Your recent article on the meeting of death penalty opponents was interesting but full of humbug. I respect the right of others to work for and express their opinion but reserve my right to tell them they are full of garbage.

My personal experience and opinion is that, overall, the criminal courts in California do an excellent job applying our criminal law code to the cases brought before them. Our California Legislature has been and is reasonably flexible in making changes to the code as needed. This applies particularly to the death penalty statutes. When this issue has been brought before the court of public opinion and thoroughly thrashed out in the political arena, the public has supported the law.

Opponents of the death penalty drag up cases in Texas or Oklahoma in which they claim defendants were erroneously executed. This is not Texas or Oklahoma. Also, the evidence used to convict these defendants was tried by jury in a court of law where it was available for scrutiny and cross-examination at a time reasonably current with the alleged crime.

The facts alleged to show that the convictions were erroneous were dredged up years later and never brought before a jury for cross-examination. The whole process by which anti-death penalty zealots dig through ancient cases, develop new experts to offer opinions and induce witnesses to change their testimony outside the courtroom is, as I have said, pure garbage.

My opinion on the death penalty is clear. It should be more widely applied. A substantially greater effort, financial and physical, should be made to process and bring the appeals of the convicted before an appropriate court. Justice requires prompt disposition of these cases, the same as all others.

Jim Stevens

Davis

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