President Bush believes the nation's capital punishment system is a
problem in need of a $50 million repair, but aides say he will not call
for a moratorium on executions. During his State of the Union speech on
Wednesday night, Bush said he would soon ask for the money to pay for
special training for defense counsel in capital cases "because people
on trial for their lives must have competent lawyers by their side."
Under the president's plan, $20 million would be spent in the next
fiscal year training private lawyers and public defenders, state judges
and prosecutors. He also called for $236 million -- $1 billion over
five years -- for DNA testing. Bush's request for $50 million for
lawyer training over three years, however, is far short of what
Congress suggested in reforms passed last fall and signed by Bush. The
$50 million, if approved by Congress, will be available to state bar
associations, defense lawyers associations and others for training
concerning what the Bush aide called "available defenses" in capital
cases, and to make sure defendants have access to current technology.
The goal, said a White House aide speaking on condition of anonymity,
is to guarantee "vigorous defense for any defendant whose life is at
risk in the capital phase." Despite Bush's concerns about adequate
representation for capital case defendants, the president will not
support calls for a national moratorium on executions, the aide said,
saying it is an issue for states to consider. Michael Stark, spokesman
for the Campaign to End the Death Penalty, said a president who sees a
problem that needs a $50 million fix should support a moratorium. "I
think to continue to advocate for continued use of the death penalty
with just meager measures to try to fix it represents how far we have
to go until we really address it," Stark said. [more] and [more]