The Montana Abolition Coalition is sponsoring a series of events this week that feature victims' family members and exonerated death row inmates. Yesterday MVFHR member Ziggy Ziegler spoke with exoneree Ray Krone at an event in Billings titled "Beyond Repair: True Stories of the Death Penalty," and Ziggy published this op-ed piece in Saturday's Billings Gazette:
As a victim of violent crime, I am committed to the abolition of the death penalty.
In 1973, my 78-year-old father was murdered in a foiled robbery attempt. He was sitting in his car in a grocery store parking lot reading his evening newspaper when he was shot and left for dead in the front seat of his car. The perpetrators fled to a waiting automobile. My mother finished her shopping and was returning to her car when she witnessed the ambulance attendants removing my father’s body from the vehicle. Witnesses were able to identify two teenage youth who were apprehended within a matter of hours and charged accordingly.
No words can adequately describe the emotions and trauma when one receives “that” telephone call. There is first disbelief, then sheer physical grief of a loss, then reality, then hatred. Three days earlier I had spent the holiday with my father. I had not realized that I would never see him alive again nor would I be able to tell him I loved him or to say goodbye. I became angrier.
I addressed the hate issue for some time. It was only with the gift of my family, my faith and my friends that I was able to overcome that consumption and release it before it destroyed my life and that of my family. You can forgive the sinner but not the sin.
In 1978, I was asked to participate in a four-day retreat program for the inmates held at our prison in Deer Lodge. My initial response was a definite “no.” Why do I want to go to a prison and be with all those “people?” Eventually, I went, then I went again, and soon I became consumed with sharing the testimony of my family struggle. Many of my listeners were guilty of a similar crime and had never heard from a victim, let alone experienced the discourse of what happens to a victim’s family. Some have apologized to me, perhaps for the first time, realizing what they have done to others.
Nothing yesterday, today or tomorrow will bring my father back. I accept that. Taking the lives of the two minors who murdered my father will satisfy nothing. I believe perpetrators should be held responsible for their actions with a sentence of life in prison, no years of pleadings or hearings or extensions — simply life without parole.
Today and every day, I wear my father’s wedding band as a reminder of the many fond memories of him in our 40 years together. He lived life to the fullest and set many a good example as a man of deep faith. By his death he would not seek vengeance to those who took him from us. I seek to honor my father’s legacy by supporting the abolition of Montana’s death penalty.
The speaking series continues: on Wednesday, Ray Krone will be joined by MVFHR board member Marie Verzulli. Friday's Great Falls Tribune had an article announcing that event. Here's an excerpt:
Krone's world was turned upside down in 1991 after a woman was murdered in a Phoenix bar. He was charged, convicted and sentenced to death for her murder.
After more than 10 years in prison, Krone convinced an appeals court that DNA found at the murder scene indicated another man was guilty. When prosecutors dropped the charges, he became the 100th person exonerated from death row in the United States since the death penalty was reinstated in 1973.
Verzulli will speak about the circumstances regarding her 29-year-old sister, Catherine, who was one of eight women murdered by a serial killer in New York between 1996 and 1997.
That murderer is serving eight life-without-parole sentences, a sentence that Verzulli supports.
She said the death penalty system is costly, unjust and only prolongs suffering of grieving families.
The Montana Abolition Coalition is an umbrella group of faith, civil and human rights organizations that support abolition of Montana's death penalty. The coalition has brought a bill to the Montana Legislature that would replace the death penalty with life without the possibility of parole. The bill passed the Senate in 2007 and 2009 and will be proposed in the 2011 session.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
Overwhelming support
The New Hampshire Commission to Study the Death Penalty continues to hold public hearings around the state. Last night's was at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, and today's Foster's Daily Democrat has this story:
There was one common theme at Thursday's public hearing of the state Commission to Study the Death Penalty on the University of New Hampshire campus.
That theme was overwhelming support to abolish the death penalty.
Among the people who spoke against the death penalty were a murder victim's father and a former Florida Supreme Court Justice who oversaw numerous death penalty cases.
Robert Curley's son Jeffrey was killed in 1997 by two pedophiles that had targeted him. His son's body was found in South Berwick, Maine.
"Up until that time I never really gave the death penalty that much thought one way or the other," Curley told the 12-member panel at Thursday's hearing at Murkland Hall.
But his son's death enraged him and forced him to take a hard look at the death penalty, he said
"I really didn't know how I could feel any other way but to be in favor of the death penalty," he said.
