The Death Penalty Behe!
Abolition in Kentucky NOW!
Rather than continue to coddle the court's
delusion that the desired level of fairness has
been achieved...
| feel...obligated simply to concede that
the death
penalty
experiment
‘has failed::
The facts right now RY)
August 2007 NOW!
* 40 people on death
row in Kentucky
* 2 put to death
° Mixed judicial and
legislative record
* Growing opposition to
the death penalty
* Growing support for
life without parole
and expanding
restrictions
on petitions at Centre
College in Danville
ABOLITION
Recent history Now!
2 persons put to death in
Kentucky since Furman v.
Georgia was reversed in
1976 by Gregg v. Georgia
- Harold McQueen, Richmond,
executed, 1997
- Eddie Lee Harper,
Louisville, gave up appeals
and executed, 1999
2002, Larry Osborne (17 when
convicted) exonerated;
found not guilty at his
second trial after the
Ky Supreme Court UNANIMOUSL
vf
ruled he was unfairly
convicted.
Facts elsewhere
* 12 states and D.C.
have abolished death
penalty
* New York declared its
death penalty
unconstitutional in
2004
* In 2005, the
average murder rate
per 100,000 was 5.3 in
death penalty states;
and 2.8 in states
without the death
penalty.
=
Sue Anne Salmon, Madisonville
Public opinion ABOLITION
is changing NOW!
Most Kentuckians prefer a
sentence other than the
death penalty
* 2006 survey by the UK
Research Center
* Asked to select the
most appropriate
punishment in capital
murder cases
* 67% chose sentences UE
other than the death ;
33.6%
Death Penalty
penalty 28.3%
* Life without parole, #1
* Growing trend
ABOLITION
Arguments against
* The death penalty is
unjust
Y Since 1987,
8 possibly innocent
people have been
executed
Y 124 persons in 25
states have been
freed from death row
since 1972
¥ 205 (including 15 dea
th aN fnmates)
in U.S. exonerated
by DNA tests since
1972
Y Severely mentally ill
persons are subj ect Ruth Stevens, Dawson Springs,
to execution member Murder Victims Families for
Reconciliation
Arguments against
* The death penalty is
unnecessary
Y Kentucky has life
imprisonment
without probation
or parole in
capital cases
Y Nearly 7 out of 10
Kentuckians believe
5 Constituents meet with State Rep. Frank
other penalties are _ Rasche (D—Paducah) to discuss abolition of
more appropriate the death penalty
than death
ABOLITION
Arguments against [fVY7[e\",%/
* The death penalty is
expensive
Y $1 million to $3 million
per case
¥ Some studies say $7 million
¥ $500,000 average for life
imprisonment
Y Estimated that Ky has spent
$300 million since 1976, or
$150 million per execution
¥ Cuts into resources for
other public needs
Author and abolitionist
Carl Wedekind
ABOLITION
Arguments against [fVY7[e\",%/
* The death penalty
does not deter murder
v
v
Canada: 40% drop since
abolition (1976)
48% to 101% higher
homicide rate in U.S.
death penalty states
Research found in
Homicide Studies, May
1997, indicates that
executions may increase
the number of murders
2 out of every 3 law
enforcement officers do
not believe that death
penalty decreases the
rate of homicides
ABOLITION
Victories NOW!
* Mentally retarded ineligible
in Kentucky, 1990
° Atkins v. Virginia, 2002,
U.S. Supreme Court bans
execution of mentally
retarded
* Kentucky Racial Justice Act,
1998
* First state to outlaw
race as a factor
¢ Juvenile bill, came close in
Kentucky in 2002
* Roper v. Simmons, 2005, U.S.
Supreme Court banned
execution of anyone under 18
State Rep. David Floyd (R - Bardstown),
center, co-sponsored legislation to abolish
the death penalty in the 2007 session.
ABOLITION
Legislative agenda f\[e\',"/
* Juror Bill of Rights:
Makes those who have
strong reservations about
the death penalty eligible
for death-penalty juries
° Excluding mentally ill
from the death penalty
* Creating a study
commission to look at
effectiveness, fairness,
cost, etc.
* Electronic recording of
police interrogations
* TOTAL ABOLITION
-
State Rep. Tom Burch (D—Louisville)
and Carol Heilman, member of Murder
Victims Families for Reconciliation,
testify for a bill to study death penalty.
ABOLITION
Faith in action Now!
* KCADP organizing death-
penalty opposition in faith
communities
* Focuses on members of House
and Senate judiciary
* Builds on the
traditions and statements
of religious organizations
° “[I]t takes just a little
organizing to mobilize the
deep-felt opposition we Thousands of Kentuckians rallied to
know exists.” Rev. Phil protest Harold McQueen’s electrocution,
Hoy Zion United Church of carried out in their names in 1997.
Pi
Christ, Henderson.
Faith in action
ABOLITION
NOW!
American Baptist Churches in the USA
American Friends Service Committee
American Jewish Committee
The Bruderhof Communities
Central Conference of American Rabbis
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Church of the Brethren
Church Women United
The Episcopal Church
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Fellowship of Reconciliation
Friends Committee on National Legislat
ion
Friends United Meeting
General Conference of General Baptists
The Mennonite Church
The Moravian Church in America
Mormons for Equality and Social Justic
e
The Orthodox Church in America
National Council of the Churches of Ch
rist
The Rabbinical Assembly
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints
Reformed Church in America
Unitarian Universalist Association
Union of American Hebrew Congregations
United Methodist Church
United Church of Christ
United States Catholic Conference
; ABOLITION
For more info NOW!
There’s a vast amount of
information about the death
penalty—for and against. A
Google search of “death
penalty” indexes over 11
million pages.
Here are some key sources.
, ABOLITION
For more info NOW!
* Key sources
Y Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
http://www. kcadp.org/
a Religious Organizing Against the Death Penalty
http://www. deathpenaltyreligious.org/
a Amnesty International
http://www.amnestyusa.org/Our_Issues/Death Penalty/
page.do?id=10110058&n1=3&n2=28
Y National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
http://www.ncadp.org/
Y Death Penalty Information Center
http://www. deathpenaltyinfo.org/
Y ACLU Capital Punishment Project
http://www.aclu.org/capital/index. html
For more info Now!
* Key sources...
Y The Second Grave
Y Politics, Religion and
Death: Memoir of a
Lobbyist
Both authored by Carl
Wedekind and available
on the KCADP Web site
and eBay
Memoir of
a Lobbyist
Cart WEDEKIND
Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
oes) ABOLITION
Louisville, Kentucky 40201 NOW!
www.kcadp.org
This presentation
was prepared by the Add your name today to
cae the growing list of
Kentucky Coalition ss 7
Kentucky abolitionists.
to Abolish the Deat ,
h Penalty Write to the above
address, join online at
www.kcadp.org or
With the support email us at
of its members and kcadp@earthlink.net.
a grant from the KCADP members receive
American Civil Libe the newsletter and can
rties Union sign up for alerts and
other important
information through our
email network.
AUGUST 2007
Together!!! we can stop
the killing!!!
