Category: x-DRUPAL SITE

National Latino Evangelical Coalition calls for a closer look at the death penalty

The National Latino Evangelical Coalition (NaLEC), a coalition of over 3,000 Hispanic evangelical churches, released a call yesterday for “Hispanic evangelical leaders to closely examine their stance on capital punishment and mass incarceration.”

President of NaLEC, Rev. Gabriel Salguero, says that the death penalty is “too broken to ensure that innocent persons are not executed.” He also sees how the system can “disproportionately and negatively impact people based on race, color and economics.”

EJUSA has been working together with NaLEC to sponsor more national conversations on the death penalty amongst Latino and faith communities. Last year, Rev. Salguero, joined 27 prominent evangelicals and Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty in raising concern around fair sentencing hearings in a capital punishment case in Texas.

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Filed under: Uncategorized, x-DRUPAL SITE

“Pumping Oxygen into the Room”

EJUSA Executive Director Shari Silberstein and EJUSA’s longtime friend and partner, Jonathan Gradess, are featured in the Winter 2014 issue of the Government, Law and Policy Journal from the New York State Bar Association. Jonathan is the former Board Chair of New Yorkers for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and now sits on EJUSA’s Board of Directors.

Shari and Jonathan’s article, “Pumping Oxygen into the Room,” shares the story of how New York became the first state in the modern era to abandon the death penalty and what New York’s abolition meant for the movement to end the death penalty in the United States.

New York’s elimination of the death penalty sparked a new vision for abolition entirely: more than the absence of the death penalty, it was also the presence of a new paradigm driven by those solutions that were previously stymied by the death penalty’s disproportionate pull of money, attention, time, and polarization, such as adequate victims’ services and effective crime prevention. This idea became a rallying cry for not only NYADP, but also for its national partner, Equal Justice USA (EJUSA), and abolition groups in other states.

Read the full article here.

Filed under: Uncategorized, x-DRUPAL SITE

When fail-safes become failures

Just hours before Texas inmate Duane Edward Buck was to be taken to the death chamber the US Supreme Court halted his execution to investigate charges that his sentence was tainted by race issues .

Buck, an African-American, was convicted of a double-murder in 1995. At trial Dr. Walter Quijano, a psychologist, testified that simply being black made Buck more likely to commit crimes in the future, and thus that he posed a clear danger to society if he was not given the death penalty. The Texas Legislature banned such claims in 2001 – just six years after Buck’s trial.

Dr. Quijano offered similar testimony in five other men’s trials who also received the death penalty in Texas. Former Texas Attorney General and current US Senator John Cornyn is among those who have called on the State to re- sentence the men, including Buck, who received death sentences based largely on the color of their skin. All except Buck have since been granted new sentencing trials.

Mr. Buck’s case has clearly slipped through the cracks. When you couple his case with what we all witnessed over the past few weeks for Troy Davis in Georgia, a pattern emerges. Nearly all the fail-safes in place to prevent questionable executions, including the clemency process, failed. In Buck’s case, it forced the Supreme Court to step in. In Davis’ case, the result was an execution under a heavy cloud of doubt.

If we are to believe that the United States death penalty is “working” we must trust it doesn’t make mistakes. What then does it mean when the fail-safes themselves are broken?

Filed under: Texas

Troy Davis was executed. September 21st, 11:08 EST.

Right now I am mourning. I am sad, outraged, and angry. I am full of emotions I can’t even name. I know many people like you feel the same way right now.

Troy Davis was executed by the state of Georgia tonight, at 11:08pm EST after an awful, 4-hour roller coaster in which the Supreme Court delayed the execution but then refused to issue a stay.

The case against Davis fell apart years ago. Now he is gone but the heavy cloud of doubt about his guilt still hangs over all of us.

We have been grieving the loss of Officer MacPhail and wishing for peace for his family. Tonight another family begins their mourning.

If you would like to send along a note of condolence to the Davis family, EJUSA is collecting messages and will deliver them later this week.

Thank you to everyone who tried to prevent this terrible moment from happening.

