Quote:
Originally posted by Lady Sidhe
The odds of an innocent person actually being executed are low. Why? Because they're more likely to spend the rest of their lives in prison, due to endless appeals.
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That's silly. If you hadn't referred back to it later, I would have written it off as a joke.
For that "argument" to have any meaning, the following would have to be true:
1) Most people who appeal all the way are innocent.
2) Most innocent people can and do appeal all the way.
3) The appeal process takes long enough for most people in it to die of old age.
The likelyhood of a full appeal process is only partially based on guilt - an innocent person is less likely to give up. Primarily, it is based on whether the first trials were handled correctly, how much and what sort of public attention the trial received, and how much money is available for the appeal. All of these are weighted against the poor and minorities.