Capital punishment: America's worst crime

[nofurylike]

Mumia Abu-Jamal has been on death row for 29 years. Now, a court rules his sentencing unconstitutional. When will we learn?
Amy Goodman
27 April 2011

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/...punishment

The death penalty case of Mumia Abu-Jamal took a surprising turn this week, as a federal appeals court declared, for the second time, that Abu-Jamal's death sentence was unconstitutional. The third US circuit court of appeals, in Philadelphia, found that the sentencing instructions the jury received, and the verdict form they had to use in the sentencing, were unclear. While the disputes surrounding Abu-Jamal's guilt or innocence were not addressed, the case highlights inherent problems with the death penalty and the criminal justice system, especially the role played by race.

-snip-

Despite his solitary confinement, Abu-Jamal has continued his work as a journalist. His weekly radio commentaries are broadcast from coast to coast. He is the author of six books. He was recently invited to present to a conference on racial imprisonment at Princeton University. He said (through a cellphone held up to a microphone) :

"Vast numbers of men, women and juveniles … populate the prison industrial complex here in America. As many of you know, the US, with barely 5% of the world's population, imprisons 25% of the world's prisoners … the numbers of imprisoned blacks here rivals and exceeds South Africa's hated apartheid system during its height."

The United States clings to the death penalty, alone in the industrialised world. In fact, it stands with China, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Yemen as the world's most frequent executioners. This week's decision in Mumia Abu-Jamal's case stands as one more clear reason why the death penalty should be abolished.

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[SeattleGirl]

I hate the death penalty. Hate it. It's barbaric, it won't bring back someone who was murdered, and it's based solely on revenge. I'm not saying I wouldn't have homicidal thoughts if someone murdered a loved one of mine (and that did happen to an uncle of mine), but state sanctioned murder is still murder.

And, if it turns out the person who was executed was in fact innocent, what then? Does the state say, oops, sorry?

[nofurylike]

(04-28-2011 11:00 PM)Punky Wrote:  I hate the death penalty. Hate it. It's barbaric, it won't bring back someone who was murdered, and it's based solely on revenge. I'm not saying I wouldn't have homicidal thoughts if someone murdered a loved one of mine (and that did happen to an uncle of mine), but state sanctioned murder is still murder.

And, if it turns out the person who was executed was in fact innocent, what then? Does the state say, oops, sorry?

Hear! Hear!
very well said, Punky!

i am so deeply sorry you had to suffer through what happened to your uncle

it is powerfully moving to hear that coming from someone who has suffered such a loss. whenever i hear that from a survivor, i think, If that person can let go of blood vengeance, even through that much grief and resentment, then why can't ...
Georgia, Texas, Iran, China, ....

not only no "sorry," but SCOTUS is making it even harder to prosecute prosecutors who lie and cheat to get prosecutions.