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| Duane Buck was sentenced to death by a Texas jury that heard an “expert” say his race made him a “future danger” |
Like the Precogs in Phillip K. Dick’s The Minority Report, Texas jurors are asked to peer into the future and determine if capital defendants are likely to commit future crimes. “Future dangerousness” is a factor Texas juries must consider before issuing a death sentence. To accomplish this prognostication, these juries often rely on expert – some would say “expert” – psychological testimony.
Sometimes those “experts” are racist. Like Dr. Walter Quijano, who testified in several cases that defendants were “future dangers” because of their race. In the case of Duane Buck, he had the following exchange:
Sometimes those “experts” are racist. Like Dr. Walter Quijano, who testified in several cases that defendants were “future dangers” because of their race. In the case of Duane Buck, he had the following exchange:
Prosecutor: “You have determined that the sex factor, that a male is more violent than a female because that’s just the way it is, and that the race factor, black, increases the future dangerousness for various complicated reasons. Is that correct?”Dr. Quijano: “Yes.Buck is now seeking a new sentencing hearing free of racial bias. But the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has refused to consider the merits of his claims. Duane Buck is now in real – not speculative – danger of execution, and the racist testimony that may have put him on death row has been allowed to stand.
The jury that heard this sentenced Buck to die.
BY BRIAN EVANS
NO to death penalty.
RispondiElimina