padp.org | Let's end this thing!

Six in Six!

Today, Maryland abolished its death penalty! What makes this even more remarkable is that Maryland is the FIRST state below the Mason-Dixon Line to achieve abolition.

Here's a quick recap:

Six states in six years have abolished capital punishment for a total of 18 states without the death penalty. There's more coming, so stay tuned.

Congratulations to Jane Henderson and all the people at MDCASE! Big round of applause for them and all of the other groups that made this day possible.

For those of you in the western part of the state, please mark your calendars for the evening of Thursday, May 16, 2013 when Sr. Helen will be speaking in Pittsburgh. More details to follow.

While Terry Williams and Hubert Michael have had their executions stayed, neither of them is safe. More at our blog humanrightspa.wordpress.com

Pennsylvanians for
Alternatives to the Death Penalty

Statement on Execution
of Hubert Michael

Tonight,
Pennsylvania will kill one of its citizens, Hubert Lester Michael, who murdered
Trista Eng. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Trista who are
suffering unknowable pain. Yesterday, some of them spoke publicly at the
hearing in front of the PA Board of Pardons and Parole. They told personal stories of their love and
longing for Trista and shared memories of all the years that they have endured
without her.

The
impending execution of Mr. Michael cannot bring their loved one back, and,
quite possibly, will not bring them the closure they so richly deserve. Vicki
Schieber, whose daughter was raped and murdered in Philadelphia says that she “can
tell you with all seriousness that there is no such thing as closure when a
violent crime rips away the life of someone dear to you.”

From 5 – 8 PM
we will be standing outside of the death house, SCI Rockview, in solidarity
with the Eng family, with the Michael family and with all who are connected to
this very sad moment. We gather to bear witness to the barbarity that is state-sponsored
killing. We urge Governor Corbett not to kill in our names.

In the words
of Sr. Barbara Craig, Hubert Michael’s spiritual advisor “May the day come, and
in the not too distant future, when the death penalty is abolished in this
state and in the country.”

Kathleen
Lucas, Executive Director

Pennsylvanians
for Alternatives to the Death Penalty

info@padp.org

humanrightspa@wordpress.com

twitter
@padp_org

Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the
Death Penalty (PADP) is a grassroots organization dedicated to ending capital
punishment in Pennsylvania. We believe that there are safe and fair
alternatives to executions. PADP organizes Pennsylvania citizens through
direct outreach and community education.

<!--[if gte mso 10]>

<![endif]-->

Follow our blog for breaking news on the death penalty

Tell your lawmakers the truth about capital punishment!

Innocent people on death row!

The PA Bar Association reported that we are at risk of executing an innocent person - this is not a risk that we should be willing to take.
Six people have been released from PA’s death row due to innocence and an astounding 140 have been exonerated in the US since 1973.
Cameron Todd Willingham was executed in Texas in 2004 despite the overwhelming amount of evidence that leads to his innocence. Click here for a link to view the full story.

The cost of capital punishment is too high!

New Jersey found that it is as much as three times more expensive to execute someone than to keep them in prison for life.
We have alternatives to executions in Pennsylvania; we can keep our communities safe by handing out strict sentencing. All the money we save can go toward policing, safety measures for our prison guards and a host of other preventative services.
At this time of national economic crisis and a statewide budget freeze - now is a good a time as ever to halt this wasteful system and look for ways to make our society a better place. Click here for a link to a New York Times editorial about the cost of capital punishment.

Racial, geographic and economic disparities!

African-American defendants in Philadelphia are four times more likely to be given a death sentence than white defendants.
Although Philadelphia’s murder rate is only 3 times great than that of Harrisburg, the proportion of those condemned to death is 11 times greater in Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania provides no funding for indigent defense services, opting instead to rely on county-funded indigent defense systems. As a result, the quality of Pennsylvania’s capital indigent defense system varies widely among counties and fails to afford uniform, quality representation to many capital defendants.

Primary links

Six in Six!

User login