The War Against Terror turns on Death Row inmates

The war against terrorism is now being turned against Death Row prisoners in America as George Bush desperately seeks a presidential legacy before he leaves the Whitehouse. The move is designed to remove the right of appeal of prisoners sentenced to death and speed up their executions. Whilst Governor of Texas, George Bush, set the record for the highest number of State executions. That must make the Red Neck feel proud at having so much blood on his hands. The plan is to make the Attorney General and the Justice Department the final arbiter on whether an execution should go ahead, rather than at present where the decision rests with the federal courts. As the US Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, is pro the death penalty, this will mean that there will be a bias against the inmates on Death Row.

America killed one Death Row inmate per week last year. However, "To date, 123 prisoners sentenced to die have been proved innocent and released. Anti-death penalty activists and lawyers have raised serious doubts about hundreds of others". Recently, I reported on the case of the Brit who was on Death Row for 20 years before having his death sentence overturned by a court.

Related article. A nation's brutal approach to punishment.