Ending up in prison as adults. Police drop the gun do it now. The bigger challenge how to make a good decision under stressful circumstances. Life or death. In this country that is the debate now for what the ultimate price should be for people convicted of the most heinous crimes. As youll see in a moment at the center of that debate is this haunting question. What happens if we get it wrong . A life spent behind bars is a nightmare scenario for the wrongly convicted and death is obviously irreversible. According to amnesty international, the u. S. Put 35 inmates to death. The fifth most in the world ranking right behind iraq and sudan. The number of executions conducted worldwide dropped in 2013 compared to the year before. America was no exception. The u. S. Put to death the fewest inmates since 1984. 80 of those executions took place in three states, missouri, texas introduce was the first of four inmates scheduled to be executed in texas this month. Like other states where the Death Penalty remains legal texas is struggling to maintains the drugs in order to carry out executions. But carrying out all four executions this month. Beginning in 1982, texas was the first to use lethal injection. Since that time it leads the nation with more than 500 inmates put to death and this brings us to cameron Todd Willingham. 20 years ago the father of three girls was accused of killing them after they died in a house fire but he was executed, and now texas may have executed an innocent man. Heidi zhoucastro has our story. Reporter it was a morning just before christmas 1991. Cameron scott willingham. And his children which are napping, while their mother was out. Willingham escaped his three children died. It is hard to imagine a greater tragedy. But willingham known as a troublemaker and accused of beating his wife, was accused of their death. Unconcerned about his daughters inside, the trial was swift. The prosecutor said, at his trial, that there were two pillars of evidence in the case. One was the testimony of the arson investigators who testified that this was an intentionally set fire. Reporter the Corsicana Fire Department said they found accelerant leading from the girls bedroom to the back doosh doordoorand orefrigerator block the back door. Johnny webb testified he was talking to Todd Willingham and that Todd Willingham had confessed to setting the fire. It took no time for jury to find him guilty of capital murder and willingham was sent to death row. The state of texas has executed an innocent man. I dont know what more evidence you could expect. It was 2010 when charlie baird, a former district judge agreed to hear the case for willingham pos hoft posthumous hearing. Recan takings of johnny web the jailhouse informant who told al jazeera if an exclusive interview that his story about willinghams confession was a lie. I straight up lied like john jackson told me to. Convicted of the aggravaterobbery he was housed in the same jailhouse of willingham. Assistant d. A. John jackson a friend of webbs father. What did he tell to you say . He saw showed me the pictures of the baby. This wasnt hatched on a fly. I. T. Took days, i went to his office two or three times it was a period of grooming, of coaching. Reporter web says jackson also promised him something in return for his testimony. Webb answer own robbery sentence would be reduced. Webb took the deal. If you are in my position, 22 years old and the d. A the man who controls your life convince he you of this and says were going to pardon you for this, or you have to do this or im going to giver you a life sentence. What to give you a life sentence. What are you going to do . The heart of this is i. T. Was unreliable and it should not have been used to convict Todd Willingham in the first place. At this point nobody is relying necessarily on what johnny webb has to say. Reporter do you believe what webb has to say that not only did they have this deal but jackson told him to tell this lie on the stand . I believe it. Because its not just confirmed by what webb said, its corroborated by the other letters and correspondence that he had where he obviously had a very close relationship with judge jackson. Following the exoneration hearing in 2010 baird concluded willingham was denied a fair trial and would likely have been cleared but even as baird was hearing the case willinghams prosecutors were working against the proceedings. The Navarro CountyDistrict Attorney left the courtroom and he went to a higher court and asked the higher court to stop the hearing. He went in person to the higher court . Yes. He left your court literally as the hearing was beginning he walked out and went to a higher court and filed paperwork and asked me to stop the hearing. The Appeals Court was blocks away and agreed otemporarily halt the proceeds and ruled that baird would have to be examined for bias. The question of his bias was never resolved, his term in office was ended days later. I think about it detail if not weekly. It still saddens me. And then there was this. Willinghams wife was invited to testify at the 2010 exoneration hearing. Baird said she turned down the invitation and instead gave this press conference outside the courthouse. My lust burned or children, he told me did it stood there when their tiny bodies burned. She