Robert Smith: “I am a supporter of the death penalty. I believe there are some times when humankind can act in a manner so odious so…”

“I am a supporter of the death penalty. I believe there are some times when humankind can act in a manner so odious so heinous, and so depraved that the right to life is forfeited. Notwithstanding this belief--indeed, because of this belief--I rise today to talk about the importance of protecting innocent people in this country from wrongful imprisonment and execution. Today, Senator Leahy and I are introducing the Innocence Protection Act of 2000 that will use the technological advances of the 21st century to ensure that justice is served swiftly and fairly. It has been difficult to open a newspaper in recent months without finding discussion of the death penalty and possible miscarriages of justice. You have almost certainly seen or heard reports of inmates being freed from death row based on results of new genetic tests that were unavailable at the time of trial. There have been a number of cases where this has, in fact, occurred. This is a cause for concern for a number of cases. First and foremost, of course, is the possibility that an innocent person could lose his or her life if wrongfully convicted. In such cases, this also leads to the double tragedy that the true guilty party remains free to roam the country in search of future victims. Clearly, capturing and convicting the true perpetrator of a crime is in everyone's best interests.”