I fully agree with this commentary. The power of the governor can and should be used in specific cases when the governor feels that there are new facts or that a miscarriage of justice has occurred.
Mass clemency does not meet that test and ignores the specifics of each case.
My father’s murderer, Paul N. Henderson, was convicted and sentenced to death in 2001. It’s 2018, and his automatic appeal is yet to be heard. The length of time to hear these appeals is an injustice by itself. But a greater injustice would be for a governor to grant mass clemency for all on death row without regard to specific circumstances.
Let the legal process run its course and let’s not forget the voice of the victims who can no longer advocate for themselves.
Death penalty
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Duane Baker, Temecula
I fully agree with this commentary. The power of the governor can and should be used in specific cases when the governor feels that there are new facts or that a miscarriage of justice has occurred.
Mass clemency does not meet that test and ignores the specifics of each case.
My father’s murderer, Paul N. Henderson, was convicted and sentenced to death in 2001. It’s 2018, and his automatic appeal is yet to be heard. The length of time to hear these appeals is an injustice by itself. But a greater injustice would be for a governor to grant mass clemency for all on death row without regard to specific circumstances.
Let the legal process run its course and let’s not forget the voice of the victims who can no longer advocate for themselves.
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