$1.4 Million Mistakes...Worth Every Penny?

The following is a response to Raegan Bryant’s post “Texas Can’t Afford $1.4 Million Mistakes”

I agree that making mistakes of this nature are detrimental to the Texas economy. One might argue that mistakes such as this are simply unacceptable. However, I think you should look at this issue from a different perspective. You say that Texas is ranked 3^rd in number of exonerations out of the 28 states that engage in such a practice. However, consider the possibility that this might be a positive statistic. While I agree that it isn’t right to have incorrectly sentenced a totally innocent person, we’re all human and prone to error. It would be even worse to follow through with a death sentence of said innocent person, only to find out he wasn’t guilty after his death. Consider also the possibility that our exoneration rate is as high as it is because evidence in the cases of the other states may not have been sufficient for exoneration. Perhaps theses states make even more mistakes than Texas does, only they are never brought to light, and these convicts are allowed to die. Even though I agree that exonerations are a burden to the Texas economy, I believe that no matter what the costs, a high exoneration rate can be considered an overall good. Put in this context, Texas ranks 3^rd in saving innocent victims from being killed. Doesn’t sound too bad anymore, does it?