Posted on 04/14/2005 2:01:37 PM PDT by Arrowhead1952
AUSTIN — The Senate on Thursday approved a bill that would give juries the power to sentence capital murderers to life in prison without parole.
The bill, approved on a 25-6 vote, also takes away a jury's option to sentence the convict to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years.
Under current law, Texas juries that find a guilty a verdict in a capital murder case can decide whether the defendant receives the death penalty or a life term with the possibility for parole.
(Excerpt) Read more at statesman.com ...
Email alert from the Statesman this PM.
Registration is required on the Austin American Statesman.
Life without parole ping.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3134642
April 14, 2005, 1:21PM
Texas Senate approves life-without-parole option
Associated Press
RESOURCES
• Complete coverage: See more stories and resources on the 79th Texas Legislature from the Houston Chronicle.
AUSTIN — The Senate approved today a bill that would give juries the power to sentence capital murderers to life in prison without parole.
The bill, approved on a 25-6 vote, also takes away a jury's option to sentence the convict to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years.
Under current law, Texas juries that find a guilty a verdict in a capital murder case can decide whether the defendant receives the death penalty or a life term with the possibility for parole.
Under the bill, the two options would be execution by lethal injection or life in prison without parole.
Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, has pushed for the life without parole option for several years but has fallen short because he wanted to make that a third option.
Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, offered the amendment to give juries the two choices: death or life without parole and Lucio agreed to accept it.
"I hope that justice does come in our capital murder cases in our great state," Lucio said.
The life without parole bill is SB 60.
Much better than the current option, though it might weaken the case for the death penalty. We have too many empty jail cells; we even rent them out to the Feds and other states.
Good. At least if the jury doesn't impose death for whatever reason, the killer doesn't automatically get a shot at parole.
I excerpted the article because it came from The Associated Press. I think any AP article must be excerpted.
As I understand it, juries aren't told whether the person will have a chance at parole or not. "Life" may mean with parole and the jury doesn't know it. I may be wrong about that, but that's what I understood the case to be. If I'm right about that, then this is good all around, because now the jury won't unwittingly be giving a chance at parole when they vote for "life" under the mistaken assumption that life means life.
I'll be happy when they pass the eye-for-an-eye sentence.
Good, it removes some of the power from prosecutors and puts it back in the hands of juries. Less plea-bargining.
Well, in Texas you either are on death row, or in for life (with parole possibilities). There is not life without parole in Texas (yet).
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