US Supreme Court Justice Stevens slams death penalty flaws News
US Supreme Court Justice Stevens slams death penalty flaws

[JURIST] In a speech to the American Bar Association [official website] annual meeting in Chicago this weekend, US Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens [Wikipedia profile] noted "serious flaws'' in the American capital punishment system, though he stopped short of saying it should be completely done away with. Stevens pointed to recent exonerations, jury-selection processes, and statements from victims' families as areas in the death penalty system that need to be reviewed. The frank comments were made in Illinois, Stevens' home state and a place that has been a hotbed of capital punishment debate since a moratorium on executions was instituted [JURIST report] in 2000 following ths discovery of a number of wrongful convictions. AP has more. The ABA Journal provides local coverage.