Death Penalty
Williams denied clemency, execution scheduled for tomorrow
death-penalty
on December 12, 2005 at 11:12 PM
Dr. William F. Schulz, Executive Director, Amnesty International USA, today released the following statement regarding California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s decision to allow Stanley Tookie Williams to be executed early Tuesday morning:
Now that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has made the regrettable decision to deny clemency to Stanley Tookie Williams, Amnesty International implores the Governor to stay all executions in the state and to let the Senate Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice complete its work and submit its recommendations.
By refusing to stay Williams’ execution, Gov. Schwarzenegger has failed to demonstrate genuine leadership on this issue. In his prepared statement, he said that he was placing his trust in California’s criminal justice system, which the Senate Commission is currently investigating. Last year, the legislative body recognized the pervasive flaws plaguing the system and tasked the Commission with discovering and exposing the potentially lethal errors and bias that have metastasized throughout the state’s administration of the death penalty.As California’s highest-ranking public official, Gov. Schwarzenegger has an obligation to guarantee that all of the state’s laws are applied equally to everyone—even people on death row. But today, he abandoned that responsibility and left the more than 640 death row inmates to fend for themselves in the state’s broken system. According to the Santa Clara Law Review, California’s death penalty system is incapable of providing equal protection because it lacks “… the basic safeguards to avoid capricious, erroneous, and discriminatory application of the death penalty.”
Back to entriesComment on this entry
Comments: 12
John in LA
on December 13, 2005 at 3:52 AM
Had Mr. Williams chose not to commit the murders, we would not be having this discussion. However, he elected, for whatever reason, to commit the murders and now he must pay for this decision with his life. Its too bad as obviously, he could have done many beneficial things for the good of local communities. However, with his selfish decision to commit these crimes back in 1979, the time has come to answer for his crime. He did make the choice to commmit the crime and now he must pay. I am not sure what it is people do not understand about having to pay for your crime.
on December 13, 2005 at 3:39 PM
John in LA -- The death penalty in the United States (and elsewhere) is fraught with errors. In 2003 alone, 10 innocent defendants were released from death row. People need to stop putting their faith in this flawed system.
Brian Rich
on December 13, 2005 at 11:24 PM
I dont know if what you are saying is true or not, liberals tend to manipulate stats to suit their position. however, it doesnt seem flawed for the "10 people with a new lease on life". If you are against capital punnishment than just say so. Dont lie or decieve just to win your arguement. Just curious, why are liberals pro choice when it comes to an innocent unborn fetus and pro life when it comes to "scum of the earth" cold blooded killers?
Nicholas Jones
(Homepage)
on December 14, 2005 at 9:09 AM
At the end of the day 4 innocent people have died in the country. He deserves what ever he gets painless or painful execution. I agree what happeened to him. So what if he wrote a stupid book and claimed he was innocent, evidence supports his guilt. The other thing is who is the victims he. People have to many hearts for sick killers like him. Support the families not the crinimals. Death penalty should be in every country. I hope it was painful, thats what the families whould have felt all these years.
Nick
Nick
Carl
on December 14, 2005 at 4:59 PM
It has been said that the death penalty should be abolished because it does not deter crime. That's true. But you know what? The threat of incarceration for violent offensives against humanity does not deter crime either. Should we abolish all prisons because of that? I hope not. I agree that the American justice system is flawed. It must be if it takes 25 years or longer to execute a convicted murderer.
Tookie Williams was put to death for killing four defenseless people in cold blood. Why didn't anyone stand outside the courthouse where his trial was held and protest such acts of violence?
Capital punishment, as practiced in this country, is not working because it is not consistent. One person might be executed for killing a single individual, while another person who kills 5 people may get a long (or short)prison sentence. The system is broken. But that does not mean we should throw it away. Just fix it.
Tookie Williams was put to death for killing four defenseless people in cold blood. Why didn't anyone stand outside the courthouse where his trial was held and protest such acts of violence?
