As a born and raised Texan, I value justice and equality before the law above all other principles. I know I share this sentiment with many of my fellow statesmen. But, when I look at the injustices in the Texas prison system, I don’t see these values. Instead, I see a state that partakes in the arbitrary and discriminatory practice of capital punishment. If we continue implementing the death penalty, we will never live up to the principles that represent our great state.
Capital punishment is both a moral and a fiscal issue. When it comes to issues of morality, it is wise to look to our religious leaders. “When the death penalty is applied, it is not for a current act of aggression, but rather for an act committed in the past,” Pope Francis
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We must ensure all Texans the right to liberty. No matter the crimes they commit, they must be given the liberty to live.
Since 1973, 13 innocent Texans have been released from death row; they have had their personal liberty restored. These 13 individuals nearly had their lives taken from them for crimes they did not commit. Is this justice? Our justice system relies on human judgement, and humans can make mistakes. Human reason is subject to error. No victim should lose their life at the hand of the state because of a human misjudgment.
A prominent example of a victim of this inhumane practice is Texan Cameron Todd Willingham. Willingham was convicted of arson for a house fire that killed his three daughters. The jury relied on testimony of a “jailhouse snitch” that said Willingham confessed to the arson, and they sentenced Willingham to death. Willingham was executed in 2004, but six years later an investigative report by The New Yorker proved all the evidence used against Willingham invalid and that the fire was most likely accidental. A father was executed for the accidental death of his own children. This should not be possible in a country of freedom, in a country with a constituting that prohibits cruel and unusual