after serving time on death row. They were convicted in 11 states & served a combined 229 years in prison – including 202 years on death row – for crimes they didn’t commit." - @innocence

Those are just the cases where they were successful in proving innocence. How many others among the 1,533 people the US executed since the 70's have been innocent? Here are a few examples from innocenceproject.org

Kirk Bloodsworth
served eight years in Maryland prison – including two years on death row – for a murder and rape he didn’t commit, before he was exonerated in 1993.

Robert Miller
spent nine years on Oklahoma’s death row for a murder and rape he didn’t commit before he was cleared by DNA testing in 1998.

Earl Washington served a decade on death row, once coming within nine days of execution before receiving a stay. He would serve a total of 17 years behind bars before DNA testing obtained by the Innocence Project cleared him in 2000.

Damon Thibodeaux spent 15 years on death row in Louisiana before he was exonerated in 2012. A prosecution expert who aided in the reinvestigation of his case concluded that the threat of the death penalty contributed to why he falsely confessed to the murder of his cousin.

There are a thousand reasons to abolish the death penalty the fact that many people on death row have been exonerated is a good one. #JusticeForJulius follow
@innocence
and learn more at innocenceproject.org #KeepDoingTheGoodWork

A misinformed reason some use in support of the death penalty is “Why should my tax dollars pay to keep them alive?” Well, Death penalty cases are more expensive! On average, death penalty trials cost 48% more than trials where the prosecution sought a sentence of life in prison.

“Why so expensive?
Legal costs: Almost all who face the death penalty cannot afford their own attorney. The state must assign public defenders/appointed lawyers to represent them (the accepted practice is to assign two lawyers), and pay for the costs of the prosecution as well...

Pre-trial costs: DP cases are more complicated than non-DP & take longer to go to trial. Experts are often needed on forensic evidence, mental health + background & life history of the defendant. County taxpayers pick up the costs of added security & longer pre-trial detention...

Jury selection: Because of the need to question jurors thoroughly on their views about the death penalty, jury selection in capital cases is much more time consuming and expensive....

Trial: Death-penalty trials can last more than four times longer than non-capital trials, requiring juror and attorney compensation, in addition to court personnel and other related costs...

Incarceration: Most death rows involve solitary confinement in a special facility. These require more security and other accommodations as the prisoners are kept for 23 hours a day in their cells.

Appeals: To minimize mistakes, prisoners are entitled to appeals. Costs are borne at taxpayers’ expense. Appeals are essential because some inmates have come within hours of execution before evidence was uncovered proving their innocence.” deathpenaltyinfo.org

“SC just halted 2 scheduled electric chair executions to allow more time for death row prisoners to decide if they'd prefer a firing squad execution instead. This absurdity’s the product of the US Supreme Court's backwards, regressive 8th Amendment jurisprudence.” @helenprejean