[speaker002:] well I am new to Texas so I don't even know what the law is in the state do you
[speaker001:] um-hum well yes of course we do have capital punishment and we've you know done away with our quote fair share number
[speaker002:] oh that's right I think now that I recall reading about it in the paper
[speaker001:] yes
[speaker002:] um you know different things is it restricted to certain crimes or just
[speaker001:] yes it's certain crimes uh capital crimes murder of course uh rape this sort of thing
[speaker002:] um-hum hum well
[speaker001:] and it seems to be a disproportionate number of blacks you know that get into the system
[speaker002:] yes I know the one thing that I think is really sad about it as I recall from the articles that I've read is that if if people who have been there  are going to be killed um there's people that come to the prisons and and they're very violent and they want I mean they're anxious for someone to be killed I just I can't see that
[speaker001:] um-hum yes that that happens on occasion it sure does maybe it just depends on you know how closely the crime you know has affected you personally you know I don't know or a person personally
[speaker002:] uh-huh no
[speaker001:] I think I would be you know I guess really if I had to say yes or no I guess I would say you know that I am in certain cases in favor of the death penalty I don't know that it's a big deterrent really I don't know that it is I don't know how we'd ever find out you know really whether it is or not
[speaker002:] well there is so many chances for appeal that it keep
[speaker001:] oh yeah oh absolutely yeah it goes on for years and years and costs hundreds of thousands of dollars taxpayer money
[speaker002:] yeah it's really sad I don't know I just think um
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] somehow I hoped that as a people we could be better than than um expecting
[speaker001:] yes
[speaker002:] the feeling that it right with someone is calling for someone else to be killed you know
[speaker001:] yes um-hum
[speaker002:] is really kind of bad and
[speaker001:] yeah it is it's it's a tough tough question it really is
[speaker002:] hum
[speaker001:] I suspect I would be uh you know a lot more favor of it if you know one of my children were you know brutally killed or something like that like I say I think it depends on how personally affected you know you might be by it
[speaker002:] that's true and there really are criminals that are hard-core and repeat and never never have any chance for
[speaker001:] oh absolutely that's that's right
[speaker002:] oh I don't know is it do you feel at all like it's a religious issue
[speaker001:] not with me personally it is with a lot of other people
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] it's not not to me personally no
[speaker002:] hum
[speaker001:] no
[speaker002:] I don't know sometimes I feel I mean I do go to church and things I don't know how I would feel about it but like you say if it hit you personally closer at home you would feel feel differently
[speaker001:] um-hum yes that's a it's a tough tough question it really is
[speaker002:] do you think most states have that or
[speaker001:] yes I think most states do have capital punishment yes
[speaker002:] um-hum hum
[speaker001:] but I think the US is one of the few countries that still do
[speaker002:] that still does it that's right
[speaker001:] yes they're only I was reading something about it the other day I think there was only like six or eight countries in the world that have capital punishment still
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] a lot of them had to have elected elected not to do so now I don't know what they do in place of it you know maybe it's life imprisonment or you know something I don't I don't know how they handle it but I was surprised to learn that so few countries have capital punishment
[speaker002:] have that well and it doesn't seem like very many people uh are really I mean there's a lot of people that are on death row but there's not very many people that actually um do get killed
[speaker001:] oh yeah yes a lot of them do get their sentences commuted to something else
[speaker002:] um-hum so it seems like a of people live there and through appeals because I know they do frequently I mean they cover cover it pretty heavily on television and the newspaper
[speaker001:] yes uh-huh yes
[speaker002:] if it finally gets to that point
[speaker001:] right the first appeal is automatic so that delays it for a few years just right off the bat
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] there's there's a lot of you know last minute uh things that happen cause a person not to have to go through the whole thing
[speaker002:] um-hum so is it uh are we doing lethal injection now
[speaker001:] yes uh-huh that's that's fairly recent I don't know how recent but fairly recent in the state of Texas before that it was uh death by electrocution
[speaker002:] um-hum which which seems so awful
[speaker001:] yes it certainly does
[speaker002:] so it's a little bit more humane I guess it is
[speaker001:] yes it would almost have to be I suppose if you if you had to chose I guess I would I am sure I would take the lethal injection
[speaker002:] yes the other one just seems so terrible
[speaker001:] yes absolutely
[speaker002:] hum
[speaker001:] it's a it's a tough question it really is I guess if I had to say you know yes or no I would say you know yes I I would have to lean toward capital punishment you know for certain crimes
[speaker002:] well do you think that we do it because we want it to deter crime or it's not because we don't want to pay for inmates to stay in prison
[speaker001:] no I don't think it's a monetary thing I think we hope that it will be you know
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] some sort of determent deterrent or you know an eye for an eye type thing or something like that
[speaker002:] hum
[speaker001:] some of the crimes are just so brutal and so you know useless this may seem to be the best way out I don't know
[speaker002:] yes
[speaker001:] easiest way out maybe no I don't think it's a monetary thing
[speaker002:] hum well um and I notice that the crime rate was up in the Dallas area it's
[speaker001:] yes especially the murder rate its just gone crazy
[speaker002:] and it's kind of been scary to think about it and
[speaker001:] yes absolutely
[speaker002:] and you're hoping there is something that will cut down on that
[speaker001:] yes I wish I had the answer for that everybody does
[speaker002:] you hate to have the dubious honor of being you know so high in the
[speaker001:] yes it's nothing to be proud of certainly not
[speaker002:] in statistics but I you know we have been really fortunate our family hasn't had
[speaker001:] yes
[speaker002:] any crime
[speaker001:] so have we been very very fortunate
[speaker002:] and so we don't it's harder to think about the poor people that have suffered that way
[speaker001:] that's right absolutely
[speaker002:] and how they would expect how they would
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] hope I mean you you hear of people who have um committed crimes and then they get out of jail and they go and they do the same thing again and you wonder why they can't just stop it
[speaker001:] absolutely uh-huh that's right
[speaker002:] so maybe you would
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] but still I would hate to be on the jury that sentenced someone
[speaker001:] so would I I fortunately I have never been in that circumstance I hope I never am like like everybody else
[speaker002:] no I know when um we just we moved here um I from the I got a summons jury summons just
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] like constantly it seemed like but fortunately I had small children and I didn't have to go and it's not that I mean I think everyone should have to serve on the jury it's just that
[speaker001:] uh-huh right uh-huh
[speaker002:] I didn't I hate having to be in charge of someone else's life
[speaker001:] sure it's it's a big responsibility it really is
[speaker002:] and I would hate to have to hear any kind of case involving a violent crime or anything
[speaker001:] yes so would I
[speaker002:] that would be really awful
[speaker001:] yes absolutely
[speaker002:] well anyway I sure have enjoyed uh talking to you about this although it has been difficult but uh
[speaker001:] it is it's a tough subject it really is
[speaker002:] I'd hate to decide it but I guess um guess it's important that we decide as a people what what we're going to do
[speaker001:] right that's right
[speaker002:] anyway well you have a good day
[speaker001:] well thank you it's nice talking to you uh-huh bye bye
[speaker002:] thank you bye-bye