In Their Hands
"Deciding If a Man Should Live or Die Is Soul-Wrenching Task for Jury," by Gilbert Gonzalez in the Tampa Tribune, is a short, first-person account by the foreman of a jury that decided whether to recommend that a convicted murderer be put to death. Even in a case such as this, where guilt has been clearly established, it is not an easy decision. Here is an excerpt:
We went back and forth reviewing the case law and instructions presented to us by the judge. We determined what aggravating factors existed in the case and weighed them against the many mitigating factors we also agreed existed in this matter. We talked. We discussed. We even argued. We were passionate and descriptive, logical and formulaic, objective and fair. Yet, in the end, if there was one emotion that ran through my body, I would have to say it was dread.
I dreaded the idea this was actually happening. As I looked up at the board on which we documented our discussions and recorded the aggravating factors in the case versus the mitigating factors, I could see we were heading towards a decision of death.
"I don't want to do this," I said out loud. It was really more to myself, but I know everyone in the room heard me. "I don't want to decide this. I don't want to sit here and make this decision."
www2.tbo.com/content/2008/mar/08/pa-deciding-if-a-man-should-live-or-die-is-soul-wr/