In theory, the death penalty for capital crimes should work.
An accused killer takes the life of an innocent and is put to death to protect the rest of society.
The only problem is that theory has little to do with real life.
Prejudicial prosecution; coerced confessions; corrupted informants; botched lawyering; and, yes, even racism, have turned the death penalty, as it is now applied in the United States, into a very dirty, inaccurate business.
Let's cross our fingers and pray that with a little luck, a death knell for the death penalty will soon be sounded, especially in light of the sad case of Romell Broom, who would have been executed in Ohio's death chamber on Sept. 15 but for his weak veins.
