12 Texas Executions Set For Next 4 Months

Texas has long been the most blood-thirsty state in the union, but even though they continued to lead the nation in executions, the number of executions carried out in the last couple of years fell off rather sharply. In 2011 only 13 executions were done, and in 2012 the figure was 15. I had hoped that my home state was gradually coming to its senses, and that soon that number might be down to single digits (or even none at all).

But it looks like Texas officials are putting an end to any speculation like that. They now have at least 12 executions scheduled over the next four months -- 6 in April, 3 in May, and 3 more in July. That should significantly jack up the number of state-sanctioned murders for 2013.

Don't get me wrong. I am not for releasing violent criminals to once again prey on the law-abiding public. Assuming their guilt (something not assured with our broken justice system), these death row inmates have considered some horrible crimes -- and I don't think they should ever walk Texas streets again. But isn't spending the rest of their lives behind bars enough?

It might be different if we could be assured that our justice system worked as it is supposed to (and as too many believe it does). But the fact is that in recent years at least 18 people have been released from death row because DNA proved they were innocent. How many more innocent people are sitting on death row -- some of them unable to be exonerated by DNA (because no DNA was left at the crime scene)? If there is even one, that is far too many -- and no state can ever justify the execution of a single innocent person.

When was the last time a rich person was executed? I don't remember it happening at all. While we like to think that justice is blind, and all criminal defendants are treated equally in our courts -- it is simply not true. Money and race are big factors in the outcomes of many trials, and our system will not be fair until that is no longer true. How can we justify condemning people to death, when we know that our system of justice is not fair? What kind of society does that make us?

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Let me also take this opportunity to give a pat on the back to my own alma mater -- Texas Wesleyan University. As a part of their Willson Lecture series, they have scheduled Sister Helen Prejean (pictured above), author of Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the U.S. and a noted opponent of the death penalty, to speak at the university on April 11th at 7:00pm. The event will be held at the University Methodist Church sanctuary (on the southeast corner of the TWU campus). It is free, and it is open to the general public. If you live in or near the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex, I urge you to consider going to hear this lady speak.