Giles Perkins calls for a moratorium on Alabama's death penalty until it is fairly administered.
Attorney General candidate Giles Perkins calls today for a moratorium on Alabama's death penalty. Said Perkins, "We have a broken system, and we should not execute another person until it is fixed. There are a lot of guilty people on death row but we can't take the risk of executing anyone who is innocent. This is a moral issue."
A 2006 American Bar Association study identified a number of serious flaws in Alabama’s death penalty process. These include:
· Inadequate indigent defense services
· Lack of appellate defense counsel
· Lack of a statute protecting people with mental retardation
· Lack of a post-conviction DNA testing statute
· Inadequate proportionality review
· Lack of effective limitations to "heinous, atrocious, or cruel" aggravating circumstance
· Capitol Juror Confusion
Perkins agrees these are serious problems, and they need to be addressed.
Perkins believes the most important reforms are those to ensure all defendants, no matter their financial means, have competent counsel and access to technology, like DNA testing.
Perkins commented, "We need to provide all defendants good lawyers and good science to make sure we get it right. We should not execute an innocent person while the real killer walks the streets."
Giles Perkins is an attorney practicing in Birmingham since 1992, and he is running as a Democrat to become Alabama's next Attorney General.
(Source: Project Hope)
Campaign 2010: Democratic attorney general candidates favor death penalty study
James Anderson and Giles Perkins are Democratic candidates for Alabama attorney general.
The 2 candidates in the Democratic primary runoff for Alabama attorney general want a review of how the death penalty is administered and one is calling for a moratorium on executions.
Birmingham attorney Giles Perkins said Thursday if elected he would ask the Legislature to approve a moratorium to make sure the death penalty is being administered fairly.
His opponent in the July 13 runoff, Montgomery lawyer James Anderson, said he wants the attorney general's office to study the issue first. If problems are found, he said he would then favor a moratorium.
Their positions on the death penalty assure there will be an issue dividing the Democratic runoff winner and Republican nominee Luther Strange.
A Birmingham attorney, Strange said he supports the death penalty and would oppose a moratorium.
(Source: The Associated Press)
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