Volume 7, Issue 2
July 2008
ABOLITION NOW!
Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
P.O. Box 3092 Louisville Kentucky 40201-3092
(502) 636-1330
email: kcadp@earthlink.net
website: www.kcadp.org
Next Big Step Campaign Off to Strong Start
pril’s kick-off of the Next Big Step Campaign is
bearing fruit. As this edition of Abolition Now!
goes to press, contributions and pledges to the
campaign have passed the halfway mark of the goal of
$240,000.
KCADP's Board members and others have been busy
explaining the campaign to potential donors and seeking
their help. With over $136,000 pledged by mid-July,
KCADP still needs another $104,000 in pledges before
hiring someone fulltime to carry out the campaign mission.
“This is a great beginning,” said Rev. Pat Delahanty,
who chairs the Coalition. “Il am hopeful that members who
are still considering the amount of their gift will respond
soon, SO we can move to the next phase of the campaign.”
The Next Big Step Campaign has three major objec-
tives:
= To convert the positive public opinion favoring prison
over execution into action in the halls of the state
capitol by focusing on legislation to abolish the
death penalty for the mentally ill and then on legisla-
The Next Big Step Campaign
July 15, 2008
$240,000
$250,000 ~~
$200,000
$150,000
$100,000
$50,000
@ Pledged m Goal
tion to abolish the penalty entirely.
= To recruit and hire a full-time staff person to build on
the grassroots organizing effort, to oversee a volunteer
speakers bureau and educational campaign, and to
work with volunteer leaders to enhance the legislative
lobbying initiative.
=™To secure tax-deductible donations in the form of
pledges totaling $240,000 to pay for the estimated
$80,000 expenses for each year of The Next Big Step
campaign.
At the June Board meeting, members charged the execu-
tive committee with the task of creating a job description and
qualifications for the new staff position.
As of this writing this work is not final, but upon review of
materials from other states, it is clear that the following ele-
ments will be included.
KCADP would be looking for someone who is energetic,
has a history of working on death penalty issues, a self-
starter who requires minimum supervision, a person who can
work on several projects at once, and someone willing to
work with diverse partner organizations and people.
This person will also need to be able to work flexible
hours, have excellent computer skills, and possess strong
writing and other communication skills.
A knowledge of Kentucky and how the General Assembly
works will be a consideration.
Responsibilities will certainly include, but not be necessar-
ily limited to, the following:
= Work in collaboration with a team of colleagues to
implement the organization’s strategic plan toward
legislation to abolish the death penalty in Kentucky;
Participate in newsletter and Website publishing;
Intensive email and phone outreach;
Organize and facilitate events;
Maintain already existing relationships with partner
organizations and develop new contacts and part-
ners; and
= Work with part-time staff to ensure data entry and
administrative duties in respect to organizing efforts.
If you know someone who might be that perfect person,
please encourage him/her to send a résumé and writing sam-
ple to the KCADP office. Remember, a demonstrated knowl-
edge about and action taken on abolishing the death penalty
is a significant criterion for employment for this position. If
you are that perfect person, please send your résumé and
writing sample to PO BOX 3092, Louisville KY, 40201.
Page 2
July 2008
Thank You F or Your Generous Gifts
KCADP recognizes how fortunate it is to have so many
concerned Kentuckians as generous contributors to the Next
Big Step Campaign. All gifts are significant. To date, pledges
and contributions have ranged from $25/yr for three years to
$15,000/yr for three years. More than 100 persons are be-
hind these pledges. We want to acknowledge these gifts and
express our deepest gratitude to those who have given them.
We thank those whose names appear below for their
thoughtfulness and generous gift. If we missed anyone,
please let us know so we can correct that error in the next
edition of Abolition Now!
$1,000 and over
Bert Lyons and Maggie Brandt
Rev. Patrick Delahanty
Myrtle Bingham
Bob and Dalarna Breetz
Maria Hines and Ray Schweri
Marilyn Jones
Mary Ellen Horner
Carla Wallace
Shelby Robertson
Rev. Joseph Graffis
Congregation of Divine Providence
Sisters of Notre Dame
Ursuline Sisters of Mount St. Joseph
Nancy and Ollie Barber
Rev. Richard Sullivan
St. Edward Parish, Louisville
Peter and Mary Lou Houck
Linda Schrader
Ben Griffith
Al Bennett
St. Matthews Episcopal Church, Louisville
Linda Mitchell
Mark Meade
Richard Mitchell
Robert Benson
Tricia Burke
Rabbis Gaylia Rooks and Joe Rapport
St. William Church, Louisville
$500 — $999
John Burke
John Griffith
Sheila Schuster
Thomas Lyons
Alice and Bill Walsh
St. Walburg Monastery
Johanna Bos
Dona Wells
Carol Heilman
Charles Wilton
Dave Hulefeld
$100 — $499
Rev. Lucinda Laird
Maurice Byrne
Charles and Donna Bussey
Susan Dixen
JoAnn Schwartz
Sue Martin
Gail Robinson
Doug and Karen Rohrer
Ed Henson
Kathy and Lew Lancaster
Pitsy Buren
Travis Green
Nancy Rowles.