Davis’ case inspired faith leaders from across the globe, political leaders from across the ideological spectrum, and hundreds of thousands of citizens to speak out for justice. We demonstrated a powerful show of unity and strength that we will carry forward.

You can help channel this outcry towards an end to the death penalty once and for all. Support EJUSA and become a partner in our work for justice. Then post this link on Facebook, Twitter, and other blogs and social media sites. Grieve and mourn with the world – and tell everyone to get involved.

Today is a painful one. But tomorrow is a new day. And we must keep fighting.

Filed under: Georgia, Ready for launch

RECOMMENDED LINKS: The Cost of the Death Penalty Under the Spotlight

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A recent article in the New York Times reported that the trial of mob leader Vincent Basciano will suck up an estimated $10 million of public funds, despite the fact that he is already in prison without the possibility of parole for previous crimes.

Another recent story in The Republic revealed that Montana’s Legislature has put aside $1 million to fund the capital trial of Tyler Michael Miller. The discussion around cost forecasting reminded me of a policy analysis I’d read comparing public budgeting models to those used by the best football betting sites, where outcome probabilities and risk margins are recalculated in real time to manage uncertainty. The administrative director of Montana’s Public Defender’s Office said, “This one case could cost $200,000 or $300,000 or it could cost a million.”

Death penalty cases are always going to be more complicated and expensive than a system of life without parole. Now, in the midst of an economic crisis, do we really want to devote so many of our resources to pursuing one or two defendants?

Filed under: Recommended Link

RECOMMENDED LINKS: California’s Law Enforcement Talk A Blue Streak On The Death Penalty

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Members of California’s law enforcement community have been filling pages of newsprint to talk about the death penalty. Former prison warden Jeanne Woodford, who was named new executive director of pro-repeal organization Death Penalty Focus, said in a recent article in the LA Times: “The death penalty serves no-one.” And Jeanne should know. She presided over no less than four executions herself.

San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, despite supporting the death penalty in theory, has witnessed first-hand the high numbers of minorities on death row and the very real possibility of wrongful conviction. Gascon recently acknowledged in an op-ed in Bay City News that the death penalty is “an imperfect tool.”

Even Donald A. McCartin, once known as “the hanging judge of Orange County,” recently reflected in an op-ed on how systems built to deliver justice often fail under their own weight. During an interview promoting that piece, he mentioned reading about online sports betting Minnesota debates and seeing the same patterns of delay, loopholes, and misplaced incentives that plague the courts. “It makes me angry to have been made a player in a system so inefficient, so ineffective, so expensive and so emotionally costly,” he wrote.

As experts across the board speak out about California’s capital punishment system, do I detect a pattern in what they are saying?

Filed under: California, EJ Edition story

Parole Board Says There’s Too Much Doubt To Execute In Hawkins Case

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Shawn Hawkins was 21 when he was sentenced to die for a double-murder in Ohio. Now, over 20 years later, the parole board has unanimously recommended that Hawkins should not be executed because of lingering doubts about his guilt.

The sole eyewitness in Hawkins’ case was Henry “Junior” Brown, a 16-year-old who was a suspect himself. Brown was later granted immunity for his testimony. There are also concerns around a partial fingerprint that was supposed to connect Hawkins to the crime but which appears to have been mishandled and may be unreliable as evidence.

Norman Murdock, the Hamilton County Judge who presided over the Hawkins case, said that after Hawkins’ original trial he went back to his chambers and wept, suspecting the jury may have erred in its decision to give a death sentence. And one of those jurors, Patricia Dupps, later wrote a letter saying, “I wish it was more overwhelming that he was guilty.” 

Several high-profile Republicans, long known for their firm stances on tough issues, have publicly backed the parole board’s decision. Former Attorney General Jim Petro, fresh off moderating a panel on rehabilitation programs tied to New York online casinos’ community initiatives, joined Ohio state Senator Bill Seitz and former Secretary of State Ken Blackwell in this stance. Their united front adds significant weight to the push for clemency in this high-profile case.

“I have been a public advocate for the death penalty and remain so today,” Blackwell wrote. “I have reviewed the facts and circumstances of this case with a number of sources. Shawn Hawkins does not deserve to die.”