Capital punishment, as practiced in this country, is not working because it is not consistent. One person might be executed for killing a single individual, while another person who kills 5 people may get a long (or short)prison sentence. The system is broken. But that does not mean we should throw it away. Just fix it.
fernando
on December 15, 2005 at 2:42 PM
Taking the life of an innocent person is an unpardonable crime.A murderer deserves no second chance, cause the person that he killed will not have a second chance. The only problem with the death penalty in the US is that it takes too long for these murderes to be executed.
Comment modified)
Brian Rich -- Clearly you have no data to state that this is not true, otherwise you would have presented it. Also, it seems that (unlike death penalty supporters) most people in the United States are finally seeing the death penalty for what it really is (i.e., the ultimate, irreversible denial of human rights), as the number of people put to death declines every year.
on December 16, 2005 at 5:26 AM
Taking the life of an innocent person -is- an unpardonable crime, Fernando. That's why we need your help to make sure that no innocent people are killed on death row. You'd probably be surprised to learn that in 2003 alone, 10 innocent defendants were released from death row. Help abolish the death penalty.
Carl -- How can you support such a racially-biased and fundamentally flawed system? Let me provide an example: a 1998 study of the city of Philadelphia found that, even after making allowances for case differences, the odds of receiving a death sentence in Philadelphia are nearly four times higher if the defendant is African-American.
Another example -- this one's also from our death penalty pages:
"In May 2002, the Governor of Maryland imposed a moratorium on executions because of racial bias in the state’s death penalty system. A January 2003 study released by the University of Maryland concluded that race and geography are major factors in death penalty decisions. Specifically, prosecutors are more likely to seek a death sentence when the race of the victim is white and are less likely to seek a death sentence when the victim is African-American."
Carl, I'd like to see you try to explain how you'd fix that. Good luck.
Another example -- this one's also from our death penalty pages:
"In May 2002, the Governor of Maryland imposed a moratorium on executions because of racial bias in the state’s death penalty system. A January 2003 study released by the University of Maryland concluded that race and geography are major factors in death penalty decisions. Specifically, prosecutors are more likely to seek a death sentence when the race of the victim is white and are less likely to seek a death sentence when the victim is African-American."
Carl, I'd like to see you try to explain how you'd fix that. Good luck.
on December 16, 2005 at 5:41 AM
Nicolas Jones -- People who are concerned about the fair administration of justice are standing against the death penalty. People in this country are waking up to the fact that the death penalty is racist, unfair, arbitrary, ineffective, costly, and that it claims innocent lives. People outside of the United States are realizing this, too (many have known for a long time that the death penalty is wrong, in fact). In September 2005, Liberia ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, providing for the total abolition of the death penalty. With the addition of Liberia, 13 African countries have now abolished the death penalty for all crimes; 20 countries retain the death penalty but are no longer carrying out executions (and 20 countries retain and use the death penalty, so there's still some work to be done there). Last week, Mexico abolished the death penalty. The United States' contribution to the 2004 worldwide total executions dropped from 65 the previous year to 59 in 2004.
car leasing
(Homepage)
on June 5, 2007 at 1:57 PM
We live in an evolved era, i am sure there are many other punishments besides death penalty. I don't agree, and i think this system should be revised for moral issues.
Arlandrea Logan
on November 1, 2007 at 9:50 AM
ONLY GOD HAS THE RIGHT TO JUDGE PEOPLE SO FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WISH DEATH AGAINST OTHERS NO MATTER WHAT THE CASE MAY BE ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE THEM AND YOU. AND I HOPE ON YOUR JUDGING DAY THAT GOD CAN ANSWER TO YOUR OPINION ON THIS TOPIC BECAUSE GOD GAVE NO RIGHT TO ANY HUMAN THAT KILLS ANOTHER NO MATTER WHAT IN THE END THEY ANSWER TO GOD AND SO DOES THE ONE WHO KILLED THEM......
For all blogs
