Death penalty: Of protests and plays

Sister Helen Prejean wrote the book "Dead Man Walking" about a convict being put to death and the nun that got to know him. It was adapted into a movie in 1995 with Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. This month, the story is being put to music in San Francisco. A death row opera; this could be a first.

Gina Hamadey Caught Provoking

This play is just one of the many national movements against the death penalty, taking place in all kinds of forms. The Sister herself continues to tour the country, giving speeches on the harms of capital punishment. The Campaign to End the Death Penalty has branches throughout the nation. They conduct protests (led by the Reverend Jesse Jackson and Bianca Jagger) whenever a convict is to be put to death.

And there seems to be action taking place on a smaller scale as well. In Brooklyn this summer, there was graffiti on the outside of the police department listing "Five Reasons to Oppose the Death Penalty." The police department chose to keep the statement there.

George W. Bush was asked at the final debate if he was proud of the death penalty statistics in Texas (one third of executions have occurred in Texas since its 1976 legalization). He replied that though he is not proud of those numbers, he does not regret any of the executions, since he is sure that the convicts were all guilty and because he believes capital punishment to be a deterrent. Al Gore agreed.

It is not a deterrent, bottom line. Statistics prove this to be true: According to the numbers published by the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, D.C., the yearly number of executions and the national murder rate simply are not in conjunction. There are many possible reasons for this, perhaps the most convincing being that most capital crimes are committed in the heat of the moment, when logical thinking has been suspended.

And W. is wrong in saying that all convicts executed have been undoubtedly guilty. Remember the Gary Graham execution this summer? The facts about this case are shady at best. Of the eight eyewitnesses to the parking lot murder Graham was accused of, only one positively identified him as the murderer. This woman has poor eyesight and only caught a glimpse of the assailant. The eyewitness that stood behind the murderer in the checkout line has forcefully stated that Graham was not the killer. But she was never questioned about him in trial.

Two disturbing findings came to surface last week. First, the Texas Defender Service published a report declaring Texas's death penalty system unfit. It states that the system has problems like prosecutorial misconduct, racial bias and inadequate lawyers. The report goes on to state, among other things, that 121 Texas inmates have been sentenced to death based on questionable psychiatric testimony used during the sentencing phase of a trial. These psychiatrists have, in some cases, arrived "at psychiatric diagnoses without first having examined the individuals in question."

Second, a confession that slipped through the cracks was found in none other than George W.'s files which began, not subtly, with "Re: Murder Confession." A Texas prison inmate wrote this in 1998, spelling out details of the rape and murder that he committed, including where to find necessary evidence. Yet the two inmates arrested for the crime remain in prison. If this case doesn't undermine W.'s confidence shown at the last debate, I'm not sure what will.

In that debate, George also affirmed that the death penalty is not a matter of revenge. Funny enough, that is the only reason I can think of to have it around. A family seeking a way to give a killer his or her just desserts - that I can almost understand.

I am (clearly) against the death penalty. But that is not quite the point. Historically, people have been active in issues that touch them somehow. For instance, the hot topic on campus seems to be affirmative action. Why? Because it has an effect on the composition of the student body, of which we are all a part. The death penalty is not like that. It will hopefully never directly touch any of you. But the various and passionate protests across the country - lately even in the form of song - say something. This issue doesn't affect most of these protesters directly, but it affects their vision of America and its judicial system. Be informed on this issue.

- Gina Hamadey can be reached at ghamadey@umich.edu.