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Office of Last Chance

By Steve Hall

That's the title of an editorial in today's Houston Chronicle praising legislation that will create a state Office of Capital Writs.  LINKDeath-row appeals are life-and-death matters. Starting next year, Texas will finally make sure that they're done right.?The status quo has been an international embarrassment,? state Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, said recently, and we agree. Private lawyers appointed by the courts have too often done lousy jobs. As reported in a series of stories by the Chronicle's Lise Olsen, Texas inmates have lost their death-row appeals because their court-appointed attorneys missed deadlines, didn't file appeals, or filed skimpy ?skeletal? writs that appeared to have been cut and pasted from other cases...continue to full post

Full post as published by StandDown Texas Project on August 03, 2009 (boomark / email).