Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Chapel Hill isn't rolling right along
Coventry woman abducted at gunpoint; ex-boyfriend arrested after 100-mph chase
New eateries expand menu of options
Akron City Council OKs higher speed on I-77
Patrick McManamon: Here's what the Browns should try the rest of the season
Suitcase causes bomb scare at Akron bus terminal
Stark County engineer dies at 49
Man says he was punched, robbed by 3 people in parking lot
Blogs:
Pets:
First Person: Inside St. Louis Pit Bull Shelter
The Heldenfiles:
Tuesday Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
Allen Iverson to the Cavs? Stop the madness!
Akron Zips:
Interview with a Temple blogger
Tribe Matters:
Indians announce spring dates
Cleveland Browns:
Quinn tabbed to start against Ravens Monday night
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – November 11
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Cavs: Yeah, on That Issue of Privacy
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes Roll 100-60 / Season Outlook
Varsity Letters:
Twinsburg likes chances, but warns offense needs to deliver
All Da King's Men:
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Simply Incapable of Telling The Truth
Akron Law Café:
Study says 2,200 uninsured veterans died in 2008 due to lack of health insurance.
See Jane Style:
Muffle Your Muffler
Car Chase:
Clock Tender- Extending the Life of Collector Car Clocks
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Rumors: Akron Starbucks Closing
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Kimberly requests information on living in Columbus, Ohio.
Sound Check:
Aeromsith looking for new singer as Steven Tyler contemplates solo career
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – Why People Do Not Live in Northeast Ohio
Akron Gamer:
Video: 'Modern Warfare 2' hits the streets
The problem of mistaken eyewitnesses and false confessions
Published on Friday, Oct 12, 2007
As it is, the bar evaluation rightly called for Gov. Ted Strickland to suspend capital punishment in the state until further assessment and action allows for improved public confidence in the system.
What can be done?
The bar report gives Ohio credit for already moving in the right direction. Law enforcement officers must complete many hours of precise training that includes work on interrogations and lineups. The courts may admit expert testimony involving the reliability of eyewitness identifications. Roughly two dozen law enforcement agencies in the state ''regularly record some or all'' interrogations, providing a critical check against coerced or false confessions.
The objective should be to build on such efforts. The bar report recommends that the state require all law enforcement agencies to adopt procedures covering identifications and interrogations. That isn't the case now. As part of such procedures, law enforcement agencies should record via videotape all interrogations in homicide cases at police offices, courthouses, detention centers and the like. It isn't expensive. The technology is easy to handle. (Even an audio recording improves the process.)
Similarly, the bar report recommended that the state mandate lineup procedures, ensuring the use of best practices from across the country.
These are relatively simple steps to improve the process of the death penalty. Again, they are not designed to make things easier for the accused. They serve the interests of all Ohioans. They provide an element of protection against an irreversible error, executing an innocent person. The governor should not allow the machinery of capital punishment to grind further without moving ahead on this front.
This is the third in a set of editorials on why Ohio should suspend its death penalty.
As it is, the bar evaluation rightly called for Gov. Ted Strickland to suspend capital punishment in the state until further assessment and action allows for improved public confidence in the system.
What can be done?
The bar report gives Ohio credit for already moving in the right direction. Law enforcement officers must complete many hours of precise training that includes work on interrogations and lineups. The courts may admit expert testimony involving the reliability of eyewitness identifications. Roughly two dozen law enforcement agencies in the state ''regularly record some or all'' interrogations, providing a critical check against coerced or false confessions.
The objective should be to build on such efforts. The bar report recommends that the state require all law enforcement agencies to adopt procedures covering identifications and interrogations. That isn't the case now. As part of such procedures, law enforcement agencies should record via videotape all interrogations in homicide cases at police offices, courthouses, detention centers and the like. It isn't expensive. The technology is easy to handle. (Even an audio recording improves the process.)
Similarly, the bar report recommended that the state mandate lineup procedures, ensuring the use of best practices from across the country.
These are relatively simple steps to improve the process of the death penalty. Again, they are not designed to make things easier for the accused. They serve the interests of all Ohioans. They provide an element of protection against an irreversible error, executing an innocent person. The governor should not allow the machinery of capital punishment to grind further without moving ahead on this front.
This is the third in a set of editorials on why Ohio should suspend its death penalty.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
