Eugene H. Methvin

Concern about the possibility of executing the innocent has increased in recent years. In the following viewpoint, Eugene H. Methvin contends that such fears are unfounded. No one has proven that any wrongful executions have occurred, he points out. Moreover, advances in technology— such as DNA testing—are exonerating the wrongly convicted and enabling investigators to close in on perpetrators more quickly. The numerous appeals that are typically granted to state convicts also make it improbable that innocents will be executed, the author maintains. Methvin is a Washington, D.C.–based Reader’s Digest contributing editor.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Methvin, what were the main flaws in the Bedau and Radelet study claiming that innocent people had been executed"
2. How many appeals were granted to convicted Illinois...