made other statements, in intervening years that she thought he was innocent so its up in the air. So lots of lingering questions still surrounding this case. Are you still convince theyd willingham was innocent . Im absolutely 100 convinced the had a there was no arson in this case and without arson there is no case, there is no capital murder case and no Death Penalty. Heidi zhoucastro joins us from dallas, heidi given what he just said how can justice have possibly been served in this case . David as you you heard in the case there are troubling and Unanswered Questions not least of which is still calling into question what johnny webbs story is today on the first day he wrote his recantation saying that willingham was innocent on that same day webb also wrote a letter to jackson saying this was a lie. All of this was so confusing. I asked aljazeera. Com webb what the real truly happens he said actually the recantation still stands the aryan brother hood had asked him to write that recantation but it is truthful. This case has so many questions this man should not have been put to death. At the very least what justice had been done it would have been a new trial but obviously too late now. Heidi texas has led the nation in executions. Defendants end up on death row more than those who can afford strong attorneys. How much did this play in the case with willingham . Willingham was a poor individual and his attorneys were not adequate. But the other thing this case is such a political hot potato in texas. As you mentioned be texas kills more defendants in any other case in the world. Willinghams case may have been a mistake that calls on the texasstexass reliance on the Death Penalty. Were about to take odeep dive into the juvenile just system. Here in dallas there is a special board for minority boys who find themselves in the jurchl justice system. According to the juvenile justice fund, one in six black boys and one in ten latino boys end up in the system. This program in dallas actually intervenes after the childs first mistake. A Second Chance to wipe clean their record and to work towards becoming more responsible people. They do this by making them see a judge every week, by seeing social workers a parole officer and making a 7 00 p. M. Curfew. This case is so far working. A fatherly judge who talks to kids at their level and doesnt take no for an answer. Unless something happens which is doubtful with you because youve done so well, you probably dont need to see me but maybe one more time before official graduation, as long as everything is going okay, you got your world with your friends telling youal this stuff, da da da da da. Then you got your world. Now these are boys who have landed in the system because of aggravated assault or robbery. Of the 140 who have gone through program less than a handful have reoffended david. The program is still young but the people involved are very hopeful. Heidi zhoucastro reporting from dallas thank you very much. As the juvenile system attempts to reform these Soledad Obrien goes inside a juvenile detention facility. To see those boys getting their lives back together. When i was first getting here i got three incidents a day so things have changed a lot. Lot. Richmond police drop the gun, do it now. The bigger challenge how to make good decisions under stressful circumstances. All right fellas, stay quiet, give you an opportunity to do a check in with you guys, starts with how your days going, good day no issues today . So far. Work out . Feeling good . Good . Okay good. Keith how was your day . My days pretty chill. My issue i got it was over some whack stuff. Took care of it . Yes we talked about it, im good. If you have any issues, tell me about it, have a good day. You just saw it a youth counselor, counseling some offenders. There are there are 60,000 children and youth adults under 21 years old that are locked up around the country. Juvenile facility in las cruces new mexico, an entire day of schooling, counseling and mentoring are built into the J Paul Taylor center. Its meant to be that way. This is now uniform throughout five of the centers throughout the state. Soledad obrien starfish media special correspondent to al jazeera, formed to be part of a 2009 settlement with the American Civil Liberties union. Soledad joins us now. These are referred the as clients and not inmates that may be semantics but theyre moving away with this youre an inmate on the pipeline to prison. Those changes coming about as as you mentioned that aclu lawsuit 2009 big changes had to come, they call it combiar abuse of juvenile offenders in solitary confinement 23 hours a day age 12. Many said this has to change, its got to change. Now combiar model is what they are testing. Part of it is semantics, are you a client or an inmate but also counseling, that session you saw at the beginning was really a guard leading a counseling session where the students have to really young men have to talk about how theyre feeling how their day is going how theyre navigating a day whos in trouble whos got regular flags in the mimed of the middle of the day a fight breaks out we capture that. They sit them down, talk about it what precipitated the fight the idea it cant be the old way, you have to give the students tools the young men offenders, clients