fmdh - death penalty usa2104 : elizabeth a. zitrin, jd

Death Penalty USA2104

Elizabeth A. Zitrin, JD

Vice President

World Coalition Against the Death Penalty

WorldCoalition.org

Presented at World Forum on Human Rights

Marrakech, Morocco

November 28, 2014

Bad Companyfor at least the past five

years, the USA has executed more people

than all but four countries

Death Penalty World

a shrinking minority in the worldAs of 2013

Total Abolitionist in law or practice: 140 Abolitionist for all Crimes: 98 Abolitionist for Ordinary Crimes only: 7 Abolitionist in Practice: 35

Retentionist Countries: 58

In 1976, only 16 nations had abolished the death penalty

Source: Amnesty International

Who Opposes the Death Penalty

HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES

1948

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Article 3. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 5. No one shall be subjected to torture, or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

The “modern” death penalty USAIn 1976, only 16 nations had abolished the death penalty.

1972: Furman v. Georgia. Death penalty effectively ended by SCOTUS as arbitrary and a violation of the 8th Amendment.

1976: Gregg v. Georgia. Death Penalty is constitutional again. “Guided discretion”

1976 is the beginning of the modern death penalty in the US.

Death Penalty USA Blue: No current death penalty statuteOrange: Death penalty statute declared unconstitutionalYellow: No one executed since 1976Red: Has performed execution since 1976

Death Sentences since 1976

1389 executed in the US since 1976

Source: Death Penalty Information Center

2013

Source: Death Penalty Information Center

Why Must We End the Death Penalty

THE INNOCENT

HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES

Maryland

Innocence

Room for Error

DNA evidence has resulted in 321 exonerations in 34 states

since 1989.

20 of those exonerees served time on death row.

DNA is available in only 5-10% of cases

Wrongful convictions: 75% involve bad ID, 50% involve “junk science,” 25% false confessions

Cost

Race

Source: Death Penalty Information Center

Public Safety Requires an End to Death Penalty

LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALS

THE INNOCENT

HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES

Police, Prosecutors, Wardens, Judges

Deterrence

The study, Do Executions Lower Homicide Rates? The Views of Leading Criminologists, published in the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, concluded, “There is overwhelming consensus among America’s top criminologists that the empirical research conducted on the deterrence question fails to support the threat or use of the death penalty.”

“Closure” is a Fantasy

VICTIMS’ FAMILIES

LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALSTHE INNOCENT

HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES

Robert “Renny” Cushing, Jr.

Politicians who oppose the death penalty are elected

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALSVICTIMS’ FAMILIES

LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALSTHE INNOCENT

HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES

Robert “Renny” Cushing, Jr.

One Life at a Time

LAWYERS

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALSVICTIMS’ FAMILIES

LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALSTHE INNOCENT

HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES

Lawyer and Prophet Bryan Stevenson

“The opposite of poverty is not wealth. In too many places, the opposite of poverty is justice.”

What is the Right Thing to do?RELIGIOUS AND MORAL

LEADERS

LAWYERSGOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

VICTIMS’ FAMILIESLAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALS

THE INNOCENTHUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES

Sister Helen Prejeanwith Dr. Arthur Zitrin

It is a Small World

THE WORLD COMMUNITYRELIGIOUS AND MORAL LEADERS

LAWYERSGOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

VICTIMS’ FAMILIESLAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALS

THE INNOCENTHUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES

We are the World

November 28, 2014World Forum on Human Rights

Marrakech MOROCCOElizabeth ZitrinVice President

World Coalition Against the Death Penalty

eaz@ZitrinLaw.com

WorldCoalition.org