Summary

Footage Information

CONUS Archive
266564
DEATH PENALTY REFORM (2001)
WASHINGTON, DC
TVD
3/7/2001
23:55
3:05
1) Senator Patrick Leahy / D-VT 2) Senator Gordon Smith / R-OR 3) Representative Sheila Jackson Lee / D-TX 4) Senator Russ Feingold / D-WI
Congresspeople at podium w/ cuts
A bipartisan Senate-House coalition has re-introduced death penalty reform legislation. The coalition has re-launched the Innocence Protection Act to renew a year old push for death penalty reform.
(SUGGESTED TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO) 00:00 So the issue is we have worked very carefully over the break with prosecutors and defense attorneys and judges and law enforcement to craft a bill that will work. This one will work, it will give a greater sense of justice, it will improve our criminal justice system. But it will give the criminal justice system the credibility it needs. This is not an Illinois problem, or a Texas problem. Or even as we saw recently, a Virginia problem. This is a problem in every single state, whether they have the death penalty or not, it is the problem of people being sentenced, either to death or for very long periods of time when they're innocent of the crime. And I leave you with one 00:46 word of this bill to be reintroduced one more time. Because I think it is so important that when when when we're playing with people's lives, and life is at issue, we must leave no stone unturned and no technology unutilized when we have it within our power to know whether we have the perpetrator or an innocent person. And so this bill, in my view is the technology the 21st century that we need to bring to this important issue. DNA is not in every case, but where it should be it will be and the sun 01:29 do a good job. But just as it is a fundamental right to vote, I believe there is a fundamental right to prove your innocence. This legislation is the cornerstone of that right? For it says to the federal government and to the States. It provides you with the best of technology, as my colleagues have indicated, but it provides with incentive grants. It gives you a reason to look deep down as to whether or not you can find a better way. It's a today's in both houses. This is an issue where all of us have different views about the death penalty. But we're all here because of we believe in justice. And there may be different interpretations of whether the death penalty is just my case I believe in the abolition of the death penalty have introduced a bill to do that I have introduced the bill do. 02:36 are just just come on over and go. Good. Good afternoon. I'm I'm Patrick Leahy, Senator from Vermont. We will be joined at different times by by different members. I want to in a capital case, this is not a case area for experimentation. When somebody's life is
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