Wrongful Death, I found some links related to this subject.
The death penalty unjust
an unjust system
Revolutionary Worker # 990, January 17, 1998
The American people living in the shadow of the death penalty : the structure of power, ruthlessly applied , and executions are more and more common. Since the reinstitution of the death penalty by the Supreme Court in 1976, have killed 500 people. ( In 1972 , the Supreme Court instituted a moratorium on executions. ) Today, in addition to the federal government and the armed forces , 38 states have capital punishment .
In the last six years , the pace of executions has been an average of one a week. There are currently about 3,500 condemned to death and the number is growing . According to Amnesty International : "The United States has the largest number of people sentenced to death on the planet.
The climate of punishment and revenge is encouraged from the top of the dominant class. For example, in 1992, Bill Clinton (then governor of Arkansas ) interrupted his presidential campaign and returned to his home state to reject the clemency request of Ricky Ray Rector, a mentally retarded black sentenced to death. Rector did not understand what was happening , to the point that left the dessert of his last meal and asked the guards " save it for later. "
In 1996 , Clinton adopted the Law on Effective Death Penalty , which places harsh restrictions on appeals from death row. Moreover , they are extending the scope of the death penalty , for example, in Illinois the categories of murder to which they apply have been increased from six in 1977 to 17 in 1998.
In view of the expansion of capital punishment in this country, it is worth examining how it is used , against whom and how it is justified. The following is an analysis of these issues.
Capital punishment is racist
Regarding the death penalty , blacks are scrubbed . In late 1997 , a slight majority of those executed (56 % ) were white , but 37% were black, although they constitute only 12 % of the population! Mumia Abu- Jamal, the only political prisoner who is sentenced to death at this time , he wrote from prison in Pennsylvania: "Nowhere is a more black than in the row to death. "
A determining factor for the application of the death penalty is the race of the victim. Half of all murder victims are black, but 83 % of those executed were accused of killing a white. Since 1976, six have been executed for killing a white and 112 black on black killing a white .
Philadelphia is a very powerful example : 83% of those on death row are African American. According to the Information Center Death Penalty , is four times more likely than black of Philadelphia receives a death sentence than a white .
Racism is often very clear . For example, both the judge and counsel for Wilburn Dobbs , a black accused of killing a white person in Georgia , it said " bold " and the lawyer concerned the black community in Chattanooga as the " forest of black boys . " Also in the state of Utah, William Andrews was sentenced to death black juror even drew a hanging with the slogan " Lynch the Niggers . " The judge even found out who did the little drawing racist or if it taught the other jurors. A Andrews was executed .
Run to minors
And bring the "boys Latinos
it is time to kill them , to enforce the law ,
to execute these two filthy ,
The judge said the court reporter .
Paul Simon, " Goodbye, Brother "
These lines are Capeman, A Broadway musical which tells the life of Salvador Agron, a Puerto Rican youth sentenced to death in New York City for killing two white youths mistook them for rival gang members . Agron was 16 when he was sentenced to death (later commuted his sentence).
There are currently 70 death row who received the death penalty for crimes against them when they were children , most of them are black and Latino . According to Amnesty International , the U.S. is the only country that applied the juvenile death penalty in 1998 (three people).
One of them was named Joseph Cannon. In 1977 , Cannon , a young white man , killed Anne Walsh, the sister of his lawyer , who offered her house while he was on probation for theft. He was 17 years old and mentally retarded. After four years, hit by a truck, he fractured his skull and was left with problems of hyperactivity and a speech impediment . Ten years after he was diagnosed with brain lesions ( by sniffing glue ) and then schizophrenia. In addition , suffered from depression and attempted suicide at age 15 . Her stepfather sexually abused him when he was seven , her grandfather the same throughout adolescence. He learned to read and write in the row to death.
He confessed : "Sometimes I get mad .... did not have to kill Anne , on the contrary , it helped me a lot. " Doctors at the trial described the brutality and sexual abuse "exceptional" child who experienced Cannon , but sentenced him to death.