inmates whatever you wants to call them, tools to make their way while theyre locked up better. Are the tools working did calmer heads prevail . Its hard to say. Certainly i would argue that solitary confinement for a 12yearold, 23 hours locked up by yourself is probably not only is it a bad idea, its also inhumane. I think many people argue that, its hard to say if its working because its a new program. They based it on what they call a missouri miracle a program in missouri where they rethought juvenile incarceration. , its a lot of money taxpayer money. They figure, while theyre locked up, most of them will get out, statistics we feel, recidivism rates are high, how do you make them better while theyre in . You mentioned some of the abuse and you actually spoke to a former juvenile inmate who experience theyd and some of the solitary confinement. Lets watch this clip. You were locked up all the time. You got out to work out make a phone call, two or three minute shower and you were done, you know what i mean . Makes you that it system, makes you hate the c. O c. O. S the inmates hate them more. These boys come in adamaged, povertydamaged,poverty is a big factor, the question is how do you help them so when they leave you give them a chance to not come back in. Eric conontontreras that you saw here hes doing fine so far but i think its a bit of a struggle. He breaks down when he talks about being 12 years old and in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day and how motionly emotionally damaging that was. Soledad obrien, thank you for being here. Thank you for having me. Up next, as the u. S. Works to restore relations with cuba, mayor of caracas staging a coup. And the mayors wife says america is becoming a dangerous place to liver. Venezuelanilive. Venezuelan people, you dont know when you go outs, if youre going to be back. Be back. The summits of the americas is a regional meeting held every three years but rarely has it generated this much attention and thats because cuba is making its first appearance as its works with the United States to normalize relation he. Its a heavy lift but but the diplomatic choreography has been intense. Already, president obama suggested he remove cuba from state sponsored terrorism list. David airdavid arioso. Whats tell us the details. It is the first time eerts of theseeitherof these men have sat down and talked april feants, 15th, 1959, when Vice PresidentRichard Nixon met with the president of cuba. The relationship with venezuela is getting worse. Whats the back story here . You know, technical strange thing about venezuela is, president knicks last Nicholas Maduro, rely on Subsidized Oil prices, much in the way that cuba does. He is looking to come and deflect attention inside his own country. The Obama Administration has lobbed some of theselobbed some of these be sanctions on the top 7 venezuelan officials. The mayor of caracas here is the look at our report. About a year ago, this is what caracas looked like. A deadly mix of molotov cocktails and tear gas consumed the venezuelan capital. In fact, protesters and Government Forces clashed across the country. As the nations economic woes in an epidemic of Violent Crime prompted thousands to take to the streets. In response president Nicholas Maduro clamped down on dissent. And imprisoned those who were against him. Including the mayor of caracas beinging antonio ledez ma. Ledezma. Grk what would you have for the message of the president panama . We want oreally democracy in our country. I tell couple if it keeps like this, it will be march much worse because venezuelan people we cant stand any more, because when you go out in venezuela from home, you dont know if you are going to be back. Now your husband was arrested about a month and a half ago. Ithe was only charged the past week, hes been in prison this whole time. How does that make you feel, how are you coping with that . We are suffering so much. I cant tell you anything different. My family, our daughters. The venezuelan government didnt immediately return our calls for comments. But like hugo chavez before him being maduro has long accused the u. S. Of conspiring against them. Its a move to likely rally support of venezuelas neighbors who rely on the countrys cheap Subsidized Oil. But it runs the risk of exposing maz rowes deeper problems at home. Whats interesting the about the summit, when you talk about venezuela, and president barack obama it does overshadow some of the other get down to Business Issues that are here. Mexico and the United States are having strained relations tighter vee is as. Canada and the u. S. Are having strained relation he because of the keystone pipeline. Expect a lot of those issues to be drilled down upon today and into saturday when that historic meetings is set to take place. Al jazeeras david ar yoa sow, thank you veryarioso. Im David Schuster in for ali velshi. Ali will be back on tuesday. For the entire team, have a great weekend. Making it official. Hillary clinton is set to announce her president ial run. How shell kick off her campaign and what voters are saying about it. Groundbreaking diplomacy. President obama and raul castro meeting face to face this weekend in panama, ending a half century of hostile relations between the country. Violent arrest, a new