Richard Rice
Thomas and Mary Lynch
Will Warner and Sandra Shanaberger
C. A. Woodall
Sheriall Cunningham
Carl Wedekind
Dawn Jenkins
Jan Garrett
Phyllis Jenness
Joan Atkisoon-Lucietta
Ted Merhoff
Jerry Hardt and Diane Yoder
Ken Stammerman
Peggy Wright
Mary Zena
Rev. Bill Medley
Donald Vish
Bill Londigran and Jennifer Hicks
Cathy Murphy
Richard Seckel
Mother of God Church, Covington
Jane and Joe Roehrig
Sr. Chris Beckett
Roberta Harding
Kaye Gallagher
Brian and Prudence Cooney
Doris Ferm
Chris Daniel
Mona Logsdon
Phyllis Passafiume
Christine Richards
Ann Colbert
Greg Kennard
Paula & Britt Brockman
Steve Neal
Doug Griggs
Judith Burris
Rev. Robert Osborne
Louise Schulman
Tish Moore
Jack, Margaret and Liam O'Donnell
Most Rev. John McRaith
Richard & Kathy Ostrom
Don Sands
$99 and under
Robert Maynard
Rev. Billie Stockton
Rita Brothers
Sylvia Troescher
George Kennard
Eric Maddox
Mary Margaret Mulvhill
Glenda Guess
Tim and Rosanne Klarer
K. Bandell
As the cover story on page one notes, these gifts repre-
sent more than half of what is needed to carry out the Next
Big Step Campaign: $136,000 of the $240,000. So, KCADP
still needs an additional $104,000.
All KCADP supporters are urged to consider joining those
named above in making a generous contribution and bringing
us closer to raising the $240,000 needed to carry out the
Next Big Step Campaign.
The form at the bottom of page 3 is available for clipping
and mailing. You can also pledge and contribute online at
www.kcadp.org using PayPal and your credit card.
KCADP accepts gifts of stock and if you prefer donating
these, please contact Kaye Gallagher at kcadp@earthlink.net
to set up a time to talk about how to do this.
Visit to Website
The KCADP website—www.kcadp.org—is a valuable tool for finding information about the
death penalty and Kentucky. Click on the Resources tab and find a wealth of helpful
° ° documents that are inspiring and informative. Hundreds of news articles keep the viewer
Might Excite You up to date about what is happening in our state. Plus all our newsletters are now avail-
able in the pdf format for easy downloading and reading. Enjoy and visit often.
July 2008
Page 3
Film — Atthe Death House Door — Stirs Discussion;
Available Free for Showings in Your Community
KCADP was among more than 30 organizations chosen
nationally to preview a remarkable documentary of a Texas
Death Row chaplain. At the Death House Door was shown in
Louisville and Crestview Hills in May.
KCADP now owns a DVD copy of this new film, which aired
nationally in May. It is available free of charge to view with
your faith group or community organization. KCADP can also
provide a moderator or discussion guide, if needed.
The film tells the story of Carroll Pickett, a chaplain for the
Texas Department of Corrections. During his 13-year tenure
he counseled 95 inmates executed by lethal injection, includ-
ing Charlie Brooks Jr., the first person in the U.S. killed by
lethal injection.
Part of his struggle in backing away from capital punish-
ment comes about because of Carlos De Luna, a man who
might have been executed for a crime he didn’t commit. The
film also tracks the investigative efforts of two reporters from
The Chicago Tribune as they look into the De Luna case.
The film’s 95 minutes gives a personal look at Pickett’s
time in Huntsville at the “Walls” prison unit. After each execu-
tion, out of a need to talk about the experience, Pickett me-
ticulously recorded an audiotape account of his latest trip to
the death chamber.
Sister Alice Gerdeman, who works to fight capital punish-
ment in Kentucky and Ohio, said 77 people gathered at Tho-
mas More College in Crestview Hills to watch the film on May
20. “Some were ‘the regulars,’” she said. “Some were stu-
dents. Some religious leaders. Some interested in the cause.
Some new faces and several people who came across the
river from Ohio because they couldn’t make showings there.”
“People were deeply touched by Pickett’s life,” she added.
The showing in Louisville took place at Bellarmine Univer-
sity before some 40 viewers. At least two became the newest
members of KCADP.
One viewer took additional information for distribution in
his parish community. Since then, that parish has committed
to a generous contribution to the Next Big Step Campaign.
To book your showing, contact Coordinator Kaye Gallagher
at 502.636-1330 or kcadp@earthlink.net. In Northern Ken-
tucky, contact Sr. Gerdeman at alice@ijpc-cincinnati.org.
Amnesty International Seeking
State Abolition Coordinators
Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) is recruiting volunteer
State Death Penalty Abolition Coordinators (SDPAC) for Ken-
tucky. Though the position is unpaid, AIUSA will subsidize
routine travel and telephone expenses. There will be opportu-
nities for training. Hours can vary, but the job usually requires
about two hours of work per week.
