29/06/2012

10 Reasons to Abolish the Death Penalty

10 Reasons to Abolish the Death Penalty

BY BRIAN EVANS September 28, 2010 at 3:00 PM

This blog post is brought to you by the number 10. It was after 10 pm last night when Georgia put Brandon Rhode to death, less than a week after rushing madly to save his life after his failed suicide attempt. October 10th, 2010 (10-10-10) will be World Day Against the Death Penalty, and the focus this year is on the USA. There has never been a more important or better time to get involved in ending capital punishment in the USA, and here are 10 reasons why: 1) The death penalty is absurd and cruel. The ridiculous spectacle of putting a man to death just days after saving his life, is a perfect illustration of that. 2) The death penalty is degrading. It turns states into prescription drug abusers, killing prisoners with drugs like sodium thiopental that manufacturers are on record as stating should only be used to healing purposes. 3) High profile cases, often with racial undertones, create political pressures that can lead to police and prosecutor misconduct. Reggie Clemons was convicted as an accomplice in the murder of two white women in St. Louis. Four federal judges have agreed that the prosecutors conduct was abusive and boorish, and Clemons alleges police brutality during his questioning. Witnesses attest to Clemons face being swollen after his interrogation. 4) It is not limited to the worst of the worst. A recent example: the execution of Teresa Lewis in Virginia on September 23; she was put to death as the mastermind of a crime despite her 72 IQ, and despite the fact that the men who actually carried out the crime did not get the death penalty. 5) The death penalty is not limited to cases where there is no doubt about guilt. Convicted by flimsy witness testimony, and unable to exonerate himself with those same witnesses, Troy Davis remains on death row despite serious doubts about his guilt. His birthday is on October 9! 6) The times are changing. In Ohio, Governor Ted Strickland granted clemency in the case of Kevin Keith, despite his belief that Keith was probably guilty, because some doubt remained. 7) In Texas, a hearing on whether Cameron Todd Willingham was wrongfully executed will take place October 6-7. Skepticism about the application of the death penalty continues to build in the Lone Star State. Death sentences continue to drop. Last year barely over 100 were sentenced to death , compared to an average of close to 300 in the 1990s. 9) One-by-one, states are abandoning capital punishment, particularly in odd numbered years. (New Jersey in 2007, New Mexico in 2009). In the coming year (2011), many more states will have serious debates and possibly votes on abolition 10) There is so much that can be done for World Day Against the Death Penalty, from taking action on specific cases, to joining your local state-based coalitions efforts to abolish the death penalty. The death penalty abolition movement is growing, and some progress is being made, but there is a lot of work yet to be done. This World Day is the perfect time to get started.
This entry was posted in Death Penalty, USA and tagged 10, Brandon Rhode, death penalty, death sentences, reggie clemons, state of georgia, ten, teresa lewis, troy davis, Willingham,

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29/06/2012

10 Reasons to Abolish the Death Penalty

World Day Against the Death Penalty by Brian Evans. Bookmark the permalink [http://blog.amnestyusa.org/us/10-reasons-to-oppose-the-death-penalty/] .
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State Death Penalty Death Penalty abolition Why Does New Debates Begin in Maryland: UPDATE Hampshire Have the [http://blog.amnestyusa.org/us/state[http://blog.amnestyusa.org/us/deathDeath Penalty? death-penalty-debatespenalty-abolition-in[http://blog.amnestyusa.org/us/whybegin/] maryland-update/] does-new-hampshirehave-the-deathpenalty/]

About Brian Evans

Brian Evans is the Campaigner for Amnesty International USAs Death Penalty Abolition Campaign.
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Comments (102)
Sort by: Date Rating Last Activity ilaria caputi 91 weeks ago -1

So many convicts become suicidal in maximum security prisons and in solitary confinement. Saving someone from the death penalty should never mean inflicting on them an even more unbearable pain and reducing them to wish they were dead. It is very important that living conditions should be humane in every correctional institution.
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ilaria caputi 91 weeks ago

So many convicts become suicidal in maximum security prisons and in solitary confinement. Saving someone from the death penalty should never mean inflicting on them an even more unbearable pain and reducing them to wish they were dead. It is very important that living conditions should be humane in every correctional institution.
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ilaria caputi 91 weeks ago

-1

So many convicts become suicidal in maximum security prisons and in solitary confinement. Saving someone from the death penalty should never mean inflicting on them an even more unbearable pain and reducing them to wish they were dead. It is very important that living conditions should be humane in every correctional institution.
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Jude Kizito 91 weeks ago abolish capital punishment... Free Troy Davis...
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Jude Kizito 91 weeks ago abolish capital punishment... Free Troy Davis...
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Jude Kizito 91 weeks ago abolish capital punishment... Free Troy Davis...
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Pam 91 weeks ago Free Troy Davis!!!

