One more option
April 16, 2005
A long-overdue bill, passed this week by the state Senate, would give Texas jurors an alternative to the death penalty.
Written by Opinion, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
A bill in the Texas Legislature that may lead to fewer executions was thought to be out of hope this session, thanks to the recent full-court press by many of the state's district attorneys.
But this week, a true life-without-parole bill got a reprieve in the Texas Senate on a 25-6 vote. That means it now goes to the House -- where, we hope, it will be approved and sent to the governor.
Although he has encouraged debate on the issue, Gov. Rick Perry has not indicated whether he would sign such a bill if it were to pass both chambers of the legislature. We urge him to do so.
Passage of the legislation is a victory -- a bittersweet one, frankly -- for Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, who has attempted for several years to pass a bill that would give Texas jurors another alternative to the death penalty.
In order to get more senators to sign on to the bill, Lucio had to accept an amendment that eliminates the current capital life sentence, which allows a prisoner to petition for parole after having served 40 years.
Lucio rightly believes that it would be appropriate for certain felons to have that hope for parole and that jurors ought to have all three choices in a capital murder case.
We would encourage the Texas House to restore that part of the bill before it goes to the governor.
The district attorneys, in their stalwart opposition to the life-without-parole bill, clearly show little faith in our jury system and underestimate the intelligence of those who perform this most noble duty.
Once they have been presented with the facts in court, and in their wisdom have found a defendant guilty in a capital case, jurors are more likely than not to make the best choice -- provided they have appropriate choices -- when it comes to punishment
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