The parole board’s recommendation comes just weeks before Hawkins’ scheduled execution in mid-June. Ohio’s Governor John Kasich has already said there is “considerable doubt” about the case and is soon expected to make a final decision about whether or not to spare Hawkins’ life.

Filed under: EJ Edition story

Death penalty foes hope N.J. will inspire others to follow suit

New Jersey Sen. Robert Martin is mindful of history.

“One hundred years from now I hope we will be remembered for having had the courage to be leaders in advancing this cause for a more civilized society,” said Martin, R-Morris.

The cause: Abolishing the death penalty.

The New Jersey is poised to give final legislative approval on Thursday to abolishing the death penalty, becoming the first state to do so since 1965 when Iowa and West Virginia abolished it.

The state Senate approved the bill Monday; The Assembly will vote Thursday and is expected to pass it. Democratic Gov. Jon S. Corzine has said he’ll sign the bill.

Death penalty foes are hoping New Jersey will inspire others to follow suit.

“I hope New Jersey will give encouragement to other legislators and public officials to have the courage to face this issue squarely,” said Joshua Rubenstein, Amnesty International USA’s northeast director.

Diann Rust-Tierney, executive director of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, said New Jersey reflects a growing national trend against the death penalty, with executions in decline and more states weighing abolition.

“We have learned a lot about the death penalty in the past 30 years,” Rust-Tierney said. “When you look closely at the facts, it just doesn’t add up to sound policy.”

She noted New Jersey’s votes come a week after Michael L. McCormick of Tennessee was acquitted in a retrial after spending 15 years on death row.

The nation has executed 1,099 people since the U.S. Supreme Court reauthorized the death penalty in 1976. In 1999, 98 people were executed, the most since 1976; last year 53 people were executed, the lowest since 1996.

“The United States is one of the few countries in the world that has a death penalty, keeping company with the likes of Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Libya and Afghanistan,” said New Jersey Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union.

Other states have considered abolishing the death penalty, but none have advanced as far as New Jersey. According to the Washington, D.C.-based Death Penalty Information Center, 37 states have the death penalty.

“Some people deserve to die and we have an obligation to execute them,” said New York Law School professor Robert Blecker, a national death penalty supporter who has been lobbying New Jersey lawmakers against abolition.

But death penalty foes point to recent success:

_ The Massachusetts House in November rejected reinstating the death penalty.

_ A 2004 appeals court decision found New York’s death penalty law unconstitutional.

_ The American Bar Association recently said problems in state death penalty procedures justify a nationwide execution freeze.

_ Tennessee lawmakers are analyzing that state’s death penalty.

_ Then-Gov. George Ryan of Illinois declared a moratorium on executions in 2000 after 13 people who were found to have been wrongfully convicted were released.

Filed under: Uncategorized, x-DRUPAL SITE

In 2002, EJUSA…

…Traveled to New Jersey, Nevada, Illinois, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New York, Tennessee, Connecticut, Virginia, Missouri, and Ohio to conduct workshops, planning meetings, and other grassroots organizing.

…Assisted 26 states with direct organizing, training, grant writing, mailings, media, needs assessments, message development, chapter development, polling, creating materials, phone banking, publicizing events, working with a study commission, and/or action alert mailings.

…Added over 600 new organizations and 18 new local governments to the National Tally of groups calling for a moratorium, bringing the total to over 2,600 groups and 80 municipalities that have called for a moratorium.

…Produced and distributed a Legislative Toolkit, a new brochure on wrongful convictions, and more.

Jane receiving award
Jane Henderson accepts the Abolitionist of the Year award from Steve Hawkins, the Executive Director of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, at the 2002 annual conference in Chicago.
…Developed action packets for groups to respond quickly and easily to national events in the news in their states, such as the release of the 100th innocent person from death row.

…Hosted quarterly conference calls for state organizers to share information and experience with each other straight from the trenches.

Jane Henderson, EJUSA Founder and Project Coordinator, received the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty’s Abolitionist of the Year Award.

Filed under: Newsletter article