2002 Columbia University Study Proves Relevant Today

In the Early Twentieth Century, the famous sociologist Max Weber devised a framework with which to view social structures and institutions. He called this process "ideal type analysis." According to Weber, this mode of thinking "is a methodological “utopia [that] cannot be found empirically anywhere in reality" (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Max Weber). In the most abstract of ways, the death penalty seeks to provide retribution, serve as means of deterrence, and protect the lives of innocent bystanders. However, a 2002 study by Columbia Law Professor James Liebman and others may suggest the present system is not living up to these professed objectives. Check out the press release here at: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/00/06/lawStudy.html.

Also, check out these other websites pertaining to the issue of wrongful convictions:
http://deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=6&did=110
http://www.innocenceproject.org/
http://witnesstoinnocence.org/