However, as time passed Curley said he continued to take a close look at the death penalty and began to see flaws in the legal system that made the death penalty seem unfair.
The example he gave was the case of Manny Babbitt, a U.S. Marine Veteran of the Vietnam War who was convicted of the murder of a 78-year-old woman during a burglary in Sacramento, California. Babbitt suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and the murder wasn't premeditated.
Curley said he was surprised that someone like Babbitt could be executed, while Unabomber Ted Kaczynski could serve life in prison.
Read the rest of the article.
There was one common theme at Thursday's public hearing of the state Commission to Study the Death Penalty on the University of New Hampshire campus.
That theme was overwhelming support to abolish the death penalty.
Among the people who spoke against the death penalty were a murder victim's father and a former Florida Supreme Court Justice who oversaw numerous death penalty cases.
Robert Curley's son Jeffrey was killed in 1997 by two pedophiles that had targeted him. His son's body was found in South Berwick, Maine.
"Up until that time I never really gave the death penalty that much thought one way or the other," Curley told the 12-member panel at Thursday's hearing at Murkland Hall.
But his son's death enraged him and forced him to take a hard look at the death penalty, he said
"I really didn't know how I could feel any other way but to be in favor of the death penalty," he said.
However, as time passed Curley said he continued to take a close look at the death penalty and began to see flaws in the legal system that made the death penalty seem unfair.
The example he gave was the case of Manny Babbitt, a U.S. Marine Veteran of the Vietnam War who was convicted of the murder of a 78-year-old woman during a burglary in Sacramento, California. Babbitt suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and the murder wasn't premeditated.
Curley said he was surprised that someone like Babbitt could be executed, while Unabomber Ted Kaczynski could serve life in prison.
Read the rest of the article.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
1 of the 50 Best
Criminal Justice Degree, a site devoted to compiling and offering information about criminal justice programs in the U.S., has just included "For Victims, Against the Death Penalty" on its list of 50 Best Blogs Discussing Capital Punishment. The list includes blogs from local, national, and international organizations, and a few pro-death penalty sites as well.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Families of Law Enforcement
MVFHR's Fall/Winter newsletter is out, with a feature on "Families of Law Enforcement Opposing the Death Penalty." Here's an excerpt:
Kathy Dillon’s father, a New York State trooper, was killed in the line of duty when Kathy was just 14. Kathy says, “Some of my family members support the death penalty. This is hard. It can be a very divisive issue, and that is not what families need. We need to be able to support one another in regards to one of the most tragic occurrences in our lives.”
Only as an adult did Kathy learn that another close family member had shared her feelings about the death penalty. “It was only about five years ago that I learned, in a conversation with my godfather, that my paternal grandmother had not wanted the death penalty either. Though she and I were close, I did not know that she had opposed the death penalty because the subject was not discussed with us children. It was as if my father’s murder, and everything related to it, became a taboo subject. It was just too horrific.”
Survivors like these can feel out of place and wish for greater understanding from others in the law enforcement community. But Gail [Rice, whose brother, a Denver police officer, was killed in the line of duty] suggests that it would also be beneficial if death penalty abolitionists made an effort to imagine, more fully, the perspective of families of slain police officers. Gail remembers the experience of riding with her brother and his partner for part of a shift.
“I was amazed at what they saw and what they had to deal with. I think the abolition community needs to recognize the dangerous situation that police officers are in, to acknowledge how much violence they are exposed to and what it is like to be the first one there at the scene of a homicide.” This kind of understanding can help with any outreach or bridge-building efforts, Gail says. What would help, she suspects, is actually quite similar to what helps when reaching out to families of murder victims: recognition and acknowledgment of the horror and devastation of murder.
Read the entire article.
Kathy Dillon’s father, a New York State trooper, was killed in the line of duty when Kathy was just 14. Kathy says, “Some of my family members support the death penalty. This is hard. It can be a very divisive issue, and that is not what families need. We need to be able to support one another in regards to one of the most tragic occurrences in our lives.”
Only as an adult did Kathy learn that another close family member had shared her feelings about the death penalty. “It was only about five years ago that I learned, in a conversation with my godfather, that my paternal grandmother had not wanted the death penalty either. Though she and I were close, I did not know that she had opposed the death penalty because the subject was not discussed with us children. It was as if my father’s murder, and everything related to it, became a taboo subject. It was just too horrific.”
