Justice Delayed…

Paul Ezra Rhoades is going to be put to death for the 1987 murders of two people. He was convicted in 1988, 22 years ago.

And Rhoades is not the longest serving death row inmate. That “honor” goes to Gene Francis Stuart, who was sentenced 29 years ago to die for the torture death of a 3 year old boy. There are four others with current death sentences that have been waiting for their execution for more than 20 years.  While I understand that we all want to be careful making sure that executions are done to the right people, doesn’t anyone else think that 30 years of appeals for the obviously and manifestly guilty is obscene. In Stuart’s case, the wait for his execution has been nearly 10 times the short life of his victim.

It’s no wonder that prosecutors didn’t push for the death penalty in the Robert Manwill case.  If Daniel Ehrlick were sentenced to death, the odds are he would die of old age before he was executed.

Note to legislators and judges: Streamline this appeals process, so that it’s humane to the victims’ families. This forever wait for justice blunts the purpose of the death penalty which is to express society’s strongest sanction against the most heinous crimes. If we’re going to wait 30 years to carry out the execution few  even remember  why we’re doing this, then why bother with the death penalty? Do we just have a need to keep the court’s busy? Either streamline the appeals or end the thing. As it is right now, Idaho’s death row is a joke.

Update: A reminder via Don Surber that Idaho isn’t alone in this problem:

Since 1978 when California reinstated capital punishment, 54 condemned inmates have died from natural causes, 19 committed suicide, 13 were executed in California, one was executed in Missouri and six died from other causes, including murder.

When 4 times as many people are dying of natural causes as are being executed, the system is failing.