Rare reported on two inmates who were recently released from prison because newly introduced DNA evidence revealed that they were wrongly convicted. Henry Lee McCollum spent 31 years on death row and his half brother Leon Brown spent 31 years in prison for crimes they didn’t commit. Rare quoted me as saying,
The release of two men from prison, one from death row, in North Carolina after more than 30 years following their wrongful convictions is merely the latest example of why conservatives like me are turning against the death penalty. North Carolina is attempting to resume executions, but this should serve as a prominent example as to why states need to think twice. The thought of the state executing an innocent person is reprehensible to conservatives, but that risk exists with the death penalty. As these men attempt to put their lives together after being wrongly incarcerated for over 30 years, we as a nation should consider whether the death penalty is worth the human and fiscal costs, while it fails to serve victims’ families and fails to prevent murder.