Tag: justice-system

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Missouri executed Marcellus Williams despite there being evidence that he was innocent. The family of the murdered woman asked that his sentence be commuted to life in prison so there was no pressure from them for execution. The county prosecutor found issues with his case and wanted further investigation. Missouri still went ahead because Williams was found guilty by a jury of his peers.

As if a jury sentence can’t be wrong when we know that human institutions are wrong all of the time. When the sentence is death, then the state should be confident that the verdict was correct. Any information that creates doubt regarding the verdict ineeds to be investigated to ensure that execution is merited.

This is why I am not a fan of capital punishment. A wrong verdict that takes away 20 years or so of a person’s life is bad enough but if the state discovers they were wrong, then the person, at least, has his life. Death can not be undone. Missouri seemed more concerned about carrying out the sentence than ensuring that the verdict was correct.

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Missouri Governor Mike Parson reduced the time for the son of Kansas City Chief coach Andy Reid DUI sentence. Parson said that Britt Reid had already exceeded the average DUI sentence which is his explanation for his action. My big question here was he looking at all DUI sentences or all DUI sentences which involved a collision and injury. Reid’s DUI involved a badly injured child which rightfully might have added to his final sentence. This clarification would be helpful in assessing Parson’s actions.

Regardless, Parson’s pardon of Reid annoys me. Britt Reid is well connected and wealthy. He may be worthy of sentence reduction but it looks terrible. How many deserving but less connected people failed to get a pardon for the DUI conviction?

It may not be fishy but it certainly looks fishy. Even if Reid was serving more time than the usual DUI perp, appearances matter. It looks unfair when someone with connections gets a lighter sentence because everyone knows then that the rich and the connected get breaks that the rest of us don’t. It isn’t a good look for the law.

Parson can deny that connections had anything to do with it but it would be a lie. Reid got brought to his attention because Reid’s father was Andy Reid. Reid could pay for lawyers to do all the right things to get their client off the hook. Even if everything Parson did was above board, and I have no reason to suspect otherwise, there is a perception problem about justice in this country and this just confirms that it is unfair.