State v. Steffen

The constitutions and courts of our country have established procedural safeguards reflecting our society’s concern for the rights of citizens accused of committing crimes. When those safeguards are used to thwart judgments rendered pursuant to the procedures, it is predictable that citizens will lose confidence in the ability of the criminal justice system to enforce its judgments. The propriety of the ultimate criminal sentence — the death penalty — has been and will continue to be a subject of vigorous and passionate debate. The death penalty evokes the full spectrum of human reason,…