This leadership position is an integral part of Amnesty
International’s volunteer activist structure. SDPACs work in
conjunction with AIUSA staff and other volunteers to achieve
goals in the United States.
Elements of the job include communication, legislative
work, casework monitoring, strategy development, and organ-
izational responsibilities.
To apply email Amanda Flott at aflott@aiusa.org for an
application. This must be returned with the names and phone
numbers of three references. The form includes other volun-
teer opportunities of interest to persons concerned about
human rights.
lExecutions are expensive! fe
I So is stopping them!!!
H Please keep membership dues current.
I
| Membership
Voindividual: $15/year CFamily......$25/year
jUlLimited Income.....
l
1 Name.
I plans for those who choose to donate monthly, quarterly,
or semi-annually.
TAddress.
!
Ioiy Zip
'phone. Email
had me to the email alert list
1 Mail Check or Money Order to:
[KCADP, PO Box 3092, Louisville KY 40201
Please Consider a Generous Gift to
KCADP welcomes the opportunity to set up payment
The Next Big Step Campaign
Oo$50 0$100 0$250 0$500 o$1000
coOther.
Per Year for Three Years
F| You can pay dues and make tax-deductible
donations — including monthly pledges — us-
ing your credit card and PayPal.
Page 4
July 2008
KCADP plans to join with others in pursuing the passage
of legislation to stop the use of the death penalty for persons
who are severely mentally ill. This small subset of defendants,
like persons diagnosed with mental retardation or youth un-
der the age of 18, have diminished capacity because of their
severe illnesses. Through no fault of their own, they cannot
make decisions and function in the way mentally healthy per-
sons do.
The fact that society has developed programs for mentally
ill persons and funds treatment for them, as well as the rec-
ognition by policy makers that health insurance plans should
provide equitable coverage for mental diseases as they do for
physical ones, is an indication that society understands how
disabling mental illness can be.
With the U. S. Supreme Court ruling in 2002 that it is un-
constitutional to execute mentally retarded persons (illegal in
Kentucky since 1990), those concerned about the use of the
death penalty began to ask to what extent, if any, other types
of impaired mental conditions ought to be exempt from the
death penalty.
The American Bar Association, which takes no position on
the use of the death penalty itself, adopted a resolution
which was in keeping with resolutions of the National Asso-
ciation on Mental Illness (NAMI), the American Psychiatric
Association and the American Psychological Association.
In its Recommendation and Report on the Death Penalty
and Persons with Mental Disabilities, it is pro-
KCADP to Pursue End of Death
Penalty for Severely Mentally Ill
The Recommendation and Report also addresses post-
conviction situations when a] “volunteers” terminate post-
conviction proceedings; b] prisoners are unable to assist their
attorneys in post-conviction proceedings; or c] a person is
unable to understand the nature and purpose of the punish-
ment, or to appreciate the reason for its imposition in the
prisoner's own case.
This area of the law is complex and the brief paragraphs
above will need much greater explanation so lawmakers can
understand the reasons for excluding certain very sick indi-
viduals from suffering a disproportionate punishment for their
crimes.
Allies in the field of mental health are already contributing
to this discussion in Kentucky. NAMI-KY has agreed to follow
their national organization’s lead and support the legislation
in Kentucky.
KCADP members could help by beginning to have discus-
sions with members of the Kentucky General Assembly who
represent them and see if they will share their opinions on
this important issue. Please report the results of any conver-
sations you have with your legislators by writing the Coalition
at kcapd@earthlink.net or send comments to delahan-
typ@bellsouth.net.
To help educate one another, KCADP will create a page on
www.kcadp.org dedicated to materials related to this discus-
sion on executing severely mentally ill persons.
posed that persons charged with capital of-
fenses who have significant limitations in in-
tellectual functioning and adaptive skills be
exempt from the death penalty.
It also seeks to “prohibit execution of per-
sons with severe mental disabilities whose
demonstrated impairments of mental and
emotional functioning at the time of the of-
fense would render a death sentence dispro-
portionate to their culpability.”
However, a person whose disorder is
manifested “primarily by repeated criminal
conduct or attributable solely to the acute
effects of voluntary use of alcohol or other
drugs does not, standing alone, constitute a
mental disorder or disability for purposes of
this provision.”
In other words, the sort of severe mental
illness that disqualifies a person for a death
sentence is one for which the person is not
responsible.
P.O. Box 3092
form.
Kentucky Coalition
to Abolish the Death Penalty
Louisville, Kentucky 40201-3092
Email: kcadp@ earthlink.net
Website: www.kcadp.org
If there is no
date on your
address label or
a date prior to
07/31/2008 ,
please take the
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Louisville, KY
Permit No. 110
time to renew
your member-
ship. See page 3
for membership
Executions are expensive!!! So is stopping themI!!
Send your donation to the address above.
