There is no proof that we have executed an innocent man or
woman.  Though if you ask sister
Helen Prejean she thinks that it has already occurred.  In her book, “The Death of
Innocents:  An Eyewitness Account
of Wrongful Executions,” she outlines two cases, one of “an indigent black man
with an IQ of 65, and Joseph Roger O’Dell.”  She watched both of them die and is convinced of their
innocence.

Acclaimed mystery writer, John Grisham, is trying to raise
our awareness.  First with his
book, The Innocent Man, (which was far from fiction) and then most recently with,
“The Confession.”  In the latter,
he turns the tables and shows that, “For every innocent man sent to prison,
there is a guilty one left on the outside.”

California is on the verge of executing an innocent man.  Kevin Cooper faces lethal injection unless something is done.  It appears as if he was framed for murder.

How bad is the problem?  (Stay tuned for part 3)