http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2012/10/02/changes-approved-for-arizona-executions-meet-inmates-demands/ Your Inside Track to Arizona Politics Tue, 21 May 2013 18:08:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2012/10/02/changes-approved-for-arizona-executions-meet-inmates-demands/comment-page-1/#comment-77794 Donna Leone Hamm, Director Wed, 03 Oct 2012 19:30:32 +0000 http://azcapitoltimes.com/?p=51548#comment-77794 Oh, whoopee. The state is correct; the changes are insignificant for all intents and purposes. Sadly, the defense bar in Arizona didn't oppose HB 2373 during the past legislative session -- a bill which passed into law and which eliminates 25 to Life as a sentencing option for first degree murder if the defendant is over 18 and the crime was not felony murder. Their justification? Fewer juries will sentence a defendant to death if they know that the only possible punishment, other than death, is natural life in prison with no possibility of release of any type EVER. Problem? The vast majority of first-degree murder cases are not death-qualified in the first place, so the defense bar really threw their clients under the bus by refusing to oppose HB 2373. I guess that is why they have to be satisfied with such minor DOC policy changes as allowing them to visit their clients up until an hour before the client is executed. Nice. Oh, whoopee. The state is correct; the changes are insignificant for all intents and purposes. Sadly, the defense bar in Arizona didn’t oppose HB 2373 during the past legislative session — a bill which passed into law and which eliminates 25 to Life as a sentencing option for first degree murder if the defendant is over 18 and the crime was not felony murder. Their justification?
Fewer juries will sentence a defendant to death if they know that the only possible punishment, other than death, is natural life in prison with no possibility of release of any type EVER. Problem? The vast majority of first-degree murder cases are not death-qualified in the first place, so the defense bar really threw their clients under the bus by refusing to oppose HB 2373. I guess that is why they have to be satisfied with such minor DOC policy changes as allowing them to visit their clients up until an hour before the client is executed. Nice.

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