Texas May Get Life Without Parole Option

[shawn703]

In Texas, the state that leads the nation in executions, lawmakers are considering an option already available in all but one other death penalty state: life without parole.

Death penalty opponents think a sentence that would ensure murderers never get back on the streets would make a death sentence less appealing. Currently, juries in Texas capital murder cases here have two choices -- death or life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years.

A measure approving life without parole passed the Senate last month but has stalled in the House, with the session set to end May 30.

"It's frustrating to see something so important to the criminal justice system not move forward," said Sen. Eddie Lucio, who has sponsored a life-without-parole bill for the past four sessions.


more...
http://www.heraldsun.com/firstnews/37-609536.html

[Catherine Vincent]

1. I hope it passes. Texas need to rid itself of the death penalty.

[MADem]

2. I agree, how silly that they do not have that option already

Of course, it interferes with the 'culture of death (penalty)' that the 'eye for an eye' types have going for them...

[Lone_Star_Dem]

4. Even sillier is the argument against it

The opponents of this say it would confuse jurors too much if there were that option instead of just putting the person to death. I say, if you are trusting a juror to decide if another should be found guilty on a charge that can put them to death, why can't you trust them to decide guilt if there's another option in punishment?

:banghead:

[Finn MacCool]

8. It doesn't make sense that this was not always an option for the juries.

[Rose Siding]

3. Houston Chron: Life sentence bill may stall under DA's opposition

Chuck Rosenthal says life without parole will lead to fewer pleas and more trials

AUSTIN - A Senate bill to give juries the option of life without parole for capital murder cases has stalled in the House under key opposition from Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal.

Senate Bill 60 is in limbo in the House Calendars Committee, which schedules all bills for floor debate. Senate bills must receive preliminary approval in the House by midnight Tuesday.

The Senate passed the bill April 14, and the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee passed a revised version on April 20.

Proponents of life without parole said there is sufficient support to pass the bill in the House, but they fear that two members of the Calendars Committee, Chairman Beverly Woolley, R-Houston, and Corbin Van Arsdale, R-Tomball, are holding up the bill.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3191954

I don't see how he arrives at that conclusion. Seems like more would deal if the death penalty were off the table. (?)

[Lone_Star_Dem]

6. That makes no sense what-so-ever.

It's as insane as the reason I gave in my post above.

If someone has committed capital murder they're more willing to plead guilty if they know they are going to put be to death, rather than if they were to get life in prison?! If that's true then it means prison is the worse of the two punishments and what a convicted murder deserves. Right?

[gratuitous]

5. But, but, but . . .

Whaddya mean, they still have crime in Texas? Hell, they've been offing people for decades at rates that even the most bloodthirsty have to admire, and all that deterrence hasn't made Texas crime free yet? How can that possibly be?

[rainbow4321]

7. Meanhile Dallas cops get more time at the donut shop....

Police may not show for petty crimes

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/052105dnmetresponse.c96cf759.html

The Police Department is struggling with limited manpower, high crime and slow response times to calls for help. Police officials hope that by not sending officers to investigate some noncritical thefts and lost-property reports they can lower response times for more life-threatening calls, such as murders and rapes.

Last year, the department's average response time to life-threatening emergency calls – such as violent crime – was close to its goal of eight minutes. But the second most important category of calls – such as major accidents, fights or domestic violence calls – was more than 16 minutes, well above the department's goal of 10 minutes.

"We're always exploring ways to reduce response times and to be able to better respond to more important calls," said Sam Johnson, Police Chief David Kunkle's chief of staff.


If police no longer responded to some noncritical theft and lost-property calls, people would report such incidents at the police station, by phone or, in the future, via the Internet. Last year, it took patrol officers an average of 55 minutes to respond to such calls.