Lester S. Garrett

In the following viewpoint, Lester S. Garrett contends that capital punishment is unjust because innocent people face conviction and possible execution. He presents a variety of cases in which an innocent person was convicted of a crime as a result of false or suppressed evidence. Garrett insists that because these errors and abuses are common, the death penalty must be repealed and replaced with life without parole. Garrett is a Phoenix-based writer.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to the author, how did Fred Zain provide misleading testimony in the Jack Davis trial?
2. How many years did it take to prove Freddie Lee Gains’ innocence, as stated by Garrett?
3. In Garrett’s view, why do errors and abuse occur in death penalty cases"

The same “rigorous” legal procedures and safeguards are...