Amnesty International reports: " On April 22, 1998 Joseph Cannon led to the death chamber in Texas after living in the shadow of death half of life. When you inject the lethal drug , he came out syringe. These had to leave to have it put back . A few moments later , returned to witness the execution. "
Running
mentally retarded
The heartless , genocidal which is the application of capital punishment is clearly seen in the treatment of sick and mentally retarded. Of the 500 executed since the reinstitution of the death penalty , 30 were mentally retarded. In many cases , the jury did not even know the situation of the convicted because prosecutors conceal it . Then, three cases of black men that give an idea of the problem:
A Terry Washington was sentenced to death for the murder of a university in 1987. Subsequently, a court ruled he had brain damage caused by the consumption of alcohol by their mothers during pregnancy and aggravated by years of poverty , physical abuse and seizures. The jury ignored the situation. He was executed in Texas on May 6, 1997 .
A Eddmonds Durlyn was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1973. From 1977 to 1980 reaffirmed the diagnosis on six occasions. In 1980, he was tried for the death of a child of nine years in November 1997 , he was executed.
On February 10, 1998 Tony Mackall executed in the state of Virginia, but was retarded and suffered brain trauma as a child (information that the jury did not know ).
Women sentenced to death
In February 1998 , executed Karla Faye Tucker. It was the first woman executed in Texas since the Civil War and the second in the country since the reinstitution of the death penalty . There were large protests by opponents of the death penalty throughout the country and the world. Even the Christian fascists and the pope called for the pardon because he was a fundamentalist Christian . But the governor of Texas, George Bush ( who may run for the presidency), he would not , stating : "I think our system gives fair treatment to those facing death. "
In June 1998, 43 dams in 15 states were in the row to death , 11 of them for killing her husband (or hire someone to kill him ) and kill four policemen.
innocent people are
One of the sordid secrets of the death penalty is that the system has been unjustly convicted and executed many people. Since 1973 , 73 men and two women on death row have been released after establishing his innocence in court , 21 of them have come since 1993 , seven in the state of Illinois. That is, for every seven executions since 1976 , a person unjustly sentenced to death has been released.
In November 1998 , the faculty of law at Northwestern University of Illinois convened a meeting of victims of wrongful death sentences , their lawyers , opponents of the death penalty , etc. over a thousand people attended . Most impressive was when 28 of the former death row prisoners were transferred to the microphone one after another to say they were "survivors of the row to death. " Dennis Williams , an artist , said: " If the government of Illinois had had his way , I'd be dead. "
Against political prisoners
Another dreadful feature of the death penalty is its use against political prisoners. The case of Mumia Abu- Jamal is a burning example . He lives under the shadow of the death penalty in Pennsylvania, the fourth state in death row (200). In 1995 (the year they signed a death warrant for Mumia ), we performed the first execution in that state since the reinstatement of the death penalty. Also reinstituted the death penalty in the state of New York , where he executed the prominent political prisoners Julius and Ethel Rosenberg for many years.
The threat to execute Mumia highlights the treatment the government gives to political opponents , especially the revolutionary echo in the bottom of society. The falsely convicted of murdering a police officer and the prosecutor argued that they should sentence him to death, especially for his activism and political beliefs.
It is clear that the structure of power seeks to legally lynch our brother revolutionary and deal a devastating blow to the people. We will not allow them to rob us of this life mate!
The first state executions
For a time they were very civilized
no one used the gun
would not pull the trigger.
But now that they have lethal injection
no fart
send them to the Ellis Unit 1 .
Steve Earle " Ellis Unit 1 "
Amnesty International notes that Texas is the first jurisdiction in the Western world in executions. Half of the 74 executions in the United States in 1997 were in Texas by lethal injection at the infamous death chamber in Huntsville. The row to death is in the Ellis Unit 1 in Huntsville and Texas pioneered the method of lethal injection in 1982.
Ellis Unit 1 concentrates the injustice of the death penalty . In January 1998 , was sentenced to death 436 : 173 blacks , 171 whites and 89 Hispanics (11 of them Mexican ) and six women (four white and two black). 88% of those executed (144 by the end of 1997) have been convicted of killing a white, but 58% of the state's homicide victims are people of color.
In addition , Texas has 26 of the 70 juveniles sentenced to death ( until June 1998 ) and has to be seven of the 11 child offenders executed since 1985.
The clemency process is an outrage. The Board of Pardons and Paroles does his business in secret, no records or explain the reasons for their decisions. A press release from Canada reported: " The board members communicate their decision fax, a process known as ` death by fax ' .