Survivors like these can feel out of place and wish for greater understanding from others in the law enforcement community. But Gail [Rice, whose brother, a Denver police officer, was killed in the line of duty] suggests that it would also be beneficial if death penalty abolitionists made an effort to imagine, more fully, the perspective of families of slain police officers. Gail remembers the experience of riding with her brother and his partner for part of a shift.
“I was amazed at what they saw and what they had to deal with. I think the abolition community needs to recognize the dangerous situation that police officers are in, to acknowledge how much violence they are exposed to and what it is like to be the first one there at the scene of a homicide.” This kind of understanding can help with any outreach or bridge-building efforts, Gail says. What would help, she suspects, is actually quite similar to what helps when reaching out to families of murder victims: recognition and acknowledgment of the horror and devastation of murder.
Read the entire article.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Gone Too Soon
Margaret Summers sent us the link to this piece she wrote for National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims. The title is "Gone Too Soon: Honoring Homicide Victims."
It is beyond difficult to lose a loved one to murder. The horror of a spouse, child, sibling, parent or other relative’s life abruptly ended by a single, violent act is a trauma that lasts forever. I know; I’ve had friends who have lost loved ones in that manner. I lost an uncle and a cousin that way.
In the absence of loved ones, lost to homicide, what’s left are a constant pain, grief, heartache and trauma imposed upon the surviving family by the violent behavior of another human being. The yawning void threatens to swallow one up every day, the void that used to be filled by someone now gone forever. Sometimes one forgets, and picks up the phone to call that person with whom one shared a laugh, made plans to go out for “movie night,” or catch up on family news. Then suddenly, it all comes back; no one will answer the phone; the voice one always looked forward to hearing with joy and anticipation, is eternally stilled.
Everything one sees underscores that loss. Parents of murdered children remember them when they see parents with strollers in the park, or hear the happy shouts of little ones at play. The spouse left behind feels remorse when watching couples holding hands. Wherever one turns, there is the reminder that the son who dreamed of becoming an astronaut is forever denied the dream, or the murdered parent will never again attend PTA meetings or volunteer for school activities.
Murder decimates not only families and friends, but also entire communities. Murder rips away our teachers, our doctors and nurses, our police officers, our sanitation workers, everyone who once made a significant contribution to our neighborhoods. As the title of a song Stevie Wonder sings has it, they are “Gone Too Soon.”
The annual National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims on September 25 gives us all the opportunity to remember those lost to homicide, and honor their memories. Cities and states hold programs, workshops and other events focusing on the impact of murder on families and communities, the issues survivors of homicide victims face, and ways to better support and serve survivors.
The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty has long had the participation of family members of murder victims on its Board of Directors and in its states’ Affiliates. They have insisted that their murdered loved ones would not have wanted their killers executed in their names. However, they recognized that in the national debate over capital punishment, the needs of homicide victims’ survivors are sometimes unintentionally overlooked. NCADP’s new program, Rachel’s Fund, is designed to strengthen the bonds between the abolition movement and families of murder victims and of death row prisoners, so that together we may help create effective policies that prevent violent crime, ensure our communities’ safety, and assist victims’ survivors.
This National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims, let’s take the time to honor the memories of those lost to homicide, and embrace the theme of the day, “Remember; Remind; Respect”:
Remember: The happiness and joy the deceased loved ones brought to all of us;
Remind: Our memories of murder victims remind us of our loss;
Respect: For the lives of murdered loved ones, the rights of their survivors as co-victims, and for justice.
For more information about NCADP's Rachel's Fund Program, please visit http://www.ncadp.org/rachelsfund.
It is beyond difficult to lose a loved one to murder. The horror of a spouse, child, sibling, parent or other relative’s life abruptly ended by a single, violent act is a trauma that lasts forever. I know; I’ve had friends who have lost loved ones in that manner. I lost an uncle and a cousin that way.
In the absence of loved ones, lost to homicide, what’s left are a constant pain, grief, heartache and trauma imposed upon the surviving family by the violent behavior of another human being. The yawning void threatens to swallow one up every day, the void that used to be filled by someone now gone forever. Sometimes one forgets, and picks up the phone to call that person with whom one shared a laugh, made plans to go out for “movie night,” or catch up on family news. Then suddenly, it all comes back; no one will answer the phone; the voice one always looked forward to hearing with joy and anticipation, is eternally stilled.
