Thursday 27 June 2013

Texas execute their 500th. prisoner

Ok, so I'm on my hobby horse again, but I was very sad to hear that Texas went ahead last night and carried out the 500th execution since capital punishment was reinstated in the US by putting to death Kimberley McCarthy. They have carried out nearly 40% of all executions in America, and (as I've said before) the governor, Rick Perry,  has said that he wouldn't lose any sleep if an innocent person were to be excuted. Kimberley is the first woman to be put to death for some time, and there are still big questions over the way her trial was conducted. She had already had several stays of execution, one at the last minute.

The link below is about the chaplain who for many years worked on Texas Death Row, and during his time there he remained with prisoners while they were executed. He finally decided that the death penalty was wrong, and he gives his reasons.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/27/capital-punishment-texas-pickett

4 comments:

  1. I like the way the chaplain refers to the execution as "killing" ...Fear of executing an innocent person is behind many countries stopping the death penalty. The governor of Texas who wouldn't lose any sleep over such a travesty is surely a killer himself.
    K

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    1. You're right, Kay. Just thank heavens he didn't make president (he was in the running)!

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  2. You know my views Frances. Like you I am opposed to the death penalty. It simply barbaric. It is revenge not deterrent. It is too easy for an innocent person to be killed (but then I'm not sure I wouldn't rather die than spend a lifetime in a prison). The most persuasive argument, though, for me from a logical point of view is that it is not a deterrent and, indeed, if one is going to die anyway because one has killed once then why not risk more killings to try to get away.

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    1. My feelings, too. What worries me is that so few seem to be aware of what happens in a country which we call our friend.

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