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= __ Capital Punishment __ =

[|Death Penalty Mistake]

__[|The Facts]__
Definition: putting a condemned criminal to death. - There have been 1206 total executions in the United States since 1976. - 56% of defendants executed have been white, while 35% are black and 7% are Hispanic. - Over 75% of the murder victims resulting in execution were white, although only 50% of total murder victims are white. - There have only been 15 white people executed for murder of a black victim, but 244 black defendants have been executed for the murder of a white. - Since 1973, over 130 people have been released from Death Row with evidence of their innocence. - Of current Death Row inmates, 44% are white, 42% are black, and 12% are Hispanic. - The number of death sentences per year has dropped dramatically since 1999. - Twenty-two defendants have been executed for crimes committed as juveniles. - Women constitute 1.6% of the Death Row population. Thirty-five states in the U.S. use the death penalty, plus the United States government and military. Lethal injection is the primary method of capital punishment. Other methods include electrocution, gas chamber, hanging, and firing squad. Crimes that result in the death penalty vary from state-to-state, but they include murder, perjury causing execution of an innocent person, drug trafficking, kidnapping resulting in death, treason, aircraft hijacking, and rape.
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__An Expert’s Opinion__

 * We interviewed Abraham Bonowitz, co-founder and director of “Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty” and Director of Affiliate Support for the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.
 * He is a former supporter of the death penalty, but now believes that as a society, we are obligated to do better than seek vengeance . Mr. Bonowitz, when asked why he changed his mind, said, “I used to say, why don’t we kill them all, I’ll pull the switch myself. In trying to figure out why we don’t kill them all, I realized how unfair it is.”
 * He is convinced that our current justice system is a retributive justice system, “which only heightens the pain and deepens the wounds of the families of victims of murder, the families of perpetrators, and the perpetrators themselves." As director of CUADP, Mr. Bonowitz supports the concept of restorative justice.
 * Mr. Bonowitz’s opinions are reflected in those of the CUADP, which advocates a minimum sentence of 25 years in prison without parole for those convicted of capital murder, and in some cases, life imprisonment . The message of the CUADP, as stated by Mr. Bonowitz, is as follows: “Our message is that, purely as a public policy, the death penalty fails.”

__The Life and Dignity of the Human Person__

 * Catholic Social Teaching insists that nothing can take away the fundamental dignity of any person, not even his or her own destructive actions.
 * Capital punishment says that a person who has committed a capital offense does not deserve the same respect and dignity as others.
 * Christians are called to be for human life, which means allowing people to live.

//__[|The Gospel of Life]__//

 * "In the same perspective there is evidence of a growing public opposition to the death penalty, even when such a penalty is seen as a kind of "legitimate defense" on the part of society. Modern society in fact has the means of effectively suppressing crime by rendering criminals harmless without definitively denying them the chance to reform."
 * "Thus the deepest element of God's commandment to protect human life is the requirement to show reverence and love for every person and the life of every person "

== __[|"Is It Time to End the Death Penalty?"]__ == In an article published May 7 in the //Daily News & Analysis//, Dean Williams suggests the following:
 * “To enforce the death penalty is to say that man cannot be reformed. In that case, what of the myriad of politicians who constantly promise the electorate that their corrupt past is behind them? What of the godmen and priests who molest, rape and exploit, all the while asking for our forgiveness, saying that they can be rehabilitated ? Are they different from the rest of humanity ? Are we also then to assume that every anti-abortionist is against the death penalty? After all, if the fetus has life from its conception and hence cannot be killed by man, only by god, then does that also not hold true for criminals? If death be required then should not a 'god' be doing the killing?”
 * “ Killing is easy; it's keeping someone alive when you'd prefer them dead that takes real courage . It's a pity our lawmakers lack that.”

__Organizations that Deal with Capital Punishment__

 * The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty contains nearly 150 national, state, and local organizations working towards the abolition of capital punishment. Visit their [|website] for a variety of videos, blogs, and other resources, as well as links to petitions you can sign.
 * Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty is an activist organization advocating restorative justice and alternative sentencing. They work to end the death penalty in the U.S. through aggressive campaigns of public education. Visit their [|website] for a variety of resources.

__Individually__
There are many ways to take action against this cruel and unusual punishment. You can visit the following websites:
 * [|Campaign to End the Death Penalty] : you can add your name to several letters being sent to influential politicians, make a donation, or join a chapter of the campaign to help with petitioning and setting up meetings.
 * [|Amnesty International] and [|NCADP] have petitions available to sign, as well as addresses of politicians to which you can send letters, to help commute sentences to life in prison for several Death Row inmates.
 * The [|Death Penalty Action Network] has a petition available to sign for a worldwide moratorium on capital punishment.

__On a larger scale__
The obvious solution to ending the death penalty is alternative sentencing. Life imprisonment is a cheaper, better alternative to capital punishment.

__Works Cited__

 * Interview with Abe Bonowitz
 * Windley-Daoust, Jerry, and Lorraine Kilmartin. //Living Justice and Peace: Catholic Social// //Teaching in Practice//. Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's, 2008. Print.