Death Penalty
On Jan. 31, 2000, Illinois Governor George H. Ryan (R) sparked new debate on an old issue - capital punishment - when he suspended the execution of prisoners who were on his state's death row. The moratorium1 was to last until a commission completed a study of the death penalty in Illinois. Ryan acted, he said, because he believed the system was "broken." His state had a "shameful record of convicting innocent people and putting them on death row." Of 25 people condemned to death in Illinois since 1977, 12 were executed so far.
About a dozen states in the U.S. have capital punishment, and Illinois was the first to suspend its use. Ryan's move gave fresh stimulus to efforts around the country to look more closely at the rights of individuals accused of capital crimes and to temporarily halt or even abolish use of the death penalty.
Most developed countries no longer impose capital punishment in criminal cases. In the U.S., however, execution has remained in use since colonial days, except for a period of several years ending in the mid-1970s. The U.S. Supreme Court held in 1972 that the death penalty was unconstitutional because it was being applied in an arbitrary2 manner. Four years later, however, the Court ruled that capital punishment was allowed for certain crimes. In 1977, executions started again in many states, and by February 2000 more than 600 people had been put to death. In 1999 alone, 98 prisoners were executed.
Most Americans, apparently, still favor the death penalty. But voices against it have multiplied in recent years. On Christmas Day 1998, Pope John Paul II called for a global moratorium on capital punishment. Petitions3 demanding a worldwide suspension are being circulated by the group Moratorium 2000, a nonprofit organization led by Sister Helen Prejean, the author of Dead Man Walking, the story of her friendship with two death-row inmates. Prejean's group plans to present the petitions, with 1 million signatures, to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Human Rights Day in December 2000.
The problem of wrongful executions has become a growing concern. People expressing concern over the application of the death penalty in the U.S. reflect a broad range of views, from those who oppose capital punishment outright to those who, like Governor Ryan, favor it in principle but fear that under the current system, innocent people may sometimes be put to death. Researchers have pointed to a number of weaknesses in the criminal justice system that can lead to wrongful executions. Some of these failings were vividly highlighted in a series of investigative articles published in the Chicago Tribune in November 1999. These include simple human error, poor or incompetent defense presented by lawyers for the accused, misconduct by police, racial bias4, and failure to carry out or take account of DNA testing.
In Illinois, for example, it was found that on at least 33 occasions a person on death row was represented in court by lawyers who had been disbarred or suspended. Just two days before one inmate was scheduled to be put to death, evidence was brought to light showing he was innocent; he was eventually5 released, in 1999. Another inmate was convicted of a 1982 murder on the basis of testimony by witnesses who later said they had been coerced by police into fingering the accused. One reason why such cases have come to light in Illinois is that it is one of the few states that permit inmates to undergo DNA testing after they have been convicted. New York State is another. This may be why Illinois and New York are said to be the states with the greatest number of inmates freed from death row.
1moratorium: suspension, delay, stop for a certain period of time
2arbitrary: determined by whim or chance; despotic
3petition: appeal, request
4bias: prejudice, partiality
5eventually: at last
Now, make a summary in English (or Mongolian) of what you know about the death penalty. Be prepared to talk to me about it!
Greger