“Recommended this week” features highlights from the past week in news about the death penalty, crime survivors, and trauma-informed responses to crime.
Better by half, The Marshall Project
An interesting story from The Marshall Project about New York City: “New York City’s example shows that when the community and government work together, it is possible to have both half as much incarceration and twice as much safety.”
Killing Dylann Roof Wouldn’t Help Racial Injustice, Time
Next week, jury selection begins in Dylann Roof’s federal trial. Executing Roof will not rid us of the racism that fueled him and will not make the death penalty less racially biased.
4 Things We Can Do to Heal and End Sexual Violence, The Huffington Post
Our former board member, Sonya Shah, wrote this beautifully moving piece that brings together her personal experiences as a survivor and a vision of justice that centers healing and humanity.
Oklahoma voters should reject SQs 776 and 777, The Oklahoman
The Oklahoman – a newspaper that staunchly supports the death penalty – urges voters to vote down the death penalty measure on the ballot in Oklahoma. We couldn’t agree more! Vote NO on SQ 776!
No Justice, The Kansas City Star
Imprisoned for murder at age 17, Lamonte McIntyre has been in prison now for 22 years as the case against him has crumbled apart. There are the exonerating witnesses who were ignored by prosecutors. There are the witnesses forced to testify against the defendant. There was the judge involved in a relationship with a prosecutor and there was a notorious detective. Now the courts are looking anew at McIntyre’s request for relief in a case where even the victims’ families say the wrong man is sitting in prison.
Archbishop John Wester: For many reasons, it’s time for the death penalty to die, The Salt Lake Tribune
“The death penalty in Utah has served its time. The penalty brings out the worst in us rather than highlighting our shared history of belief in a higher power that metes out justice while we mere mortals strive to achieve the important goals of protecting public safety, lifting up victims, and showing mercy to individuals who may not deserve it, because we wish to lead by example.”
