The Tennessee study committee met for two days this week and heard a variety of testimony from local and national witnesses on the state of the death penalty in Tennessee. A few highlights:
- Libby Sykes, from the Administrative Office of the Courts which oversees the Indigent Defense Fund in TN, testified that since 2000, the funding for indigent defense in this state has continued to decline and is currently $1,000,000 less than it was in 2000.
- The last increase in the hourly wage for attorneys defending indigent clients was made in 1997. Currently the rates are $60-80 per hour for out of court work and $100 for in court work (not even enough to cover overhead expenses). Compare that rate to the billing rate for law associates only 5 years out of law school working for private firms, whose average hourly rate is $210.
- The average fee claim for an appointed attorney working for an adult charged with a felony was $529, which means that attorneys worked, on the average, less than 13 hours on any particular case.
- Robert Spangenberg, a national researcher on indigent defense, stated that in Tennessee the prosecution receives about 3 times the resources that the defense does.
After hearing all this testimony, Senator Jackson commented that “in the Pledge of Allegiance, we state ‘with liberty and justice for all.’ But, it seems that we are only willing to pay for so much for that.”
In yesterday’s meeting, Tom Lee, a committee member and private attorney in Nashville, gave a powerful statement concerning the fairness of the death penalty system given these financial realities. He noted the unfairness to the poor, to people of color, and to those with mental illness. Another committee member added that either the state needs to pay to make the system fair for everyone or the system needs to go.
I couldn’t have said it better myself
Fairly, there are numerous aspects you would like to think about medications. All discount medicaments save money, but few online drugstores offer better deals than other online drugstores. There isn’t anything you can’t order online anymore. Remedies like Deltasone ordinarily is used to treat diseases such as eye problems. Glucocorticoids naturally occurring steroids, which are easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. There are varied drugs for every conditions. Cialis is a remedy prescribed to treat many illnesses. What do you already know about long term side effects of cialis? What consumers talk about how long does it take for cialis to take effect? A general sexual appeal among men is the erectile disfunction. Sexual problems mostly signal deeper problems: low libido or erectile dysfunction can be the symptom a strong health problem such as core trouble. Albeit the erectile malfunction itself isn’t necessarily dangerous, erectile dysfunction is sometimes one of the early warning symptoms of other underlying health conditions that can be highly dangerous. Unfortunately nearly all over-the-counter medicines have sometimes dangerous aftereffects, from muscle aches to death. If you buy any erectile dysfunction medicaments like Cialis, check with a physician that they are sure to take with your other drugs. Do not take unwanted medications. Take Cialis to your local chemist’s shop which will dispose of them for you.
No Comments