Post by tcrashfx on Apr 16, 2007 3:45:56 GMT -5
By Brian Lazenby Staff Writer
As corrections authorities evaluate the procedures for taking a condemned inmate’s life in Tennessee, a Democratic state lawmaker is seeking a top-to-bottom review of the death penalty.
State Sen. Doug Jackson’s bill calling for a committee to review how and when the death penalty should be applied is set for discussion Tuesday in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“I’m very much a supporter of the death penalty, but I don’t support a death penalty where innocent people are executed,” the Dickson, Tenn., legislator said. “This bill attempts to do the responsible thing by making sure it is a guilty person that is on death row and not someone who is innocent.”
Hamilton County District Attorney Bill Cox said he supports both the legislation and Gov. Phil Bredesen’s 90-day moratorium on executions to update protocols.
