Eve of Destruction
So yesterday I was busy. I was too busy in fact to write about what I was doing. My morning started in another county at their detention center. We had to interview a 3rd party to the death penalty case for about an hour. Being in prison at 9am is not fun. I can't imagine how "unfun" it must be for the inmates. Then we saw an alleged sex offender. He was far more worried about his petty forgery charge than his four class A felonies for child sexual abuse. He wants to go to trial. Good luck sir, this is Kentucky. The afternoon wrapped up with the death penalty case hearings. The judge decided to deny all motions from all defense filed. No separate trial. No continuance. No exclusion of the death penalty. Trial in 9 days. Giddy-up.
I must say that one of the hardest things I have seen was a discussion between counsel and a defendant over what the death penalty means versus life without parole for twenty-five years. That means that the first time hes eligible is after doing twenty-five years. Most people are not granted parole on their first time. More than likely he'd serve forty or so years before being released. That amounts to a death sentence in forty years, as most prisoners don't really live as long as the national average, or a death sentence in fifteen years when he would be up for injection. Its a hard decision to make. I hope I never have to make it myself. It has at least let me see the other side in a case and to respect the threat of death in any criminal case. For the state to seek the death penalty, it should not be in order to invoke a squeeze play for a sentence. I shall try to not play with death in such a capricious manner when the choice to seek it is left up to me.
My externship director visited the office to make sure I hadn't done anything too horrid. I seem to have gotten a decent report. I mean, I am staying on after my hours are done because I like it, they like me, and I am even doing it for free.
I must say that one of the hardest things I have seen was a discussion between counsel and a defendant over what the death penalty means versus life without parole for twenty-five years. That means that the first time hes eligible is after doing twenty-five years. Most people are not granted parole on their first time. More than likely he'd serve forty or so years before being released. That amounts to a death sentence in forty years, as most prisoners don't really live as long as the national average, or a death sentence in fifteen years when he would be up for injection. Its a hard decision to make. I hope I never have to make it myself. It has at least let me see the other side in a case and to respect the threat of death in any criminal case. For the state to seek the death penalty, it should not be in order to invoke a squeeze play for a sentence. I shall try to not play with death in such a capricious manner when the choice to seek it is left up to me.
My externship director visited the office to make sure I hadn't done anything too horrid. I seem to have gotten a decent report. I mean, I am staying on after my hours are done because I like it, they like me, and I am even doing it for free.