The flag of Texas death row is like a death camp , for " allowing " the condemned work ( without pay) . The sewing factory produces bags and uniforms for the guards. One prisoner told Amnesty International: " Many prisoners did not agree to work for the government that will kill. "
Against immigrants
The death penalty is also a weapon in the war against immigrants. There are over 60 foreign nationals from 22 countries on death row in the United States. The U.S. government signed an international convention which says that those who are imprisoned in a foreign country have the right to contact the consulate of their country , yet routinely violates that agreement . In April 1998, violated by executing Angel Breard , a Paraguayan citizen in Virginia. Also, Jose Villafuerte executed a Honduran citizen, without informing the right to contact the consulate.
In December 1998 , for a short run at Stanley Faulder , a Canadian citizen in the state of Texas. Until the Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, took up the matter and requested to postpone the execution (perhaps concerned about the consequences for U.S. citizens if other countries violate the agreement) . Finally, the U.S. Supreme Court postponed it ( for now).
Justification and "the rights of victims "
Politicians and government officials always say that polls show that people are in favor of capital punishment . Say that we should expand it to "halt" the crime , although the official figures of recent years prove that crime is decreasing and many studies indicate that the sentence does not serve as a " brake . "
The politicians and the press cynically manipulate "the rights of the victim " in order to accelerate the pace of executions. Prosecutors handling the families of the victims with their own political ends and of recruiting right-wing groups calling for more repressive measures .
Naturally, the family feel great sorrow for the loss they have suffered. But that is not resolved by asking that this oppressive government to carry out an act of revenge. In fact , justice is a social issue and not personal revenge. Crimes , in essence, are acts against society, The desire of his victims ( or families of victims) of revenge should not be the yardstick by which society decides how to deal with the perpetrator.
The criterion social of justice is : how to create a situation where it is possible to prevent and eventually eliminate such crimes and other forms of oppression? It is essential to grasp that the bourgeois state is an oppressive organization ; prompted to run does not change socio- economic conditions in which they commit murder and rape.
Some families reject the reactionary movement of " victims' rights . " Jeanne is the case of Bishop, who lost her sister ( 25 years) and brother at the hands of a young man in 1990. Bishop told Amnesty International: " When he was sentenced , the first thing I asked [ the press] was whether I was disappointed that he did not receive the death penalty . That amazed me , was the first time I spoke against the death penalty after the death of my sister. I said ` no! . " My sister loved life, much appreciated , never would have wanted conmemoráramos his life with the death of another human being or more blood being spilled to honor . Besides, I never wanted to cause, or my worst enemy, the pain he caused us .... To me it is unthinkable to say, ' Your son killed my sister - he had a brother and sister, very beautiful kids - Now out of revenge going to steal the life of your child or your brother '. To me, that no case would only cause more pain. "
The struggle against death penalty
On December 18, 1998 , executed by Andrew Smith in South Carolina , was the 500th execution since the reinstatement of capital punishment . There was a protest outside the prison, the protesters were hand painted red to symbolize the state 's hands are stained with blood and blocked traffic . They arrested nine people. Also, there were protests in 26 states and 15 countries.
It's all part of growing movement against the death penalty , which includes groups like Amnesty International , the Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty Information Center and on the death penalty , religious forces as the Bruderhof communities , prominent people as Sister Helen Prejean , and actors Susan Sarandon and Mike Farrell , progressive lawyers and many more. Many people oppose the death penalty on humanitarian grounds or religious say that is cruel or believe that life is sacred and never would be wrong to kill a human being. Amnesty International calls on opponents of the death penalty " abolitionists " , referring to the movement to abolish slavery from the 19th century .
For revolutionary communists , opposition to the death penalty is part of opposing the capitalist system attacks against the people and to fight for a different future. In the words of Bob Avakian, Chairman of the RCP : "The communists are opposed to the bourgeois state apply the death penalty because in most cases applied against the oppressed and be a tool to strengthen his dictatorship, and strengthening its repressive apparatus create a more repressive political environment , I repeat, will mainly serve to subdue the oppressed and those who oppose the status quo . "
The death penalty is a sinister and dangerous weapon of the ruling class- a class that survives thanks to abject poverty , repression and criminalization of the oppressed. With it the class enemy threatens the fundamental interests of the people must stop .
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