Everything one sees underscores that loss. Parents of murdered children remember them when they see parents with strollers in the park, or hear the happy shouts of little ones at play. The spouse left behind feels remorse when watching couples holding hands. Wherever one turns, there is the reminder that the son who dreamed of becoming an astronaut is forever denied the dream, or the murdered parent will never again attend PTA meetings or volunteer for school activities.
Murder decimates not only families and friends, but also entire communities. Murder rips away our teachers, our doctors and nurses, our police officers, our sanitation workers, everyone who once made a significant contribution to our neighborhoods. As the title of a song Stevie Wonder sings has it, they are “Gone Too Soon.”
The annual National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims on September 25 gives us all the opportunity to remember those lost to homicide, and honor their memories. Cities and states hold programs, workshops and other events focusing on the impact of murder on families and communities, the issues survivors of homicide victims face, and ways to better support and serve survivors.
The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty has long had the participation of family members of murder victims on its Board of Directors and in its states’ Affiliates. They have insisted that their murdered loved ones would not have wanted their killers executed in their names. However, they recognized that in the national debate over capital punishment, the needs of homicide victims’ survivors are sometimes unintentionally overlooked. NCADP’s new program, Rachel’s Fund, is designed to strengthen the bonds between the abolition movement and families of murder victims and of death row prisoners, so that together we may help create effective policies that prevent violent crime, ensure our communities’ safety, and assist victims’ survivors.
This National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims, let’s take the time to honor the memories of those lost to homicide, and embrace the theme of the day, “Remember; Remind; Respect”:
Remember: The happiness and joy the deceased loved ones brought to all of us;
Remind: Our memories of murder victims remind us of our loss;
Respect: For the lives of murdered loved ones, the rights of their survivors as co-victims, and for justice.
For more information about NCADP's Rachel's Fund Program, please visit http://www.ncadp.org/rachelsfund.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Day of Remembrance
Murder Victims' Families for Human Rights
Statement on National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims
September 25, 2010
Today is a National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims. It is a day to hold the victims of murder in our hearts and minds not as statistics but as distinct individuals, each unlike any other. It is a day to acknowledge each homicide as a singular, incomparable tragedy and to recognize that each homicide is a theft of a unique, irreplaceable, deeply loved human life, representing a world of devastation for the victim’s surviving family and friends.
Today Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights joins with other victims’ groups across the United States in honoring our loved ones’ lives and renewing our commitment to working toward a better world.
Statement on National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims
September 25, 2010
Today is a National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims. It is a day to hold the victims of murder in our hearts and minds not as statistics but as distinct individuals, each unlike any other. It is a day to acknowledge each homicide as a singular, incomparable tragedy and to recognize that each homicide is a theft of a unique, irreplaceable, deeply loved human life, representing a world of devastation for the victim’s surviving family and friends.
Today Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights joins with other victims’ groups across the United States in honoring our loved ones’ lives and renewing our commitment to working toward a better world.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Prevention, Not Execution in Charlotte
I'm traveling to Charlotte, North Carolina today and will be giving a presentation to the local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI-Charlotte, at St. John's Baptist Church this evening. I'll be talking about MVFHR's Prevention, Not Execution project, which aims to end the death penalty for people with severe mental illness.
Activists in both the mental health and anti-death penalty arenas have come together on this issue in North Carolina, and during the last legislative session the state came close to passing a bill that would exempt people with severe mental illness from the death penalty. At MVFHR we continue to value our collaboration with the National Alliance on Mental Illness and we appreciate opportunities to work together toward our shared goal. I'll report on the Charlotte event later this week.
Activists in both the mental health and anti-death penalty arenas have come together on this issue in North Carolina, and during the last legislative session the state came close to passing a bill that would exempt people with severe mental illness from the death penalty. At MVFHR we continue to value our collaboration with the National Alliance on Mental Illness and we appreciate opportunities to work together toward our shared goal. I'll report on the Charlotte event later this week.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Conference on the death penalty in the Middle East and North Africa
Renny Cushing was invited to represent MVFHR at the second Regional Conference on the Death Penalty in the Middle East and North Africa, titled "Death Penalty: Risks, Opportunities, Proposed Tools and Strategies" and taking place today and tomorrow in Alexandria, Egypt. The conference is sponsored by Penal Reform International, the Swedish Institute Alexandria, and the Arab Centre for the Independence of the Judiciary and Legal Profession.
