Critics say Kansas death penalty law must go
A leading critic of the Kansas death penalty says the latest reversal of a conviction serves as reason enough for the state to abolish capital punishment.
Kansas Coalition Against the Death Penalty chairwoman Donna Schneweis says the Kansas Supreme Court has found flaws with each of the six death penalty appeals it has heard since the law took effect in 1994.
She says the state should repeal the law to avoid any chance of an error getting by the courts and an innocent person being executed. The coalition is pushing for life without parole to replace death by lethal injection.
Policymakers say there's slim chance of the law changing. They argue the law is narrowly written to protect society and that the reversals are part of ensuring justice.