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Star-Telegram interview with Dallas DA Craig Watkins

By "Persian Cowboy"

Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins created a conviction integrity unit. He invited law students into his office to help probe for wrongful convictions. And there is at least one other way Watkins differs from most other prosecutors: He is personally opposed to capital punishment. In recent interviews, Watkins discussed those feelings and how he reconciles them with Texas law and the policies of his office.Why are you opposed to capital punishment?I?m a human being, and as a human being, I will not kill anybody. I don?t want to use my position to take a life, even though you may go out and do a heinous crime. I may be even worse than you because I have the full weight of the government behind me. For me to use the full weight of the government to do the same thing that you did, is that justifiable?We just agreed to seek the death penalty against a guy that raped a 3-year-old girl and strangled her and left her under a bed...continue to full post

Full post as published by Texas Death Penalty Blog on November 19, 2008 (boomark / email).