The conference organizers give this description:
This conference will bring together international and regional experts from the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) and build upon the recommendations of the first Alexandria Conference (held in May 2008) which called on Arab states to halt the use of the death penalty.
This second Alexandria Conference aims to generate in-depth discussion among human rights experts, and decision and policy makers, on the risks of and opportunities for engaging in the death penalty debate in the MENA region, participants will assess progress made towards abolition, lessons learnt since 2008, and what tools and strategies are likely to be most effective in achieving this ultimate goal.
The conference will also focus on the coming UN General Assembly moratorium resolution; contributing to an action plan for increasing the number of Arab countries prepared to vote in favour of the resolution.
Another expected outcome of the conference will be a tool-kit that will support the work of human rights activists in MENA towards abolition.
We are honored to be invited to participate and welcome the opportunity to contribute victims' perspective to these discussions.
The conference organizers give this description:
This conference will bring together international and regional experts from the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) and build upon the recommendations of the first Alexandria Conference (held in May 2008) which called on Arab states to halt the use of the death penalty.
This second Alexandria Conference aims to generate in-depth discussion among human rights experts, and decision and policy makers, on the risks of and opportunities for engaging in the death penalty debate in the MENA region, participants will assess progress made towards abolition, lessons learnt since 2008, and what tools and strategies are likely to be most effective in achieving this ultimate goal.
The conference will also focus on the coming UN General Assembly moratorium resolution; contributing to an action plan for increasing the number of Arab countries prepared to vote in favour of the resolution.
Another expected outcome of the conference will be a tool-kit that will support the work of human rights activists in MENA towards abolition.
We are honored to be invited to participate and welcome the opportunity to contribute victims' perspective to these discussions.
No more death
From Friday's Keene (NH) Sentinel, "Punishment debated: State death penalty commission hears from public":
A retired police chief, an ex-convict and the mother of a murder victim all came together Thursday to speak against capital punishment at a public hearing at Keene State College.
The forum — one of several to be held around the state — was sponsored by the N.H. Commission to Study the Death Penalty, a group appointed by the Legislature to review the fairness and efficacy of New Hampshire’s death-penalty law.
The 22-member commission is made up of representatives of groups with an interest in the issue, including lawyers, politicians and law enforcement professionals, as well as others who have had professional or personal experience with murder.
Bradley R. Whitney, whose father, Robert “Eli” Whitney, was strangled to death by Gary Lee Sampson in Meredith in 2001, is a member of the commission. He said the hearing had a good turnout — more than 100 people attended.
“People came and spoke their mind,” he said. “I don’t think anybody held back.”
There were a few tears but no raised voices, and most speakers stuck to the topic throughout the two-hour forum.
About 30 people addressed the commission. Of those, only three said they support the practice of capital punishment in some cases.
People who wanted to share their views without speaking publicly had the option of writing their comments on a sheet that circulated around the room.
Margaret Hawthorn, whose daughter Molly Hawthorn-MacDougall was murdered in Henniker in April, was one of the many speakers who told the commission the N.H. death penalty should be repealed.
While MacDougall’s accused killer is not facing the death penalty, Hawthorn said she wouldn’t want him put to death.
“The best possible outcome for me would be for there to be no more death,” she said. “One was enough.”
There were several arguments voiced by many of the death-penalty opponents.
Some appealed to Christian teachings of forgiveness and salvation. Others pointed to statistics that show that poor, non-white criminals are more likely than their affluent, white peers to be sentenced to death. And several expressed their belief that premeditated killing is always wrong — whether the killer is an individual or the state.
But others said that there are extreme circumstances, and that the option of the death sentence shouldn’t be taken off the table entirely.
“I believe the death penalty is right in some cases,” Keene High School student Celeste Thibault told the commission.
But Mark A. Edgington, who served nine years in a Florida prison on a charge of second-degree murder, said his time in prison changed him from a death-penalty supporter to an opponent.
He said his experience had shown him one common argument in favor of retaining the death penalty — that it would deter others from committing crimes — was not valid.
“Having spent nine years in prison, let me tell you, those men don’t care about your deterrents,” he said.
Former Marlborough police chief Raymond T. Dodge echoed Edgington’s point.
He said his experience in law enforcement had shown him that people who commit crimes don’t weight the pros and cons beforehand.
“Criminals don’t do that,” he said. “They just react.”
Dodge also told the commission the danger of a wrongful conviction wasn’t worth the risk.
“We can release an innocent person from jail,” he said. “We cannot release an innocent person from the grave.”
