Orrin Hatch: “the issue of the death penalty in our country continues to spark significant debate. The recent Supreme Court decisions…”

“the issue of the death penalty in our country continues to spark significant debate. The recent Supreme Court decisions addressing capital punishment underscore the importance of this issue to the American people. It is an issue that engenders great passion, both among its supporters and among its opponents. The American people believe in the death penalty, especially for terrorists who have killed thousands of Americans. And all of us agree that the death penalty must be imposed fairly and accurately. I have stated on numerous occasions my views on the death penalty. It is the ultimate punishment and it should be reserved only for those defendants who commit the most heinous of crimes. I am firmly convinced that we must be vigilant in ensuring that capital punishment is meted out fairly against those truly guilty criminals. We cannot and should not tolerate defects in the capital punishment system. No one can disagree with this ultimate and solemn responsibility. In the last decade, DNA testing has evolved as the most reliable forensic technique for identifying criminals when biological evidence is recovered. While DNA testing is now standard in pre-trial investigations today, the issue of post-conviction DNA testing has emerged in recent years as the technology for such testing has improved. The integrity of our criminal justice system and in particular, our death penalty system, can be enhanced with the appropriate use of DNA testing.”