Death penalty may be in failing health
Evidence that even mountains can be moved appears almost daily in the pressure against the death penalty. The once-muffled voice of opposition has become a resounding roar, as state joins church in condemning capital punishment as cruel and immoral. Pope John Paul supports an international commission to abolish it. The U.N. proposes a resolution calling on all its member nations to end the practice. Catholic bishops in New Mexico, Texas and other states join in seeking restrictions to death penalty laws.
Meanwhile, a bill is introduced in the U.S. Congress to cancel federal death penalty provisions. The governor of Illinois, George Ryan, issues a moratorium against further executions in the state. And President Clinton praises Ryan's action and suggests other states consider following suit.
What is it all about? How explain this sudden, surprisingly united front? In the judgment of one person with long experience in the field, the tide began to turn in 1995 with the exoneration of two Illinois convicts, Rolando Cruz and Alex Hernandez, both of whom had spent years on death row. That event got the ball rolling, said David Protess, a professor at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. It's been gathering momentum ever since.
What is especially significant about that case, said Protess, is that the release of the two was achieved not by the criminal justice system remedying its earlier mistakes but by an investigation involving newspersons (not Protess) and independent lawyers. Since then, journalists, private attorneys and even journalism students have succeeded in overturning the convictions of 13 of the 25 Illinois citizens awaiting execution on death row. Protess and some of his own students have been particularly effective in uncovering the truth and publicizing it widely in several of these later cases.
For more than 25 years the traditional arguments against capital punishment - notably that the innocent might be falsely condemned - had made little impression on the public. However, said Protess, the mounting "empirical evidence" - better than a 50 percent "mistake" margin in one state - has changed minds and caught the attention of leaders.
Another major factor in the consciousness shift, said Protess, was the book (and later the movie), "Dead Man Walking," by Sister Helen Prejean. It provided a grim but engaging portrait of capital punishment that neither affirmed nor condemned the practice. Rather, it humanized and particularized the procedure, thereby causing many to reconsider their position. Prejean will discuss death penalty issues in the light of these shifts when she addresses the CTA national conference in November. Her experience, as well as that of Protess and others, seems to demonstrate that in some cases cataclysmic change can be triggered by the courage and determination of a handful.
Moratorium 2000 is a global petition drive for a moratorium on executions. Over two million people have signed so far. The U.S. goal is a million signatures that Sr. Helen Préjean can deliver to the U.N. on Human Rights Day - Dec. 10, 2000. To get involved, call 202 588-5489.