http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1320052/posts
Posted on 01/13/2005 11:50:17 AM PST by stainlessbanner
Exceprt from Sister Helen Prejean's 2003 speech, “The Abolition of the Death Penalty: A Target for the XXI Century”
In my work I try to embody the healing work of Jesus by reaching out to death row inmates and to murder victims' families. It is not always easy reaching out to both sides, and sometimes victims' families shun me because they cannot bear the thought that I as spiritual advisor would show respect or compassion to those who have murdered their loved one.
In their grief and confusion, some families buy into the retributive "eye for an eye" justice that our government offers them. Of all the countries in the world that practice the death penalty, U. S. politicians are unique in their claim that they support the death penalty for the sake of victims' families, that the death of perpetrators will help heal these suffering families. I think politicians make this this claim because they are hard-pressed to find legitimate reasons for supporting the death penalty.
By now most people, even police chiefs, recognize that the death penalty does not deter crime. Part of my job in educating people about the death penalty is to inform them of the extremely tiny percentage of murderers who actually get a death sentence. Only 2% or less of the perpetrators of the 15, 000 yearly homicides are given the death penalty, and, of these, a much smaller percentage are actually executed.
Now, after almost 25 years of practice, it has become abundantly clear that, despite the so-called neutrality in death penalty laws and the guidelines from the Supreme Court, which are supposed to assure that the death penalty is imposed fairly, in practice, the punishment of death is overwhelmingly imposed on poor people and especially on poor people who kill white people. When people of color are killed in the U.S., the death penalty is rarely sought.
It is a sad fact of our racist history that white life has always been more highly prized than the lives of people of color. This has its roots in genocidal acts against Native Americans in the beginning of our history and in the practice of slavery, whose legacy continues to infect us today, especially in our criminal justice system.
When we look at the geographic concentration of the practice of the death penalty in the U.S., we see that the same states that practiced slavery and lynchings and strict segregation are the same states that carry out over 80% of the executions. By way of contrast, states in the Northeast of the U.S. account for only one percent of executions. The wide disparity in geographical distribution of executions raises a legitimate, very disturbing constitutional question: how can a country, which claims to grant its citizens "equal justice under law" tolerate such a blatantly discriminatory system of imposing death.
NPR had aired this interview yesterday: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4280885
Oh shut the hell up
NPR interviewed someone influential who was opposed to the death penalty?
I'm shocked, I say. Absolutely shocked...
(sarcasm off)
Let God sort it out!!!!
This must be the day DU has decided to promote Sister Helen Prejean. Yawn!!!
I don't think we are even close to an eye-for-an-eye type justice system...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1320052/posts
The on-air interview was decidedly anti-Southern with a weak attempt to associate racism, segregation to the death penalty.
The death penalty is not unconstitutional.
I always love when people object on Constitutional grounds to things that were commonly accepted in Colonial times, such as capital punishment, swearing on the Bible, etc, etc, etc. If the guys who wrote the Constitution objected to those things, show us some contemporary writings from them objecting to its use in their times. Otherwise, you're probably perverting their intent.
Thanks - looking for some counter-points. I couldn't believe what this lady was saying....then again it was NPR.
Doesn't the Constitution provide for the taking of "Life, Liberty and Property" under Due Process?
Well, OK, so call up the executive branches in VT, NH, MA, CT, RI, and ME, and tell them to even out the disparity. Why are you publishing this nationally? (addressed to the writer, not the poster)
Might have been better to put that in the comments in the initial post...
Roger that. My first reaction to this story was the weird attraction some folks have with death row inmates - like the ladies who wrote Ted Bundy letters and wanted to marry him.
But as long as the Constitution of the US has any validity -- which these people are enemies of -- it will be the business of each state to provide for the safety of its citizens as its legislature shall choose. And if citizens (and businesses) continue to flee from the states that are squish, then so be it.
Let the people who want squishy criminal laws move to the squishy states. As more of them are murdered and raped, some of them may get a clue.
Congressman Billybob
If you take her to the extreme murders like Hitler, Himmler, etc would of been untouched. If you listen to her we would have to stop looking for Bin Laden and let Sadam go. I have no patience for unrepentant murders, especially the ones who kill innocent children.
Man, we need to get busy and up this stat to 100%.
That way we can eliminate any possible bias that concerns sister Prejean, and all those condemned will keep her so busy that she won't be able to bother us normal people.
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