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Pam 91 weeks ago Free Troy Davis!!!
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10 Reasons to Abolish the Death Penalty

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Pam 91 weeks ago Free Troy Davis!!!

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frances salter 91 weeks ago

The death penalty is not a deterrent to crime. It is an example of double standards where the legal system tells someone that taking a life is wrong but then says that actually they are going to kill that someone because it's a legal punishment. NO-ONE has the right to take another's life. It is incomprehensible that we are still advocating the death penalty in the 21st century.
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frances salter 91 weeks ago

The death penalty is not a deterrent to crime. It is an example of double standards where the legal system tells someone that taking a life is wrong but then says that actually they are going to kill that someone because it's a legal punishment. NO-ONE has the right to take another's life. It is incomprehensible that we are still advocating the death penalty in the 21st century.
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frances salter 91 weeks ago

The death penalty is not a deterrent to crime. It is an example of double standards where the legal system tells someone that taking a life is wrong but then says that actually they are going to kill that someone because it's a legal punishment. NO-ONE has the right to take another's life. It is incomprehensible that we are still advocating the death penalty in the 21st century.
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Joey 91 weeks ago

I think it is a brilliant thing and should be brought in in more countries, sorry but that's my opinion, as long as it is governed well, there are people on this Earth that don't deserve to live!
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Joey 91 weeks ago

I think it is a brilliant thing and should be brought in in more countries, sorry but that's my opinion, as long as it is governed well, there are people on this Earth that don't deserve to live!
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Joey 91 weeks ago

I think it is a brilliant thing and should be brought in in more countries, sorry but that's my opinion, as long as it is governed well, there are people on this Earth that don't deserve to live!
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Debbie Kearns 91 weeks ago

-1

That's right, Frances. No one has the right to take someone's life... only God does. Saving people's lives only to kill them again in spite of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and other mental problems, even if said people like Brandon had committed triple-murders, is just plain DISGUSTING! It's just like playing God, to be certain.
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Debbie Kearns 91 weeks ago

-1

That's right, Frances. No one has the right to take someone's life... only God does. Saving people's lives only to kill them again in spite of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and other mental problems, even if said people like Brandon had committed triple-murders, is just plain DISGUSTING! It's just like playing God, to be certain.
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Debbie Kearns 91 weeks ago

-1

That's right, Frances. No one has the right to take someone's life... only God does. Saving people's lives only to kill them again in spite of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and other mental problems, even if said people like Brandon had committed triple-murders, is just plain DISGUSTING! It's just like playing God, to be certain.
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niccki 91 weeks ago

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10 Reasons to Abolish the Death Penalty

I think they should include child molestors in the death penalty!!!!!!

niccki 91 weeks ago I think they should include child molestors in the death penalty!!!!!!
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niccki 91 weeks ago I think they should include child molestors in the death penalty!!!!!!
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Jenn 91 weeks ago

-1

I don't believe it should be abolished. I believe the system and the culture we've created that requires we have such punishments in place needs to be totally changed. This is a symptom of a MUCH bigger problem. And trust me, these guys aren't all of low IQ or at the wrong place at the wrong time. I've met some of these monsters...unfortunately we have to have something in place (other than sucking off of society for the rest of their lives) to deal with the depravity this society has fostered.
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Jenn 91 weeks ago

-1

I don't believe it should be abolished. I believe the system and the culture we've created that requires we have such punishments in place needs to be totally changed. This is a symptom of a MUCH bigger problem. And trust me, these guys aren't all of low IQ or at the wrong place at the wrong time. I've met some of these monsters...unfortunately we have to have something in place (other than sucking off of society for the rest of their lives) to deal with the depravity this society has fostered.
Reply

Jenn 91 weeks ago

-1

I don't believe it should be abolished. I believe the system and the culture we've created that requires we have such punishments in place needs to be totally changed. This is a symptom of a MUCH bigger problem. And trust me, these guys aren't all of low IQ or at the wrong place at the wrong time. I've met some of these monsters...unfortunately we have to have something in place (other than sucking off of society for the rest of their lives) to deal with the depravity this society has fostered.
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Philip Jay Matricard 91 weeks ago

-1

1. the fact that most states execute people at night indoors with extremely limited number of witnesses and no live video coverage demonstrates conculsively that WE ARE ASHAMED OF WHAT WE ARE DOING, otherwise, executions would still take place outdoors, in daylight, in public. 2. most states still use the lethal injection method designed by NAZI Josef Mengele to dispose of children after his experiments with them were finished. 3. the death penalty has no heuristic value; hiding the event as we do sets no example; yet it is done in our name and makes killers of us all.
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29/06/2012
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