The commission is scheduled to present the final draft of its report to the Legislature on Dec. 1.
In March 2009, the N.H. House passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Steven Lindsey, D-Keene, that would have repealed the state’s death penalty, but the bill stalled in the Senate.
The last person to be executed in New Hampshire was put to death in 1939, but the practice is still legal in the state.
A retired police chief, an ex-convict and the mother of a murder victim all came together Thursday to speak against capital punishment at a public hearing at Keene State College.
The forum — one of several to be held around the state — was sponsored by the N.H. Commission to Study the Death Penalty, a group appointed by the Legislature to review the fairness and efficacy of New Hampshire’s death-penalty law.
The 22-member commission is made up of representatives of groups with an interest in the issue, including lawyers, politicians and law enforcement professionals, as well as others who have had professional or personal experience with murder.
Bradley R. Whitney, whose father, Robert “Eli” Whitney, was strangled to death by Gary Lee Sampson in Meredith in 2001, is a member of the commission. He said the hearing had a good turnout — more than 100 people attended.
“People came and spoke their mind,” he said. “I don’t think anybody held back.”
There were a few tears but no raised voices, and most speakers stuck to the topic throughout the two-hour forum.
About 30 people addressed the commission. Of those, only three said they support the practice of capital punishment in some cases.
People who wanted to share their views without speaking publicly had the option of writing their comments on a sheet that circulated around the room.
Margaret Hawthorn, whose daughter Molly Hawthorn-MacDougall was murdered in Henniker in April, was one of the many speakers who told the commission the N.H. death penalty should be repealed.
While MacDougall’s accused killer is not facing the death penalty, Hawthorn said she wouldn’t want him put to death.
“The best possible outcome for me would be for there to be no more death,” she said. “One was enough.”
There were several arguments voiced by many of the death-penalty opponents.
Some appealed to Christian teachings of forgiveness and salvation. Others pointed to statistics that show that poor, non-white criminals are more likely than their affluent, white peers to be sentenced to death. And several expressed their belief that premeditated killing is always wrong — whether the killer is an individual or the state.
But others said that there are extreme circumstances, and that the option of the death sentence shouldn’t be taken off the table entirely.
“I believe the death penalty is right in some cases,” Keene High School student Celeste Thibault told the commission.
But Mark A. Edgington, who served nine years in a Florida prison on a charge of second-degree murder, said his time in prison changed him from a death-penalty supporter to an opponent.
He said his experience had shown him one common argument in favor of retaining the death penalty — that it would deter others from committing crimes — was not valid.
“Having spent nine years in prison, let me tell you, those men don’t care about your deterrents,” he said.
Former Marlborough police chief Raymond T. Dodge echoed Edgington’s point.
He said his experience in law enforcement had shown him that people who commit crimes don’t weight the pros and cons beforehand.
“Criminals don’t do that,” he said. “They just react.”
Dodge also told the commission the danger of a wrongful conviction wasn’t worth the risk.
“We can release an innocent person from jail,” he said. “We cannot release an innocent person from the grave.”
The commission is scheduled to present the final draft of its report to the Legislature on Dec. 1.
In March 2009, the N.H. House passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Steven Lindsey, D-Keene, that would have repealed the state’s death penalty, but the bill stalled in the Senate.
The last person to be executed in New Hampshire was put to death in 1939, but the practice is still legal in the state.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Events this week
MVFHR members Vicki Schieber and Cathy Crino are among those participating this week in Beyond Repair: True Stories of Illinois' Death Penalty, a speaking tour organized by the Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. The Coalition says, "This educational event will reveal stories of redemption, forgiveness, and betrayal from those personally affected by the death penalty. It is part of a two-week suburban speaking tour aimed at revisiting the issue of the death penalty ten years after the moratorium."
Also this week, MVFHR program staff member Kate Lowenstein is at the National Center for Victims of Crime conference in New Orleans. This gathering "will bring together victim service providers and advocates, law enforcement officials, researchers, educators, and allied professionals from around the country to share best practices, forge new collaborations, and enhance resources, policies, and services for crime victims."
Also this week, MVFHR program staff member Kate Lowenstein is at the National Center for Victims of Crime conference in New Orleans. This gathering "will bring together victim service providers and advocates, law enforcement officials, researchers, educators, and allied professionals from around the country to share best practices, forge new collaborations, and enhance resources, policies, and services for crime victims."
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