NewsVine_Mariyam
Platinum Member
I understand the arguments both for and against the death penalty, in response to this ruling however the news video made a good point. The only reason prosecutors were able to get the cooperation of the Green River killer Gary Ridgeway was because they were able to use the threat of the avoidance of the death penalty to strike a deal. Some people in my opinion deserve the same fate that they inflicted upon their victims and I think the option of being able to sentence those very aggregious offenders to death when it's certain that they committed the crime is something that should be available.
Washington Supreme Court tosses out state's death penalty
Washington Supreme Court tosses out state's death penalty
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington state's Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the death penalty, as applied, violates its Constitution.
The ruling Thursday makes Washington the latest state to do away with capital punishment. The court was unanimous in its order that the eight people currently on death row have their sentences converted to life in prison. Five justices said the "death penalty is invalid because it is imposed in an arbitrary and racially biased manner."
"Given the manner in which it is imposed, the death penalty also fails to serve any legitimate penological goals," the justices wrote.
Four other justices, in a concurrence, wrote that while they agreed with the majority's conclusions and invalidation of the death penalty, "additional state constitutional principles compel this result."
Gov. Jay Inslee, a one-time supporter of capital punishment, had imposed a moratorium on the death penalty in 2014, saying that no executions would take place while he's in office.
In a written statement, Inslee called the ruling "a hugely important moment in our pursuit for equal and fair application of justice."
"The court makes it perfectly clear that capital punishment in our state has been imposed in an 'arbitrary and racially biased manner,' is 'unequally applied' and serves no criminal justice goal," Inslee wrote.
The ruling Thursday makes Washington the latest state to do away with capital punishment. The court was unanimous in its order that the eight people currently on death row have their sentences converted to life in prison. Five justices said the "death penalty is invalid because it is imposed in an arbitrary and racially biased manner."
"Given the manner in which it is imposed, the death penalty also fails to serve any legitimate penological goals," the justices wrote.
Four other justices, in a concurrence, wrote that while they agreed with the majority's conclusions and invalidation of the death penalty, "additional state constitutional principles compel this result."
Gov. Jay Inslee, a one-time supporter of capital punishment, had imposed a moratorium on the death penalty in 2014, saying that no executions would take place while he's in office.
In a written statement, Inslee called the ruling "a hugely important moment in our pursuit for equal and fair application of justice."
"The court makes it perfectly clear that capital punishment in our state has been imposed in an 'arbitrary and racially biased manner,' is 'unequally applied' and serves no criminal justice goal," Inslee wrote.